Jul 29, 2008 9:10 am US/Eastern
Lamina Lighting Brightens Our Future
WESTHAMPTON, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Lighting is shining a bright path for our future of energy conservation, and there's a local company leading the way based in Westhampton, New Jersey. Lamina Lighting believes they're changing the world.
Since LED lighting is such a new technology, scientists with the national institute of standards and technology are still waiting to see if the 12 year estimate holds true. But they are confident that within 20 years, they'll replace every other light source, which is why the department of energy is already trying to raise consumer awareness by creating an energy star standard for LEDs by September.
Thomas Edison had a bright idea that lit up our world, and quickly started polluting it. So we tried halogen then fluorescent lights - saving much more energy.
Now, LEDs are in the spotlight, the president of Lamina Lighting, Frank Shinneman, says they're the next frontier.
"This is a very exciting company and exciting opportunity because they're changing the world," said Shinneman.
These are light emitting diodes capable of the same brightness as a 175 watt bulb using 80 percent less energy, plus they're not toxic, and because they're solid they don't break or get too hot.
"It's just within the last year or two that they've developed lighting with enough intensity to replace standard room lighting," said Shinneman.
You can put some of these in regular home lighting appliances, but you
won't find them for sale at any major store because of the price. A regular LED lamp light costs $50.
Scientists working for the department of energy say the long term savings outweigh every other light source. The Lights at lamina are made to last 12 years, if used 12 hours a day. That is 50 times as long as your average light bulb. That's why corporations and big entertainers are already on board.
So, how soon will the price go down for you and me?
"In the next five to 10 years there's no question," said Shinneman.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology says that within 20 years, LEDs will truly brighten our future saving $280 billion in energy use and drastically reducing greenhouse emissions world wide.
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