Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Project TS1 Pavel Parushev
Project TS1 Pavel Parushev
Project TS1 Pavel Parushev
10258
Technology Specialization №1
Source: http://www.gemmalighting.com/products/jupiter/
1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Problem Formulation................................................................................................................................. 4
1.3. Main Question........................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Secondary questions................................................................................................................................. 4
1.5 Delimitations............................................................................................................................................. 4
3 Theoretical framework..................................................................................................................... 6
3.1. What is LED?............................................................................................................................................. 6
3.2. History of LEDs.......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3. Use of LED lamps for street lighting.......................................................................................................... 8
5 Analysis…........................................................................................................................................... 12
6 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................... 13
7 Further work...................................................................................................................................... 13
8 List of references............................................................................................................................. 14
1. Introduction
The human kind has been searching for a way to illuminate the darkness since the very
early stages of the evolution. Fire has been a primary light source for ages and it was not until
recently that the electricity was found and this contributed to finding ways to convert it into
light. There are now many technologies that allow the transformation of electricity into light,
although we refer to all of them by the term “lamps”, mostly not paying attention to the
difference. Some of them are widely used while others have been forgotten to the history.
Today the mankind is not concerned with the questions about how to produce light, the
headline questions are about the energy efficiency, performance and “greenness” of the
technology. The people are facing the negative effects of the pollution supplementing the
generation of electricity, and in addition to finding eco-friendly ways of production, they are
also trying to maximize the efficiency of the electric devices and reduce the use of electricity.
Improved ways of lighting that have better energy efficiency and also offering
equivalent light output are needed. The governments are also trying to prohibit the production
of lamps that have low energy efficiency and stimulate the companies to produce “greener”
lamps. In the recent years the fast evolution of a technology that has been there for a century,
is making it possible to produce light more efficiently. Light Emitting Diode is a simple
technology that produces light with the use of very small amount of electricity. There have
been many problems that prevented this technology from being used for general illumination,
but now it tends to be superior in every aspect compared to all other technologies except when
it comes to price.
This project has the goal to analyze the Light Emitting diode (LED) technology and
compare the key aspects to the other most used technologies when it comes to street lighting.
Are the LED lamps better compared to Metal-halide or High Pressure Sodium lamps? Are
they the light of the future? Please read further to find the answer to these questions!
1.2. Problem formulation
LED has been rapidly developing in the last years, but is this new technology better than the
technologies used now in terms of lighting capabilities, features, life expectancy, energy
efficiency and price? Street lighting is a problem of great importance to communes all over
the world. A lot of energy is spent to bring some light during nighttime. This is needed in
order to prevent car accidents, thefts and in general - ease our life when it is dark.
1.5. Delimitations
Usage of LED lamps only for street lighting (Roadway Lighting, Pathway Lighting, Sidewalk
Lighting, Jogging and Bike Path Lighting)
Technologies to review: Metal-halide (MH), High-pressure sodium (HPS), Light Emitting
Diode (LED) based lamps
2. Method of data acquisition
2.1. Model – Desk study (Encarta, 2009)
- assessment of existing data: an investigation of the available facts and figures relevant
to a specific issue before starting a new or more detailed study of it
- This research is based on secondary data only or mostly
Figure 1
Source: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net
3. Theoretical framework
3.1. What is LED?
Light Emitting Diode (LED) is solid state
semiconductor device which converts electricity into
light. In general the structure of a LED (picture 1)
consists of anode (positive electrode), cathode
(negative electrode), lead frame, semiconductor
material between the lead frame, and an epoxy
encapsulation to protect the lead frame and disperse
thelight.
The semiconductor material is the most critical part
of the LED. When electricity is applied to it light is
produced in the form of radiation. This happens due
to the fact that on the positive side there is a p-type
semiconductor and on the negative side there is a n-
type semiconductor. The semiconductor material is
doped with impurities to create a p-n junction.
This phenomenon is described in detail (How and
LED works, 2010).
In order for an electron to change its orbit, it needs to either lose energy or gain energy. What
we are interested in with LEDs are the electrons going from a higher orbit to a lower orbit,
this loss of energy results in the form of a photon of light. When the electrons from the n-type
side “fill the holes” in the p-type side, they lose energy in the form of these light photons. The
greater the energy release is, the higher the frequency of the light photon that is given off,
leading to color change.
If the frequency is within the human visible spectrum (the range our eyes can see), then we
will see the light being emitted by the LED. If we see no light (i.e. when the light emitted is
in the invisible infrared spectrum), then we won’t see it. But it can still be useful, such as in
allowing you to change the channel on our TVs (infrared LEDs are used in TV remote
controls and many other places).
In LEDs, the light that is being emitted depends on the material being used and the current
that is run through it. The light in a standard diode has the atoms arranged so that the electron
drop in energy is very short and the frequency of light given off isn’t visible to our eyes,
rather is in the infrared. So simply explained, LEDs that are produced with the intention to
give off lot of light are made of semiconductor materials that create a bigger drop in the
electron’s orbit so that the frequency of the photon packet comes out in the human visual
spectrum. They can even be designed so that the amount of electricity flowing through them
will actually change the drop so multi-color LEDs can be produced .
