Why the standard development of general illumination and signage LEDs is complex
Experts for general-illumination, light-emitting-diode (LED) and other solid-state lighting (SSL) see several reasons for product-growth barriers – one oft-stated reason is the multiple technologies required for standard LED-lamping systems. Although this may be somewhat true, such products as televisions, computers, cell-phones and other electronic gadgets, which are, in many respects, more high-tech than LEDs, have gained notorious success. These systems have penetrated the mass market much faster than LED-based lighting systems that are equipped with the necessary standards adoptions. So, what’s the problem?
General-illumination, LED-lamping systems threaten to overhaul the screw-base (Edison-type), lamp-type products and their 100-year infrastructure, which dominates the lighting field. The decades-old, fluorescent-lamp systems also face this barrier. Fluorescent lamps, introduced in 1939, experienced similar acceptance challenges as they’ve tried to replace the century-old infrastructure (and our familiarity) with warm, white light.
Earlier, high-tech products such as television, computers and cell phones didn’t replace technologies that provided the same functionalities; thus, they didn’t contend with an existing infrastructure and historic marketbase.
Still, fluorescent lamps, although dubiously successful in the beginning, have improved in terms of brightness, correlated color temperature (CCT), efficacy, size and cost per application. Further, fluorescent’s improved systems require no changes in existing fixtures or wiring layouts, which gives LEDs a more difficult task when replacing them.
In a previous column, I discussed the technical and business challenges LED manufacturers face when attempting to overtake such incumbent products. Precisely, these challenges – uncertainties – dampen the progress of LED-standard developments, despite the product’s potential long-term environmental and cost benefits.
Lighting companies’ manufacturing tasks are daunting. To implement a wide-based adoption of LED-lamping systems, they, essentially, must obsolete their own products. They’re faced with such challenges as developing new (standard) fixtures, electrical feeds and other systems that enhance LED usage. Developing such complex products isn’t easy, because technology provides myriad present and future engineering options. They must also add marketing efforts that lead, hopefully, to general acceptance by architects, builders – and consumers.
Compatibility
To gain full acceptance, LEDs or other SSL systems require both mechanical and electrical compatibility with current lighting fixtures, while matching the existing light quality. In order words, for white LEDs to replace current, household lamps, they must twist into existing Edison-type, lamp sockets, as do the now popular, compact-fluorescent lamps (CFLs) introduced in 1979, while providing similar light properties.
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