Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”
Light-emitting diodes (LED) lamps are one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments (yeah, I said it), and this award is proper recognition for a life-changing invention.
“As about one fourth of world electricity consumption is used for lighting purposes, the LEDs contribute to saving the Earth’s resources,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences wrote in the award’s press release. “Materials consumption is also diminished as LEDs last up to 100,000 hours, compared to 1,000 for incandescent bulbs and 10,000 hours for fluorescent lights. The LED lamp holds great promise for increasing the quality of life for over 1.5 billion people around the world who lack access to electricity grids: due to low power requirements it can be powered by cheap local solar power. The invention of the blue LED is just twenty years old, but it has already contributed to create white light in an entirely new manner to the benefit of us all.”
One environment that can benefit from the use of LED lambs is the sports venue, which has for years used traditional medal halide lights to illuminate a surface. However, some stadiums and arenas are looking at LEDs in order to save revenue and energy costs.
“These LED lights will outlast the rest of the building,” IAVM member Dave Olsen, executive vice president and general manager of PNC Arena (Raleigh, North Carolina), recently told The Washington Post. “We’ll get a solid 20-plus years of life without having to do any maintenance to them at all. That’s the real key, I don’t have to relamp every three to five years.”
Check out the rest of the Post‘s story to learn more about how other stadiums—such as NRG Stadium in Houston and University of Phoenix Stadium—are using LED lights to help the bottom light and to, ultimately, create a better fan experience.
