Philips shows breakthrough 200 lumens/watt warm white LED lamp

© Philips

Next generation of LED lights, 2x as efficient as fluorescents

Lighting represents a big chunk of electricity consumption (around 1/5), so finding more efficient ways to produce light has huge potential to help the environment. Fluorescents, and then compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), were a huge step in the right direction compared to the energy-hogs that are incandescents, but fluorescents also have their downsides, and their efficiency at converting electricity into visible light isn't optimal by any means. Right now, it looks like the future belongs to LEDs, but while some extremely efficient LEDs have been produced in the lab, the commercial kind has been mostly similar to fluorescents, making their longevity and safety their mains selling point.

That might be about to change. Philips has announced that it has made a high-efficiency warm white LED tube-lamp that could replace the fluorescent tubes that represent more than half of the world's total lighting. While most linear fluorescents get around 100 lumens per watt, this new LED model achieves an impressive 200 lumens/watt while meeting the criteria required for comfortable workplace lighting (ie. a color temperature of 3000–4000 kelvins, a color rendering index of at least 80, and an R9 saturated red level of no less than 20). That's not the same as having a super-efficient LED that produces horrible light quality for the sake of breaking records. And because these are twice as efficient as most fluorescents, the potential energy savings are huuuge.

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http://www.treehugger.com/energy-efficiency/philips-shows-breakthrough-200-lumenswatt-warm-white-led-lamp.html