About a week ago, the winner for the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists who all worked to further the progression of one technology: the blue LED.

LED_macro_blue

Of course this is relevant for a number of reasons but for us it is important because it deals with exactly the same thing we do: lighting and sustainability.

Sustainability and the Big Picture

We recycle old light bulbs, in fact we recycle up to 20,000 pounds of light bulbs per week! That is because Americans use alot of lights for their warehouses, showrooms, factories, and offices.
What these Nobel Prize winners did isn’t putting us out of business either, it will take years to fully replace old fluorescents with newer LEDs. Oh, and we recycle the LEDs too.

But think for a moment about how the technology of something seemingly simple: a Blue LED, can win an international prize! What good does this technology offer humanity as a whole? The answer it turns out. . . is a whole lot.

About Lighting & Efficiency

Back around the turn of the Century, incandescent bulbs changed the world. Before this technology existed, light by fire was the most common. The incandescent was revolutionary but it was not efficient. Most of its energy was lost by heat escaping. Later on came the fluorescent bulb, roughly 4 times more efficient than the older bulbs, these bulbs were adopted in all sorts of consumer and commercial settings. However the LED bulb, which is now starting to take off, is roughly 4 times more efficient than that bragging a rating of 300 lumens per watt. See the graph below:

LED

It Doesn’t Stop At Lighting:

So in the world of commercial lighting, the 2014 Nobel Prize winners increased efficiency and sustainability by crafting an LED that was commercially viable. But the buck does not stop there, here are a few other things that these new LEDs are predicted to accomplish:

  • TV, Computers, and Phone/Tablet Screens

  • The days of wasting your battery on bright screens may be nearing a close as efficiency and size get better and better

  • Sterilization of Dirty Water

  • Thats right, researchers say that using these lights in some ways can actually kill bacteria and pathogens present in unsafe drinking water. This could be one way to deal with a global clean water crisis.

  • Plant Growth & Cultivation

  • The use of this light can be implemented in plant management and growth in large scale industrial greenhouses as certain colors and hues of light can greatly effect different plant organisms.

  • Combating Global Warming

  • Indeed this technology will push humanity further in reducing carbon footprints and scaling back energy use as a quickly globalizing population demands more energy.

    We at Cleanlites are excited to see a new era for commercial lighting and as always we hope that we can help in our part to help sustainability grow across the world.