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T5 Technology: Part II
4 SSL linear replacement luminaires do not yet achieve performance levels of fluorescent linear replacement lampsboth when tested as bare lamps and when mounted in troffers and tested at the overall luminaire level.6
A White Paper by:
Stephanie Lind Department of Research and Writing
May, 2010
Since LEDs first emerged in the 1960s as a basic indicator-lighting technology, the applications and product variety of LED technology has grown substantially. In the mid-1990s, white light LEDs were created, opening the possibility that LED technology could illuminate offices, hospitals, and other commercial buildings for the first time.
Recent publications by the Lighting Research Center and the Department of Energy suggest that while LED performance has improved significantly, the technology is not yet ready for commercial consumption.
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Now, businesses are offering LED commercial illumination products to the public almost two decades after white LED technology first emerged. But is LED technology truly ready for commercial illumination? Recent publications by the Lighting Research Center and the Department of Energy suggest that while LED performance has improved significantly since its advent, the technology is not yet ready for commercial consumption.
LEDs LEDs, or light emitting diodes, are a solid-state lighting technology that employs semiconducting elements to generate light. LEDs are extremely popular and effective for use in indicator lighting or other small applications such as exit signs, task lights, and traffic lights.2 A wide variety of colors in the visible spectrum can now be efficiently produced by LED technology, including red, amber, yellow, green, and blue.3 While the many facets of LED technology are impressive, it still has significant barriers to overcome before it can be successfully used in general lighting applications.
Timeline Continued 2004 The 2004 Lighting Research Center study, Performance Characteristics of High-Power Light Emitting Diodes, reveals significant weaknesses in white LED technology. The experiment evaluated the performance of highpower LEDs under varying temperatures and drive current levels.
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The study tested two white LED products produced by different manufacturers. The results indicate that one product performed adequately under varying conditions, but the second LED product exhibited substantial lumen depreciation at 2,000 hours.
Any significant lumen depreciation at a running time of 2,000 hours is alarming, because the light output and light quality of a lamp drops as lumen depreciation increases. A lumen depreciation of 16% in a product sold on the market is especially distressing because, as the study states, normal operating conditions for LED lighting are within a drive current range of 350mA to 450mA and a temperature range of 35C to 50C. This indicates that the second LED product would perform very poorly in everyday conditions. The study also revealed a significant difference in the color of the light produced by the two white LED products. According to the study, the color variation between the two products is distinct enough to be seen with the naked eye. In reference to the color variation results, the study advises that, For white LEDs to be accepted for general illumination application, the color variation between similar products must become much smallerin order to match the performance of linear fluorescent lamps available at the present time.1 2009 Five more years of development significantly improved LED technology, but it still can not compete with the performance of fluorescent lighting technology in general lighting applications. In fact, a recent report released by the Department of Energy revealed additional LED performance problems in general application lighting. The study tested a number of 4 Linear LED Replacement Lamps that are meant to replace fluorescent lighting in commercial or industrial settings. The 4 Linear LED Replacement Lamps performed very poorly in three major categories: Color Temperature, Color Rendering Index, and Efficacy. Color Temperature and Color Rendering Index values make up a large part of an artificial lamps light quality, which affects the health, productivity, and safety of building inhabitants and therefore can have a major impact on a companys success. For high quality light, a lamps color rendering index should be as close to 100 as possible to bring out the differences in colors most accurately.4 Color temperatures can range depending on individual taste, but generally, for a light to come close to imitating daylight and to bring out colors as evenly and vividly as possible, color temperature should range between 3000K and 6500K.5
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Most of the 4 LED linear replacement lamps that were tested had color temperatures that hovered around 3500K, with one dropping as low as 2993K. The Color Rendering Index values of the tested products ranged between 63 and 76. The 4 linear fluorescent lamp that was tested for comparison had an adequate Color Temperature of 3248 and an excellent Color Rendering Index of 83. Like the color temperature and color rendering index values, the efficacies of the LED products were also extremely low, ranging between 32lm/W and 76 lm/W. The efficacy of the fluorescent lamp was significantly higher, at 101 lm/W. The inconsistent performance of the LED products in color temperature, color rendering index, and efficacy tests suggest that LED technology is not yet ready for the market. In a second test, 26 fixtures and replacement lamps were tested for lumen depreciation. Of those 26, 5 solid-state lighting products showed a drastic decrease in light output. After only 1000 hours, the five products lumen output depreciated to 70% of their original light output. As a result of these findings, the Department of Energy suggests that 4 SSL linear replacement luminaires do not yet achieve performance levels of fluorescent linear replacement lampsboth when tested as bare lamps and when mounted in troffers and tested at the overall luminaire level.6 From a consumer perspective, an even more alarming finding of the study is that the solid-state lighting manufacturers claims of product performance did not live up to the test results. Overall, about one-third of the products tested actually have accurate manufacturer ratings or specifications, the report states, indicating that a majority of sold-state lighting products that are sold for commercial lighting will not live up to the manufacturers, or the customers, expectations.6
The most significant barriers that LED technology still has to overcome include high lumen depreciation and low efficacy, color temperature and color rendering index values.
