Energy efficient

LED Lamp Post, Central Park, Manhattan. Credit: New York City, Street Design Manual

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, recently announced the installation of light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures across New York City. Effected areas include Central Park, the East River Bridges, Eastern Parkway and the under-deck of Manhattan’s FDR Drive. The new LED based lighting installations is intended to provide substantial energy- and cost-savings, while also providing good, and in some cases improved illumination levels to these public spaces.

“Energy-efficient LEDs light up our parks, bridges and streets and also bring years of cost savings to our city”, said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “From recycled asphalt to low-emission fuel on the Staten Island Ferry to energy-saving necklace lights on the Brooklyn Bridge, we are engineering a greener, greater city for generations to come.” The LED program is expected to save nearly $300,000 in annual energy and maintenance costs fiscal year 2013, and additional savings is expected to follow.

Continue reading “New York City adopts energy efficient LED lights citywide”

NGK's GaN wafer — LED element under light emitting test. Injection current: approx. 200mA, Center wavelength: 450nm (Image: © NGK Insulators, Ltd)

NGK Insulators, Ltd. has announced it has developed gallium nitride (GaN) wafers that can double the luminous efficiency of a LED light source compared to conventional materials.

With the assistance of a research institute outside the company, tests were performed to measure the luminous efficiency of an LED element using NGK’s new GaN wafer. With an injection current of 200mA, the GaN wafer during the tests showed an internal quantum efficiency of 90%. The GaN wafer achieved a luminous efficiency of 200lm/W, which is twice as efficient as those on the market today. This in affect means that with this new solution the power consumption can be reduced by up to 50%, while upholding the same brightness of a traditional LED.

Continue reading “NGK develop GaN Wafer for new Ultra High Brightness LED’s”