4.3. Color
The most efficient white LEDs have color temperature from 4500K to 6500K, which means
they emit light that appears to be white to bluish-white which makes the objects that are
enlightened to appear bright and impress with their real colors. Some LED lamp
manufacturers mix LEDs with various color temperatures to reach desired color temperature
of the luminary that is most pleasant and gives appropriate coloring of the area that is
supposed to be lit. The color rendering varies according to manufacturer and model but in
general it is better than HPS (less than 50CRI) and the most common MH (around 65CRI).
Usually LED luminaries have CRI over 75. The Color Rendering Index measures the
adequacy of the light to make the objects color identification possible. CRI of 50 or more is
usually enough to make clear distinction between do colors, but the more CRI the better.
LEDs score another point in this feature competition (Picture 3).
Picture 3 Comparative spectral power distributions for HPS, MH, and LE
Source: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/alliances/outdoor_area_lighting.pdf
4.6. Cost
As a comparatively new technology used for lighting, LED luminaries currently cost more
than the traditional HPS or MH light sources. The reduction in re-lamping cost and potential
power savings over time with LEDs may reduce the overall lifecycle cost and may happen to
be even cheaper. Economic evaluation of LED outdoor luminaries is a hard task highly
specific to the area that is to be lit, dependant on variables including electric demand (kW)
and consumption (kWh) rates, maintenance costs, real usable life of the luminary, need for
specific optics and poles. LED outdoor lighting experiments documented by different
associations have shown estimated payback from 3 years to more than 10 years. LED
technology is the perfect answer to some new requirements put by the governments over the
world. Some jurisdictions have implemented some steps to reduce the energy consumption
during night. LEDs are not only energy efficient but they possess one very important feature –
they can be designed to reduce the illumination of the luminary whenever light is not needed
thus greatly improving the power savings.
5. Analysis
On the basis of the collected data outdoor area lighting appears to be a promising application
for LED technology in addition new better products are being introduced on a regular basis.
All LED and HID luminaries need careful information gathering and research in order to
assess quality, performance, and overall value. The features of the LED luminaries vary
greatly from design, and type of the LEDs used, manufacturer, and also the offered warranty
over the products. The provided data is too general and is intended to give only slight
overview on the outdoor lighting picture. In summary LED technology offers better power
efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, longer life, better Color Temperature and Color Radiation
(it gives better perception and does not irritate the eye), the produced light is spread over the
ground more even then MH and HPS (there are no brighter spots that may blind you for a
moment when you are driving), LED technology posses the feature to be turned on instantly
and is more durable in many aspects over the competition. One of the main problems at this
point is the cost of the products which is few times higher than the competitive products, but
this difference is being compensated over time due to the longer useful life, and the energy
savings. There are a lot more considerations that come to mind when considering changing
the current luminaries with LED ones. Some of the lamps are designed to be compatible with
the currently used poles, so a simple replacement of the lamp with LED one is all that has to
be done in order to enjoy the benefits of it, but since LED produce directional light some
specifically designed poles may be implemented along with the lamps itself for even better
results. The optics used to spread the light around is also important and may greatly improve
the lighting and color rendering features of LED.
6. Conclusion
The comparison of the different features and specifications of the street lighting technologies
in this report made it unquestionably clear who is the clear winner out of the competition
when it comes to street lighting and although there are a lot of considerations that bother the
lighting experts LED technology definitely wins over HPS and MH. LED is one of the fastest
developing technologies in the recent years and is finding implementation in many areas of
the human life. With the increasing effectiveness and light capabilities claiming to have
achieved 300lm/watt in laboratory settings LED luminaries are expected to start dominating
the luminary market in the next few years. These figures are nearing the theoretical maximum
in efficiency of converting electricity into light and unless some revolutionary and innovative
way to produce light without the use of electricity LED technology are going to be the most
desired one in Street lighting for a long time.
7. Future work
More detailed research may be conducted with concrete specifications and comparison of
particular products and features. Practical experimentation and testing with real products
preferably the newest LED lamps available on the market is recommended. There is a serious
concern about the life expectancy of the whole LED luminary, because it is claimed to last at
least 50,000 hours which is quite a long time to test it in practice and manufacturers usually
provide 3-5 years of warranty on their LED products while they are expected to have life
nearing 10 years. This is an interesting aspect to be taken into account and tested if possible.
If a laboratory setting is available to provide the opportunity to test and experiment in new
better and more effective designs of LED and LED lamps this could be a possible
continuation of the following research. At the current point this project is just a brief
introduction of the outdoor lighting and a research on the benefits and the features of LED
technology. Another point of interest may be to study how the poles design influences the
longevity of the luminary and also the light distribution, although the LED lamps are
compatible with the current poles.
8. List of references
Social research methods,
[online] (updated 2006) Available at:
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php
[accessed on 23.12.2010]
Research design,
[online] (updated 2010) Available at:
http://mis611.wikidot.com/creswell-chapter-1
[accessed on 5.1.2011]
Encarta,
[online] (updated 2009) Available at:
<http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_701705550/desk_study.html
[accessed on 2.1.2011]
Wright, M., December 2010. LED momentum builds at annual Street and Area Lighting
conference pp.37-42 [online] Available at: <http://www.ledsmagazine.com> [Accessed
December 2010].