LED power supplies, or drivers, are the great enablers — a little-known, barely-understood yet vital part of the LED lighting value chain. The drivers are crucial in determining how much power will go into the LEDs, whether and how they can be dimmed, whether additional controls and sensors can be added and used, and even how robust the fixture will be and where it can be located. Most importantly perhaps, drivers can give value to the entire LED value chain by being reliable and durable, or destroy the value of the entire LED ecosystem by failing hard and fast.
The great promise of LED lighting comes from the three Es: Economics i.e. saving money; Ergonomics i.e. greater performance, and Efficiency i.e. reducing the energy footprint. In order for LED lighting to deliver on its promise it needs to deliver in each of these three areas, and each of these is in turn facilitated by LED driver technology. Let’s look at each in turn.
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This article was published in the July/August 2010 issue of LEDs Magazine. To read the full version of this article, please visit our magazine page, where you can download FREE electronic PDF versions of all issues of LEDs Magazine. You can also request a print copy of LEDs Magazine (available by paid subscription) and sign up for our free weekly email newsletter.
