With limited resources and a heavy dependence on oil, natural gas and coal, it is clear that a combination of increased renewable energy and a more efficient use of our current energy is necessary. LEDs, light emitting diodes, are the 40-year-old response to the over 120-year-old incandescent light bulb. Invented by Nick Holonyakin 1962, LEDs are highly effective, longer lasting and more environmentally friendly than incandescent light bulbs as well as Compact Florescent Lamps (CFL).
LEDs convert a much higher percentage of energy into visible light than incandescent bulbs and CFLs, which both create a large amount of undesired heat. LEDs also have much greater durability than incandescent light bulbs and CFLs due to their lack of filaments and internal gasses. Because of this feature, LEDs can be used for technologies that require long-lasting bulbs, such as traffic lights. A nationwide shift from incandescent bulbs to LEDs could yield a national energy savings equivalent to the power necessary to light 95 million homes (15 billion dollars).
With a lifetime lasting 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs and six times longer than CFLs, LEDs can eradicate the inconveniences and dangers associated with changing a light bulb. Furthermore, LEDs are seven to 10 times more power efficient than incandescent bulbs and twice as efficient as CFLs, yielding the user significant cost savings. This increase in power efficiency produces carbon emissions nearly 10 times lower than in incandescent bulbs.
Furthermore, LEDs do not contain environmentally damaging mercury while CFLs do. President Obama has expressed interest in LEDs and the benefits they can provide to American businesses and to the American public. The relatively recent introduction of LEDs to the market makes them unknown to most consumers, despite their clear advantages.
Admittedly, LEDs are currently priced much higher than incandescent bulbs, making them seem less favorable in the short term. However, the long-term advantages of energy efficiency and longevity are major incentives to choose LEDs. As true of most new products, the prices of LEDs are expected to fall significantly in the coming months. Despite price, the benefits of LEDs are clear and are large enough to justify their purchase.
