The Changing Shape of Light

(CBS)  In our "Where America Stands" series, CBS News is looking at a broad spectrum of issues facing the country in the new decade.


When Thomas Edison opened the first electric power station in the United States in 1882, he could not have foreseen America's insatiable demand for electric power.

Americans consume on average 13,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per person per year, which is twice the average of a person in the Great Britain, and about six times more than someone living in China.

And Americans are increasing their use by 30 percent a year.

Of all the electric power generated in the U.S., about 22 percent is used for lighting, and most of that power is wasted. The culprit is Edison's lightbulb, which is virtually unchanged since its invention in 1879.

"The incandescent light bulb is basically fire in a glass bulb," according to Steve DenBaars, professor of materials and co-director of the Solid-State Lighting Center at the University of California Santa Barbara.

"It's 95 percent wasted energy in the form of heat, and very little comes out as light. Only five percent comes out as light."

But the incandescent lightbulb's run as our primary light source is coming to an end. The U.S. Department of Energy is imposing tough new efficiency standards for lighting. Edison's lightbulb will be banned by 2014.

The replacement for the incandescent lightbulb - the curly fluorescent - saves energy, but is far from perfect. The more energy-efficient curly fluorescent lightbulbs contain mercury, which is a health risk, and people associate them with an unpleasant light.

"That was a flop, and the reason was people really underestimated the impact of light on the human being," said Tom Hamilton, senior product manager at Philips, a Dutch-based electronics company. "You have to have the quality and quantity of light that you're familiar with and used to, in order to really have a viable replacement."

To find a solution, the U.S. government is offering a $10 million prize, called the "L-Prize," to the company that builds the most efficient bulb with the most pleasing light.

Philips submitted the first design to the L-Prize contest. The bulb features light emitting diodes (or LEDs), which used 80 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb and half as much as compact fluorescent lights.

"We've spent 15 years trying to perfect LED lighting, trying to make it replicate the incandescent lightbulb, and we are now on the verge of doing that," DenBaars said.

LEDs are semiconductors, similar to the chips used in computers and manufactured in high-tech clean rooms. Producing soft, white light was one of the final hurdles for engineers.

According to Philips' Hamilton, LED-based lightbulbs compare favorably to the incandescent lightbulb. "At the end of the day, I think we've done our job here," he said.

However, the LED lightbulb comes with a catch: It costs about $40 per bulb.

On the other hand, the lights last up to 10, even 20 years, saving homeowners between $300 and $600 a year on energy bills.

"I'll be optimistic, and say that's been coming down around 50 percent a year, and within a few years the lights will be in the $5 to $10 range," DenBaars said.

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Philips is not the only company trying to enter the LED lightbulb market. General Electric has a prototype LED bulb, and is expected to submit a design for the L-Prize.

Another possible contender is the fast-growing LED maker, Cree. CEO Chuck Swoboda has grown this tiny North Carolina chipmaker into a half-billion dollar lighting firm.

"We're working on projects across the country, and frankly around the world, where they're installing new street lights to replace the old ones," Swaboda said. "The difference between a regular light bulb and an LED light bulb, what you should notice is, almost nothing. That's the key to making the technology work."

LED is the near-term solution for more energy-efficient, high quality lighting, but the longer-term future of lighting is OLED - "Organic LED" technology. Like LEDs, OLEDs are based on semiconductors, but add thin layers of organic molecules that create light when electric current is applied.

OLEDs - ultra-thin, cool to the touch and flexible - will enable new ways of lighting and display, such as transparent displays embedded in windows and uniquely-designed lamps. They also consume less power than incandescent bulbs.

"We're still in the research stages," said Anil Duggal, advanced technology leader for Electronic Materials Systems at General Electric's Global Research Center.

"Once you can bend, you're thinking outside the bulb. This is a new dimension."

"Imagine having a light source that you put into your window at home," said Janice Mahon of OLED pioneer Universal Display. "During the day it's transparent, the sun shines in. But at night you can turn the window on, so light will glow and light your room."

Affordable OLED lighting and large screen displays are perhaps five years from store shelves. OLED-based screens and lighting as depicted in the movie "Minority Report" are even further out.

