Humanity has used artificial lighting for millennia, most often in the form of candles or oil lamps. Ever since the late 1800s, meanwhile, electricity has allowed inventors to create new and more powerful sources of artificial lighting. The work of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison paved the way for filament light bulbs, which could produce ample lighting for any user, indoors or outdoors. Partway through the 20th century, competition for these filament bulbs such as halogen bulbs and fluorescent lights emerged, as well as energy efficient models such as LED lights. These LED lights may be arranged in nearly any shape or configuration, such as a corn cob or maize LEDs models, and maize LEDs are just the start. These bulbs can be found nearly anywhere, and they may represent the next big step forward for artificial lighting needs. What is there to know about maize LEDs or high powered LEDs for industrial use, and what sort of lights are they replacing?
Traditional Bulbs
Filament bulbs still have their place in the modern world, often used for overhead lights or lamps when the user does not need particularly strong lights. Many bathrooms, for example, use filament bulbs over the mirror, and some lamps do, too. These filaments produce light, but the thin metal wires are liable to burn out and decay after time, and that expires the bulb. Such bulbs may be replaced more often than other models, but on the plus side, they are often the cheapest models.
Meanwhile, induction lighting, first pioneered by Nikola Tesla in the 1890s, does not require electrodes or filaments at all. This allows the bulbs to last for a very long time, over 100,000 hours, and they electrically excite gases in the bulb to create light. These are useful for areas where a light will be on for extended periods, such as parking garages. Under American law, parking garages must be illuminated at all times, and these durable induction bulbs are ideal for this work.
Lighting uses up a lot of electricity across the United States, and less-developed parts of the world are starting to catch up. Today, Department of Energy statistics have shown that around 22% of all electricity generated in the United States is dedicated to lighting needs. In residential buildings, lighting accounts for 11% of all energy used, and the figure is even higher in commercial buildings, at 18%. But there is another model of light bulbs that may compete strongly with filament and induction bulbs: LEDs.
LED Power
LEDs, or “light-emitting diodes,” do not use filaments, and are among the most energy efficient light bulb models known. They do not last quite as long as induction bulbs, but they still have a very long life span at 50,000 hours or so. What is more, LEDs do not start dimming as they age, and they are the same brightness right up until they break down at the end of their useful life. These LEDs can be used nearly anywhere, including on vehicles, and may vary in the shape and size of their arrays, making them even more flexible. Maize LEDs are a corn cob shaped plastic assembly that has LEDs shining on all sides, making it a fine choice for a strong lamp or overhead lighting where light is desired in all directions. Many hardware stores may have maize LEDs for sale in the lighting section, along with other light bulb models.
Not only are LEDs powerful, but their considerable energy savings stand to transform the American electric grid. In fact, the American Department of Energy has estimated that LED lighting may reduce the United States’ energy usage by 50% or more, and that would ease a lot of strain on power plants. And seeing how power plants continuously pollute the air as they generate power, the higher energy efficiency of LEDs means that LEDs rank among environmentally friendly pieces of hardware today. Saving on electric needs is a major part of the worldwide “go green” initiative, all aiming to reduce how much work fossil fuel power plants are doing. When these energy efficient LEDs are being used in offices, outdoor lighting, the home, and even on fishing boats, they can work with energy-efficient HVAC systems to drastically cut back on electricity usage.