With countries such as Japan ending the production of the highly inefficient incandescent bulb in 2012, there is a global push for greener photo emitters. A “photo emitter” is a material that releases electrons when subjected to a certain degree of radiation. The release of electrons can result in electromagnetic radiation, in the form of visible light that humans can see. There are a variety of forms of visible light, some of which are produced in more ecological methods than others. As referenced earlier, incandescence (found in incandescent light bulbs) is the release of visible light from a hot material. Thus, along with the visible light, a significant amount of heat is emitted from the light bulb as well. Heat that is lost is particularly wasteful, as it had the potential to be contained and used in the creation of visible light.
On the other side of the potential sources of visible light is luminescence, defined as the release of light from a material that did not emit heat. There are a variety of forms of luminescence, including electroluminescence, where a substance emits light when subject to an electric field or an electric current. A light emitting diode (LED) is an application of electroluminescence, where, when stimulated by electricity, will release varying amounts of energy in the form of photons. The colors seen by our eyes depend upon the amount of energy or electricity that the diode (a device allowing an electric current in only one direction) is subjected to.
Light emitting diodes have a variety of practical applications, from light bulbs to be used in our houses and buildings, to monitors and televisions. In contrast to florescent light bulbs, LED bulbs last ten times longer (and far longer than the heat-producing incandescent bulbs). This, in turn, reduces waste when it comes time to replace the bulb. The durability of LED bulbs contributes to their heightened lives. LED light bulbs also produce minimal heat (from the energy of electricity) in comparison to incandescent bulbs. The reduction of heat released has many favorable effects, including a reduction in air conditioning use and costs as well.
On much larger scale, LEDs could replace all the monitors and screens in New York City, the household light bulbs, traffic signals, exit signs, and lights on vehicles. For example, on cars or taxicabs whose energy consumption is directly fueled by gasoline, it is wasteful on many levels to use incandescent bulbs instead of LEDs. The purpose of using LEDs would be to replace existing energy inefficient ones. Although in the end, what matters most is where the electricity used to power these bulbs comes from. The use of nonrenewable resources to create electricity is the root of the issue. With LEDs requiring less energy, there are a variety of additional renewable methods to produce the needed energy, among which include solar, wind, wave, and hydroelectric power.
To begin with, every street lamp in New York City should be replaced with an LED lamp that gathers energy from an attached solar panel (unless the lamp is in an area away from the sunlight). The combination of the LED lamp and the use of the solar panel would combat the issue of wasted energy, and over-consumption of natural resources.
Another project could be to harness the power of the rivers surrounding Manhattan in order to generate electricity to use around the city. For the purpose of convenience, however, energy generated from wave power (resulting from the force of a wave on a paddle attached to a hydroelectric turbine) could be used to power the LED lights on and underneath bridges. This way, the source of the energy would not have to be very far from the output, reducing unnecessary cables and power lines.
Of course, changes such as these could not be realized without the proper support of the government and citizens. It is thus necessary to advertise and promote the benefits of said measures. Although the environmental benefit of these changes would be monumental, a more universally understood issue would be the associated cost-reduction. With the reduced energy usage, taxpayers would have less of a financial burden in terms of the city’s electricity bills. One could also promote the fact that these cost-reductions could be seen at home as well, with the transition to LED use in light bulbs, televisions, cars, and personal appliances.
Works Cited:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/photoemitter
http://www.ledke.com/news/Japan-incandescent-lighting-convert-LED.html
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