Trends in LED Lighting

Lighting and Mood

We’ve known for a while that lighting can affect our moods. Many of us have suffered from the “rainy day blues” from time to time. While we can’t change the weather, we can change our light choices in our homes and offices. On the discovery of a third photoreceptor in the human eye in 2011, the understanding of the relationship between lighting and how we feel has made enormous strides. Studies have found that changing the lighting in your environment can make you feel more relaxed, give you more focus, ease headaches and in general just make you feel better.

There are some new trends in LED lighting that can help achieve your lighting goals. For example, many of the new LEDs are adjustable. This means you can brighten or dim the lights to mimic natural lights. Colored LEDs are also being used in many applications. Retail centers, home design, hospitals and even clothing and jewelry manufacturers are using colored LEDs to change their environment or simply make a statement.

Self Learning Control Systems

Google’s Nest labs pioneered the concept of a device that learns it own settings. These devices are perfect for lighting controls. This idea is being examined to determine how to program the device so that it can self-commission and track how lights in an area are being used over time.

Street Lights

Street lights, and the columns used to mount them, are being filled with technology. LED street lamps produce 80 lumens per watt while traditional street lamps produce only 58 lumens per watt. Additionally, they contain no mercury and can last 100,000

hours, reducing the maintenance cost of replacing them as often. Wi-fi transmitters and electric car charging points are also are also being added in, which could provide funding additional funding for public lighting.

Miniaturization

LED drivers are getting smaller (the smallest at this point is 13mm high). In combination with compact optical systems and wafer thin LED arrays, the possible uses keeps increasing. For example, extremely small downlights and super-slim linear fixtures. These

advances also mean reduced material costs, bringing consumer costs of LEDs down.

Super Capacitors

Also known as ultracapacitors, super capacitors use static electricity to store energy. They generally do not contain any harmful chemicals and can be charged and discharged zillions of times without wearing out. The advances being made with super capacitors means that it is possible to have maintenance free emergency lighting for up to 10 years.

Sources used:

www.electronicsweekly.com/news/predictions-2016-cool-led-lighting-2016-01/; www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-12/issue-7/features/human-centric-lighting/research-assesses-the-value-of-human-centric-lighting.html; www.luxreview.com/articles/2016/05/10-technologies-trends-changing-lighting--now-; www.science.howstuffwork.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/led-streetlight1.htm