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< Previous Next > Contents (February 2008)
| | LED luminaire performance: changing traditions can set the right expectations | | LED technologies can show radically different photometric performance and life when used in different application environments. Photometric data produced according to traditional testing standards are not very useful for LED luminaires, according to Nadarajah Narendran, Jean Paul Freyssinier, and Jennifer Taylor. | | Those working at the forefront of LED technology know that LEDs are certain to become one of the light source choices for general illumination. Over the next few years, we can expect to see an increasing number of LED luminaires in the marketplace. Already today we are seeing LED luminaires challenging traditional light sources in several general and niche lighting applications.
LED device manufacturers have to be commended for their persistence in improving white LED performance over the last decade. The year 2007 may be when LEDs began to seriously take on traditional light sources in general lighting applications. Downlighting and street/parking lot lighting are two applications for which several manufacturers have released LED products to compete with traditional lighting.
However, as with many traditional luminaires, not all LED-based luminaires provide reliable performance. While the LED itself may have good quality and performance as a bare device, its integration into a luminaire and that luminaire’s installation environment are key to the final product performance and whether it will stand up to customer expectations. Luminaires that do not meet customer expectations can turn off users from promising LED technology.
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This article was published in the January/February 2008 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. | | About the Author | Nadarajah Narendran, Jean Paul Freyssinier, and Jennifer Taylor are with the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Nadarajah Narendran, PhD, is an associate professor at RPI, the director of research at the LRC, and the organizer of ASSIST. Dr. Narendran leads a team of researchers and educators in the area of solid-state lighting at the LRC and conducts research and educational programs to accelerate the development and market transformation of this promising technology. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 articles in archival journals and proceedings and holds several patents. He is a Fellow of the IESNA.
Jean Paul Freyssinier, MSc, is a research assistant professor at the LRC and conducts research on LED lighting technology and applications. Prior to joining the LRC, Mr. Freyssinier owned an architectural lighting and automation design firm in Mexico City.
Jennifer Taylor, MSc, is a senior communications specialist with the LRC and works on publications for the LRC’s Solid-State Lighting and ASSIST programs. | |
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