2010: T5 Fluorescent Lighting Technology vs. LED Lighting Technology Based on the Department of Energy and the Lighting Research Centers studies, LED technology still has a long way to go before becoming a reliable and energy efficient source of lighting for commercial buildings. The most significant performance barriers that LED technology will have to overcome include high lumen depreciation, low efficacy, color temperature, and color rendering index values. Since the Department of Energy study indicates that 4 LED Linear Replacement Lamps exhibited especially poor performance, it is important to note an alternative technology that can successfully replace old inefficient lighting in commercial buildings. T5 adaptor technology is an excellent substitution for 4 LED Replacement Lamps because it utilizes the latest and most efficient fluorescent lighting technology to replace old T12 and T8 fluorescent lamps. The T5 adaptor can use existing fixtures, thus
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improving energy efficiency and light quality while reducing waste. T5 fluorescent lighting technology also shows little evidence of the barriers that LED technology faces:
For more information on how Lumiversals T5 adaptor products can solve your lighting needs, please contact us at (408) 905-6350.
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Narendran, N., et al. "Performance Characteristics of High-Power Light-Emitting Diodes." Third International Conference on Solid State Lighting. (2004): 1-10. 19 Apr. 2010 <http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/solidstate/pdf/LedPerformance.pdf>. "LED Lighting Systems." National Lighting Project Information Program. 19 Apr. 2010. Lighting Research Center. 2003 <http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/publicationdetails.asp?ID=885&type=2>.
"Introduction to LED Lighting." Articles. 26 Apr. 2010. Lighting Design Lab. <http://lightingdesignlab.com/articles/LED_fund/intro_ledfund.htm>. "Color Rendering Index." Articles. 26 Apr. 2010. Lighting Design Lab. <http://lightingdesignlab.com/articles/cct/color_temp.htm>. "Color Temperature." Articles. 26 Apr. 2010. Lighting Design Lab. <http://lightingdesignlab.com/articles/cct/color_temp.htm>.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "DOE Solid-State Lighting CALiPER Program - Summary of Results: Round 9 of Product Testing." CALiPER Summary Reports. 19 Apr. 2010. Department of Energy. October 2009 <http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/caliper_round-9_summary.pdf>.
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"Do T5 lamps have better lumen maintenance than T8 or T12 lamps?." T5 Fluorescent Systems. 2 Feb. 2010. Lighting Research Center. July 2002 <http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightingAnswers/lat5/pc9.asp>.
T5 Watt-Miser Linear Fluorescent Lamps." GE Consumer and Industrial Lighting. 3 Feb. 2010. General Electric Company. November 2007 <http://www.gelighting.com/eu/resources/literature_library/prod_tech_pub/downloads/T5watt_miser.pdf>.
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"T5 Fluorescent Linear Lamps." Grainger Industrial Supply. 26 Apr. 2010. Grainger. <http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/fluorescent-linear-lamps/lamps/lighting/ecatalog/N9hdZ1z13cye?op=search&sst=subset>. Knisley, Joe. The T5 Fluorescent Lamp: Coming on Strong. EC&M 1 Sept. 2003. 14 Dec. 2009 <http://www.ecmweb.com/ops/electric_fluorescent_lamp_coming/index.html>.
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"Fluorescent Linear Lamps - T5." Lighting. 27 Jan. 2010. Grainger. 2010 <http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/fluorescent-linear-lamps/lamps/lighting/ecatalog/N9hdZ1z13cye?op=search&sst=All>.
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