But it's clear that after more than a century, America is finally turning its most enduring innovation into the next bright idea.

[jackie_d86]

This a very intriguing issue and, as can be seen by even perusing the comment section here, it has a lot of different sides to it and a lot of sub plots not even mentioned in the article. I'd like to go to a e <a href="http://www.specialtylightingandbulbs.com/">lighting store</a> and hear what they have to say. I'd like to know what has become of this L-prize. This article came out a year ago, has the prize been awarded or are there still submissions coming in?

[ColleenMoore]

New light bulbs will never make America significantly more energy efficient because the vast majority of our energy gets lost before it reaches households. The real opportunity lies in the way power is generated in the first place.
The typical American power plant is just 33% efficient, meaning it throws away two-thirds of the energy it uses, mainly in the form of waste heat that's vented out smokestacks. The most efficient light bulb in the world can't get that energy back.
There is a solution: energy recycling. Energy recycling captures waste heat to generate electricity more efficiently. With this process we get about double the energy with no additional fossil fuel needed. Thomas Edison?s early power plants used this process, but over the years, misguided regulations stymied its widespread deployment. Companies like Recycled Energy Development (recycled-energy.com) do this kind of work now, but in order for energy recycling to take off, we need a better national energy policy that rewards efficient, clean power generation.

[ngrpdx]

LED's are real & no strobe or dimmness of CFL. The credit card mentality of not spending $40 to save $300 should not be forced to change..but if you actually earn the money you spend, LED is a smart solution.
If the GOV, Municipal, School systems used LED outdoors, they could reduce both Energy Bill & Carbon footprint over 50%, rather than attempt to raise your taxes. But your Utility will fight it, as less power used, is less power billed.
In a world, where the news is all about Money, Energy (Oil), Taxes & debate on self suffiency -vs- nanny state, there should be more talk about solutions like LED.
Let the Government lead by example.

[barbaram99]

I went on cree's web site..Keep in mind people that we are talking about the light fixures that use the standard bulb..Yet our apt building has old wireing..I use 60 watt bulb..I can not afford the high cost..Ye talk about the new lighting like it is the answer..What are you young kids thinking..I am in my 50s..Who idea to ban lighting that work..The children of hippies..I did school report on hippies,,I was not impressed..Ye say that LEDs are good lighting..It is not in the store and if it does it better be in the bulbs that fixures hold..If not leave the good ole light bulb we use on the market..Ptople need to tell the fat cats back off and stop changing things..

[barbaram99]

I had a talk with my eye doctor about them CFLs that they are pushing on us..I told the doc..I can't see when using them CFL..The lady from Canada brought up another point..I wont buy them..They are too dim..I tryed one in my lamp that I use when at the computer..The CFL made it harder to use what little vision I have. I was wondering about the LED lighting..I can't find them in store..I hate them CFL as not only that they are not good light but when they start to go out blink. I hate that..So ye want to sell a useless lighting on the people know the the dangers in the CFLs ..WAKE UP..I use the old light to light my space and the warm heat..The nanny govt..

[winslowe1]

Let them ban incandescents, I have enough GE Reveal 100W bulbs saved up to last as long as I do. Not only do the CFLs I've tried burn out quickly unless left on longer each time, wasting electricity, they also have a sickly greenish cast which is really noticeable when placed alongside a GE Reveal. Perhaps a better bulb will be developed in the future, but I'm ensuring that I have decent lighting until then.

[Ginny Skalski]

At Cree, we're working very hard to educate the public about energy-efficient LED Lighting. And we're glad people are starting to recognize that LED lighting will replace incandescent bulbs. It's already staring to happen. We post photos and details on places using LED Lighting on http://CreeLEDRevolution.com

There's a lot of misinformation about LED Lighting out there. LED lights DO NOT contain mercury. Good LED lights CAN be dimmed. LED lights have significantly long lives and can last more than 50,000 hours. And, just like Cree CEO Chuck Swoboda said in this video, you should notice almost no difference between an incandescent light bulb and an LED light bulb if the technology is going to work. So for those of you who are encountering LED lights on the market that don't live up to those standards, keep looking. Good LED lighting exists and it's only going to get better.

