My inner engineering department has been watching the development of high power LED lighting. This really is the lighting of the future and amidst the woes of consumerism and all the bad things about industrialisation this is a bright light (excuse pun) and a lot closer than the horizon. Its one of the really good things that has come out of one hell of a messy industrial consumer society. The cost is still prohibitive unless you take a really long term big picture. The benefit over more or less equally efficient fluorescent lights at this stage is they are environmentally less toxic, very robust and, of course, last a lot longer – oh, and leave your aura intact. At at least 6 times the price of equivalent fluorescent units its a tricky balance but in my view worth looking at and supporting as an early adopter. It will boost your technology karma. The cost WILL come down – low cost developments are already in the pipeline.
Here is an interesting little metaphor. The other day I bought a 3W LED light that replaces a 30W halogen light and will last over 10 years. Interestingly this was purchased with the money I received from turning in a car load of old, dead computer and electronic equipment for recycling. And that is a pretty good representation of the real cost of these little luminescent miracles. It took a carload of electronic junk to purchase a little light that you can hold in the palm of your hand. This time its going the right way though. The new for old exchange leads to something that has a much longer useful life and consumes a LOT less energy. Making marvellous things like this is only possible because of a complex global infrastructure of high tech, high cost, high volume semiconductor research and manufacturing which inevitably produces vast amounts of stuff that quickly becomes junk. Is it worth it? Perhaps in these terms the old paraffin lamp and candle are more efficient. But the industrial consumer world is not going to go away in a hurry. Rather it produce jewels like this than more stuff that is little more than junk even when its new.
Recent developments in reducing costs:
http://www.ccnmag.com/article/low-cost,_bright_led_lighting_closer_to_reality
Local company selling LED lighting:
http:// www.c2r.co.za
