Three generations of luminous devices: a comparison in search of energy efficiency and ecologyca re

Abstract

ln this work a comparison is made between three generations of luminous devices, in order to have a quantitative estimation about the advantages of the new technologies on illumination sources based on Light Emitting Oiodes (LEDs). The features that are compared of each type of light source are: the luminous efficacy, the average timelife, the cost, the compliance with human vision requirements, the color rendering index (CRl), and the impact on environment after disposal. From the results obtained we can conclude that in the foreseeable future the most convenient technology is that of solid state LEDs. Some quantitative and numerical-based arguments are presented in order to support such conclusions.