whats the latest and greatest on LEDs?
 

hi there,

any early adopters here that could help out with their experience?

imho ... (and speaking frome a predominantly ROI perspective) when will prices come down so LEDs will really be worthwhile, esp. when coupled with PV panels?

any thoughts/discussion highly welcome
cheers
al

It all depends on the application. What are your plans?

LEDs are actually less efficient than CFLs, also the quality of the light isn't very good. I have a few light bulbs that consist of hundreds of white 5mm LEDs. It turns the room a very sterile whitish blue color, but it's also modulated (which I find irritating) because of the 60hz AC. If you want to go with LEDs, use DC power.

Prices will be coming down but it may take another two years. The technology going into them is still seeing improvements and facilities to cope with future demand are being constructed. Initial cost will remain high to compensate for the new facilities and technology research but should drop as more flood the market.

One of the recent improvements is you can essentially add scratches in patterns to the plastic and actually get more light out.

How practical would it be to setup some CFL in my apartment that ran on only solar power if I could only put a solar panel or two on my balcony? Would that even be enough power to run them, and then just use the wall power when it's cloudy out or somethin?

I've got a 4W CFL by my writing desk that provides ample light. A decent sized solar panel should work just fine for that. With a decent battery bank, you can use it 24/7. If your goal is light during the day, see if your landlord will reimburse you for a skylight. :)

Do it!

sourcing tips for LEDs?
 

hi there,

an add on Q:

would anybody have any URL on sourcing for LEDs? ... what makes/models are the "strongest" ones out there?

thx for enlightening me :D

al

"LEDs are actually less efficient than CFLs ..."

Johnny are you sure. I thought LEDs (and they vary greatly by manufacturer and size) were about twice as efficient as CFLs.

5mm LED lights (usually from Nichia) can now be bought in dollar stores ... it's the Luxeons, Crees, Seouls and Rebels that are currently in great demand.

I know that HID's are more efficient than LED headlights in automobiles, so I'm willing to believe that CFL's are more efficient than LED's.

Car manufacturers are having a tough time dealing with the heat output of high power LED's. LED's emit a lot of heat near their base and if left unchecked, burn out pretty quickly. Going from 5mA to 5A is a big jump for the technology...

- LostCause