LED Price Reduction by Jim Parks on Creators.com

Recently

Cloning the Extinct? Editor's Note: The Today's Green Minute column is not available this week. The following column originally was published in December 2008. It's possible that a baby wooly mammoth carcass that Russian scientists discovered in 2007 — which has …Read more. Clean Air Equals Longer Life Editor's Note: The Today's Green Minute column is not available this week. The following column originally was published in May 2009. If you doubt that clean air has an effect on your health, now there's scientific proof that you're wrong. Cleaner U.…Read more. LED Price Reduction Editor's Note: The Today's Green Minute column is not available this week. The following column originally was published in November 2009. Panasonic's LEDs received some nice buzz at the Japanese electronics fair, CEATEC — and it all centers …Read more. Water Footprint Editor's Note: The Today's Green Minute column is not available this week. The following column originally was published in December 2009. As the public's understanding of the carbon footprint increases, a new aspect — the water footprint …Read more.

LED Price Reduction

Panasonic's LEDs have been the recipient of some nice buzz at the Japanese electronics fair, CEATEC — and it all centers around price. Last year, Toshiba highlighted a 60-watt equivalent LED that ran for $90 and a 100-watt equivalent for $360. That's steep for lighting, even considering that LEDs consume a fraction of the power required for standard bulbs.

This year, Panasonic brought the 60-watt equivalent (which lasts 40,000 hours and uses only 6 watts) down to about half of what it was last year. The severe price drop is attributed to several things: One, when new electronics become mass-produced, they become cheaper to make.

Two, small, agile companies have started to challenge big manufacturers with lower prices. And three, incandescent light bulbs are about to be phased out, with Europe and Australia leading the way.

So, Edison's vacuum tube will celebrate its 130th birthday — just before its demise.

Questions can be sent to Jim Parks at jrparks@mac.com. To find out more about Jim Parks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.