Low-EnergyLEDLightingIs“StreetsAhead”BERwaystoexploittheadvantagesofLED(light-emittingdiode)technologyinstreetlightingaTTEreexpectedtoemergefromcollaborationbetweenuniversityresearchersandanLEDlightingspecialistcompany,bothintheUK.LEDsfirstappearedindigitalwatchesandcalculatorsinthe1970s.Today,thetechnologyhasprogressedtothepointwhereitcanbeusedtocreatedurableandcommunity-friendly,low-energystreetlighting.Thebenefitsincludelong-lifeexpectancy(upto100,000hours)togetherwithincreasinglyhigh-lightoutputinrelationtotheirsizeandenergyconsumption,makingLEDsarealisticalternativetoconventionalsodiumvapourunitsforgeneralanddirectionallighting.AndbecauseLEDsaresosmall,thepossibilitiesformanufacturerstocreatesleeker,smaller,lightweightluminariesaregreatlyextended.Importantly,LEDsarealsoenvironmentallyfriendlyandsafe.Theycontainnoglass,filamentsormercuryandsocanexperiencenoneoftheexplodingfailuresassociatedwithhalogenandHID(highintensitydischarge)lamps.Andtheyarefreefromthecostandrestrictionsofmercurydisposalthatisinvolvedwithsodiumvapourunits.Operatingatlow-voltagedirectcurrentensurescompleteconsumersafety.ColouredLEDmodulesareveryvividandevenmoreenergy-efficientthanwhitelightunits.InthelatestjointprojectbetweentheUniversityofManchester,northernEngland,andLEDlightingspecialistDialightLumidrives-acompanyfoundedbyasuccessfulformerstudentoftheuniversity-researchersintheSchoolofElectrical&ElectronicEngineeringareusingtheirexpertisetoinvestigatehowtightlypackedgroupsofLEDscanbemadetoworksafelyandreliably.LightingsolutionsthatuseLEDsinthiswayhavethepotentialtoreduceenergyconsumptionby25-50percent,dependingontheapplication.Butthermalandelectricalissuesatlightinglevelsof12,000lumensandabove(atypical60whouseholdlightbulbproduces800lumens)arebarrierstothewideradoptionofLEDtechnology.TheuniversityengineerswillbeworkingwiththeYork-basedDialightLumidrivestotackletoughissuessuchastheamountofheatgeneratedbyLEDspackedcloselytogether.BecausetheLEDmoduleswillbeusedoutside,theywillneedtoconsid