LED Lighting Could Help Reduce CO2 Emissions 50 Percent Over 20 Years

Just by switching to LED lights, we could decrease carbon dioxide emissions from electric power use by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years. A recent report by McKinsey & Company states that making this switch is possibly the most cost-effective way to tackle global warming using existing technology.

From The New York Times:

LEDs are more than twice as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs, currently the standard for greener lighting. Unlike compact fluorescents, LEDs turn on quickly and are compatible with dimmer switches. And while fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which requires special disposal, LED bulbs contain no toxic elements, and last so long that disposal is not much of an issue.

“It is fit-and-forget-lighting that is essentially there for as long as you live,” said Colin Humphreys, a researcher at Cambridge University who works on gallium nitride LED lights, which now adorn structures in Britain.

The switch to LEDs is proceeding far more rapidly than experts had predicted just two years ago. President Obama’s stimulus package, which offers money for “green” infrastructure investment, will accelerate that pace, experts say. San Jose, Calif., plans to use $2 million in energy-efficiency grants to install 1,500 LED streetlights.

LEDs have a high initial cost, no doubt – an outdoor spotlight can cost up to $100, compared to $7 for an incandescent bulb. But, imagine not having to change that light bulb again for 20 years or more, and paying pennies on the dollar for power consumption compared to ‘regular’ light bulbs.

They’re still not perfect, being better suited for directional lighting than general lighting needs, but scientists are already finding new ways to address these problems. It’s a start!

Link [The New York Times]

Photo credit: ledlite-power.co.uk

The Most Amazing Sheep-Related Video Ever

Sheep, LED lights and some of the most amazing shepherding you’ve ever seen: it’s all in this crazy awesome video advertising Samsung’s new LED TVs. The sheep, covered in nets of LED lights, are herded into formation and some of the designs that are created against the dark hilly backdrop are really breathtaking.

Via [MNN.com]

Los Angeles Switching to LED Street Lights

The street lights in L.A. will get a little brighter – and greener – this summer, when the city plans to switch to LEDs. It’s being billed as the largest effort by a U.S. city to reduce pollution by retrofitting incandescent street lights to be more energy-efficient.  The city will begin the replacement process this July, and it will continue over a 5-year period.

Former President Bill Clinton was on hand as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled the plan on Monday, calling it “a great day in Los Angeles”.

From MSNBC:

The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.

“This is the best place in the world — in the U.S. at least — to lead this,” Clinton said, citing the city’s ongoing environmental efforts. “This is like taking 6,000 cars off the road.

“If every major city followed your lead, we could eliminate 2 1/2 coal-fired power plants.”

Villaraigosa hailed the effort, saying it would help make Los Angeles the “cleanest, greenest big city in the U.S. We are building a bridge to a sustainable future.”

Of course, Los Angeles has a long way to go to be the ‘greenest big city in the U.S.’, especially considering its smog problems and lack of decent public transportation. But, this effort is definitely commendable. Imagine if more cities did this – the impact would be tremendous. Keep it up, LA!

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Flickr user jondoeforty1

Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Gets Green Makeover

When the ball drops tonight in Times Square, New Year’s Eve revelers will get an up-close view of its energy-efficient makeover.  The 12-foot sphere will be double the size of previous balls yet use even less energy thanks to the 32,256 LED lights that will cover it. The new ball will become a year-round attraction above Times Square, in full public view January through December.

From Times Square NYC via Inhabitat:

PHILIPS LIGHTING provided the new solid state lighting technology for the Ball, resulting in an astounding increase in impact, energy efficiency, and color capabilities.  Capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of possible patterns, the 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs in this year’s Ball represent more than three times the number of LEDS used last year, to deliver a brighter and more beautiful New Year’s experience than ever before. And this year’s Ball is 10-20% more energy efficient than last year’s already energy-efficient Ball, consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens.

“At Philips Lighting, we are proud to be driving innovative and energy-efficient solutions for the world’s broad range of lighting applications – from celebrated landmarks to consumers’ homes — and we’re especially delighted to be the official Lighting Partner to the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square,” said Philips Lighting Company Director of Corporate Communications Susan Bloom.  “Now bigger in size and incorporating even more powerful and energy-efficient Philips Luxeon LEDs than last year, this year’s Ball will deliver a New Year’s Eve experience that will be brighter, more beautiful, and more sustainable than ever before.”

Considering that LEDs are brighter and more vibrant than the incandescent bulbs that were previously used, it only makes sense. This year’s ball should be even more beautiful than ever, and hopefully as it drops it’ll usher in a green, sustainable 2009.

Link [Times Square NYC] via [Inhabitat]

The Simpsons Go Green(ish) for the Krustyland Ride at Universal Studios

As if the Simpsons could get any cooler. The new Simpsons-themed ride at Universal Studios is going to be green less polluting due to the installation of 27,675 LED lights, which will save 662kWh a day (about what an average house uses in a month).

From underwire:

Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Simpsons Ride celebrates the carnival-barker-style commercialism you’d expect from an attraction named after a greedy capitalist clown, but there’s more than meets the eye: Krustyland is engineered to echo the eco-friendly sensibility dramatized in The Simpsons Movie last summer, which found the city of Springfield encased in a giant bubble after Homer dumps garbage in the lake.

According to Universal officials, the Simpsons Ride boasts the largest lighting installation of LED lamps in theme park history. The ride’s 2,582 energy-saving LED lights expend 27,675 watts per hour. That’s less than a third of the 82,909 watts that would have been consumed by standard incandescent lighting used by the conventionally powered attraction previously on site, according to Universal.

End result: energy savings of 662,796 watts per day. As Homer might say in between donuts: Mmmmm, kilowatts!

No matter how you slice it, theme parks aren’t green. Typically, natural areas are clear-cut and wildlife is displaced to make room for fantasyland attractions where tons of electricity is used and people generate trash like nobody’s business. And, let’s not even go into the fact that we remove real wildlife to replace it with a cleaned-up version of it that lets us ‘enjoy it on our own terms’. However, at least having LED lights is trying, right? It’s better than what they’ve been doing so far. Baby steps are better than the status quo.

Link [underwire]