Some big 'n’ bright news from the world of energy-efficient lighting today:
GE has announced the world debut of the 27-watt Energy Smart LED bulb, a dimmable 100-watt replacement bulb that boasts superior energy-sipping lighting technology — 25,000-hour (22.8-year) life span, 1,6000+ lumens, 3000K color temperature — all wrapped up in a neat, tidy, and incandescent-shaped (A19) package.
Developed at GE’s East Cleveland, Ohio, LED lab, the omnidirectional, instant-on bulb was designed in collaboration with GE ecoimagination Challenge winner, Austin-based Nuventix. Given that as a LED bulb’s wattage output grows, so does its need for a larger, more complex cooling chip system. This is where Nuventix, a company that specializes in thermal management for electronics, stepped in. To prevent the bulb from physically growing in size, GE tapped Nuventix’s proprietary SynJet technology that replaces cooling fans with a heat-dissipating oscillating membrane called a synthetic jet.
Says Steve Briggs, LED honcho at GE Lighting in a press release:
Our innovation team has tackled a previously insurmountable technical challenge: cooling a 100-watt A-19 shaped replacement LED bulb without making it physically bigger. Each subsystem such as optics, electronics and thermals needed to be designed for miniaturization and cooperative performance. We explored the limits of what’s possible and pushed far beyond industry expectations and competitors’ thinking and product offerings.
Our achievement does more than backfill for the 100-watt incandescent bulb. We now have a clear path to attaining even higher light levels, which will give customers more energy-efficient lighting options in both commercial and residential settings. This product fills a real customer need and further extends GE’s LED lighting leadership.
The mercury-free GE 27-watt Energy Smart LED was officially unveiled May 9 in Las Vegas at the lighting industry’s big annual trade show hoedown, Lightfair International. It’s expected that the bulb will hit the shelves of North American retailers during the first half of 2013. No set retail price has been established at this point. GE’s game-changing 9-watt Energy Smart LED bulb (A19 40-watt replacement) sells for about $45 a pop so I’m guessing/hoping that this 100-watt replacement will also be in the under $50 range.