Seoul, South Korea--LED maker Seoul Semiconductor today announced that it will begin production in late 2010 of a new LED lamp capable of 150 lm/W, an efficacy that will surpass available DC LEDs.
The company also announced that Acriche has begun mass-production of its patented AC-powered lamp, which recently achieved a luminous efficacy of 100 lm/W.
Production of such high-efficiency LEDs has become more important since the European Union began enforcing a ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs of more than 100 W last September, and legislated against the use of existing inefficient electric light bulbs in all countries in the future.
Acriche LEDs--which, as are many leading-edge LEDs, are more efficient than halogen lamps, incandescent light bulbs, and fluorescent lamps--are the only LED light source that can be driven by a common alternating current power source without the need of an AC-DC converter.
Acriche has acquired CE and TÜV safety certifications, as well as UL certification in the United States. With a life span of more than 35,000 hours, Acriche LEDs outlast other LEDs, which can last less than 20,000 hours, says Seoul Semiconductor.
If Seoul Semiconductor's new lamp can actually achieve a luminous efficacy of 150 lm/W, it will become one of the most efficient light sources ever developed; only the low-pressure sodium lamp, which produces ugly narrowband yellow light, and which is fragile and requires a warm-up period before it reaches maximum output, is substantially higher in efficiency. If a 150 lm/W LED can someday be made to produce warm white light (as opposed to the easier-to-achieve cool white), then its use as an ultimate replacement for compact-fluorescent and other existing lighting technologies will be assured.