[AmazingGrce]

Exactly - another misinformation attempt perhaps by someone with a vested interest in CFL technology.
CFLs are already a dead item. The only thing I do like about them is the way the come on softly at first and reach full output after about a minute. - Unless you are in a situation where you want or need full output from the flip of the switch, Otherwise CFLs are a flop and all the Feds have done is foist another bad product on us without proper research. (Remember the first cars in the late 60s with 'smog pumps' those were another tech and maintenance disaster pushed on us the same way.)

LEDs are the first real step to the light of the future, too bad our dimwitted senators and representatives bought into CFLs for us.

[AmazingGrce]

Don't you just love the comparison of US energy consumption (Where we all have electricty available) to a country like China (Where the standard of living is far far lower)
If you look at the living conditions in China I doubt that even the most far left liberal could stand living out in the countryside of China for a month - BUT they are good, we are bad.
Hey how about it "Tiredofeverything" why don't you go live out in rural China for a year and then come talk to us about how great it was and how bad we are her for our consumption.

Comparisons to England, Germany, France, Sweden, etc those are basically fair but using China - that so pathetic - Another example of CBS and the media treating the Amercian public like a 6 year old.

Lest we forget, a lot of this sort of talk is what is being fed to our children in schools - they are trying to turn our children into self-loathing people who have this concept that American is basically bad and all the other countries in the world are good. Yes, we need to change our ways to some degree but this administration and our schools are doing their best to destroy any pride our children have in this country. The goal - Get us to submit to World Government and give up our 'foolish' notion of self-government by nations.

[21017251]

From light bulbs to self loathing school children? How do you go from here to there? Its almost like this person has a preconcieved agenda and could comment on article about the gestation cycle of an Imu and get to the same place. I think the authors article point of technological advancement in light bulbs was missed by this reader.

[AmazingGrce]

Well "21017251" Our children watch the TV and the media does try to educate them. Our teachers these days use real world events, including media reports such as this, to teach our children. Have you been away from schools that long?

Unbiased reporting is a thing of the past. All media sources nowdays are biased in their reporting e.g. Dan Rather who pushed/broke the boundaries of honest reporting.

When the media keeps beating the drum about how wasteful and bad America is in any area, after a while some of that is going to sink in unless the public calls them out on it.

Years ago Hollywood stars and producers tried to sell the story that they don't try to change our society, they merely reflect it in their movies. Listen to them now days and they make no bones about trying to lead this country into change of their choice.

So my 'leap' from light bulbs to self-loathing children is nothing more than a baby step over from one to the other. The report, after the commentary belittling our country was quite good in shining a little light on technology coming down the road to make lighting better BUT it was still front loaded with an attack on our country. And THAT is what bothers me an millions of other Americans who know how much this country has given back to the world since its birth over 200 years ago. To me and many others it's unforgivable to see our media slapping us in the face with illogical and unfair comparisons with other countries. Sorry you cannot make that logic connection but then perhaps you are exactly the target the media is aiming their stories at each day - the naive and easily influenced minds in this country.

[zippiez]

If you don't like change, go to your nearest GOP HQ.
Get your candles, your quill pens, your walking sticks, and your cans connected with string (iCans).
I'm really, really, really tired of the "Change bad. No change good." philosophy.

[notparicular]

Did you notice they always blame us for what we do. The alternative! Come to us and spend $40 a bulb that will save electricity and the environment. Poor home owners foot the bill. Safety! That comes later. This is a money making scam.

[brianbwb2011]

Did you notice that the article states that the new $40 bulb can last for 10 to 20 years?

Don't you think you spend that much to keep a single light socket working for that long?

Not to mention the energy savings of up to $200 per year, which will rise as the cost of energy rises, as it certainly will.

If you are of the mentality to ignore the numbers for the sake of a rant, then you naturally deserve all of the blame for what you do.

[1American]

It's amazing that people still believe everything they read, when a company prints "New and Improved" on a product. The LED bulb will last 10 years. The truth is, only some of the LEDs will last 10 years. I've seen LED bulbs that have half of the LEDs burned out in just a few months. Imagine $40 for a bulb that puts out only half of its advertised light in a few months. When they get the LED perfected I'll consider buying the bulbs. Until then I have a good supply of the old incandescent bulbs on hand.