[EQAB-list] LEDs, Fluorescent Bulbs, and Prius batteries

[Ellen Smith <smithellen at comcast.net>]

Thanks for the info about the limitations of LEDs -- our voltage is not as consistent as one would wish it to be. As for CFLs, we haven't clocked the life of any of the CFLs at our house. I know that some of them have failed prematurely, but there are others that have been trouble-free for several years.

Prius owners and engineers will likely appreciate "Prius: It’s Not Just a Car, It’s an Emergency Generator" at 
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/prius-its-not-just-a-car-its-an-emergency-generator/ 

-- Ellen

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Robert G Kennedy III, PE" <robot at ultimax.com>
> LEDs could provide the same lighting effect as incandescent lamps for  
> only a a percent or two of the cost. In addition, they can be so  
> long-lived (30K to as much as 100K hours) that they could  
> fundamentally change the ways lights are designed and installed.  
> Basically a fixture can become a permanent part of a structure, with  
> no need to change (saving the maintenance and new lamp costs) until  
> the building itself is renovated or demolished. (100K hours @  
> 8-out-of-24 duty cycle means 30 years service.)
> 
> While I love that dramatic *potential* they offer, LEDs have one  
> serious liability right now - being semiconductor devices, they do not  
> tolerate "dirty" power at all. Just one voltage sag can reduce the  
> life by a factor of 10,000. So, either the grid needs to become a lot  
> more reliable, or LEDs have to have minature power  
> conditioners/supplies engineering into their tiny little bases.
> 
> I learned this, and a lot more, at a engineering-society-sponsored  
> dinner/tour of EPRI over on Pellissippi Parkway. Very eye-opening. It  
> would be a good idea for EQAB to take that tour next year. I can set  
> it up - we can accompany other technical clubs.
> 
> Robert
> 
> PS. I may have said this before to you-all, but I am not very  
> impressed by CFLs either. I have never had one last as long as the  
> package said it would.
> 
> -- 
> Robert G Kennedy III, PE
> www.ultimax.com
> 
> 
> Quoting Fred L Stephens <freds7 at dancingcreek.com>:
> 
> > And do not have disposal problems of mercury that florescent bulbs  
> > have. - Fred
> >
> > lAt 11:37 AM 12/19/2008, GatorWoodPile at comcast.net wrote:
> >> Of note as we develop recommendations for reducing energy  
> >> consumption, LEDs will require 20 times less power than today's  
> >> conventional light bulbs, and five times less power than compact  
> >> fluorescent bulbs.
> >> See linked article for details.
> >> http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2008/2008-12-18-03.asp
> [snip]
> 
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