Cree LED Revolution Blog

Cree and LED lighting are starting a revolution

Archive for the ‘Energy Awareness Month’ Category

« Older Entries

Energy Awareness Month 2011 Blog Series Wrap-Up

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Energy Awareness Month isn’t a Hallmark celebration (yet) but for us energy-efficiency gurus, it’s a great excuse to shout from the rooftops the importance of conserving energy. This year we decided to celebrate with a month-long blog series focusing on the ways Cree’s products and employees are working to help improve energy-efficiency.  

But sometimes life gets in the way of Energy Awareness Month, which means you may have *gasp* missed some of our posts. Well, don’t despair. We’ve rounded up all of our posts from this month and summarized them in a nice, neat little package just for you.

Cree Energy Awareness Month

WEEK ONE

In our first week we highlighted some of the utility companies that are offering rebates for Cree’s energy-efficient LED lighting products, as well as the EcoSmart LED Downlight we make for Home Depot. We broke down the types of rebates utilities offer, and we showed off some of the best including programs in Illinois, Long Island and New Jersey.

REBATE

Oct. 4 – Utility Companies Offer Rebates for Cree LED Lighting

Oct. 5 – ComEd Offers Illinois Customers Major Rebates on Cree LED Lighting

Oct. 6 – LIPA Brings LED Lighting Rebates to Lucky Long Island Residents

Oct. 7 – Fist Pump! Rebate Gives New Jersey Residents Opportunity to Buy EcoSmart LED Downlight for $24.97

WEEK TWO

Typically this blog focuses on LEDs and LED lighting, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to teach you a little about another side of Cree’s business: Our energy-saving power products! We were honored to have Cree Co-founder John Palmour explain how silicon carbide-based diodes can make power supplies and electric motors more efficient. And we offered a great intro to our Silicon Carbide MOSFETs.  We also slipped a power post into week three because we’re wild like that (see below).

power plant

Oct. 12 – The Power to Do More: Cree Silicon Carbide-Based Diodes Improve Efficiency of Power Systems

Oct. 13 – Cree’s Silicon Carbide MOSFETs Help Improve Efficiency of Electronics

WEEK THREE

In week three, we primarily focused on Cree LED lighting, showing you a couple examples of ways our LED lights are saving energy in places you might not think of such as Kentucky’s State Capitol rotunda and gas stations throughout the country. We reiterated the importance of knowing the difference between lumens and watts when shopping for LED lighting. And we had to a leftover post from our Power week about solar panels that we couldn’t let you miss, so we slipped it in.

petrol1

Oct. 17 – Get Il-lumen-ated with Lighting Facts: Knowing the Difference Between Lumens and Watts

Oct. 18 – Making Solar Panels More Efficient with Silicon Carbide Schottky Diodes

Oct. 19 – Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda Shines with Cree LED Lighting

Oct. 20 – Energy-Savings Surprises at Gas Stations

Oct. 21 – Spotlight on One of Cree’s R&D Engineers

WEEK FOUR

In week four, we focused on Cree LED components, showing you a variety of special places you can find them (from a solar-powered car to the University of Michigan’s Big House). We also told you about our investigative applications engineers and how Cree EasyWhite technology can make it easier for you to design with LEDs. And, our senior director of components marketing did an outstanding job explaining why Cree is completely rethinking lighting.

Photo by Andreas Peña Doll

Photo by Andreas Peña Doll

Oct. 28 – Why We Push for Revolution, Not Evolution

Oct. 27 – Solar Race Takes Cree LEDs “Down Under”

Oct. 26 – Get Your Game Face on with Cree LEDs

Oct. 25 – Cree Applications Engineers Investigate LEDs

Oct. 24 – Bye Bye Binning, Hello EasyWhite: How Cree’s EasyWhite Technology Simplifies Designing with LEDs

We hope you learned something about our commitment to making products that help conserve energy. Now don’t leave without checking out our LED-lit pumpkin carving contest.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month, Energy Efficiency | No Comments »

Vote For Your Favorite Pumpkin Lit with Cree XLamp LEDs

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Cree’s Applications Engineers are always cooking up some kind of contest. To celebrate Halloween, they decided to have a pumpkin carving contest using Cree LEDs. Fellow Cree employees got to vote on the winner. You can see the pumpkins up close and learn what LEDs are inside on our Facebook page.

pumpkin contest

We’ll reveal who Cree employees selected as the winner later this afternoon. In the meantime, head over to our facebook page to get your vote in!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month, For Fun | 1 Comment »

Guest Blog Post: Why We Push for Revolution, not Evolution

Friday, October 28th, 2011

All month long, Cree has celebrated Energy Awareness Month. Through a series of blog posts, Cree has brought to you information about ways our products and our customers and partners are helping save energy. Today’s final guest blog post is by Cree’s senior director of marketing, LED components, Mike Watson.

Revolution. It’s a popular word these days. Much of the current revolution discussion is politically or socially motivated (the Middle East, Occupy Wall Street, etc.). Here at Cree, we talk about the energy revolution and more specifically, the LED lighting revolution every day.

Many countries outside North America know that to meet future economic demands, they must fundamentally change the way they consume power and they must do it now.

Instead of talking about change, they are making it, via policy directives and government mandates to encourage innovation and implementation of energy-efficient products. Just look at China – it recently completed its largest highway lighting upgrade with more than 10,000 street lights and more than a million Cree LEDs!

Cree Energy Awareness Month

When we look back at the last 100 years of lighting, precious little has changed in terms of technology, performance or form factor.  Lighting technologies haven’t evolved as demand has increased.

This type of evolution isn’t going to work for LED lighting, nor will it happen fast enough for us to address ever-increasing energy consumption.   

The much lauded (and much maligned) CFL has been heralded for more than thirty years, but market penetration has stalled at just about 10 percent. Yes, stalled, despite massive promotions at big box hardware stores, continued rebates from power companies and technical and quality improvements over several decades. 

That’s scary, especially to those of us in the lighting biz. Could that same slow adoption curve curse LED lighting?

We can’t wait thirty years for the widespread adoption of a technology that is ready now—ready to change the way we light streets and parking lots, grocery stores and offices, homes and even our cars.

So I’m talking about a revolution. The kind of revolution where we throw out preconceived notions, we cast aside things that don’t work anymore and we step into the brave, new, well-lit world.

That’s why we’re completely rethinking lighting.

It’s not about watts, it’s about lumens. It’s not about bulbs and fixtures. And it’s not about cost per bulb.

It’s about cost over lifetime and getting better light, for longer, with bigger bang for your buck.

It’s time to demand better, more efficient lighting. Don’t you agree?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month | 1 Comment »

Solar Race Takes Cree LEDs “Down Under”

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Last week, students at Stanford University put their engineering skills to the test at the 2011 World Solar Challenge, a solar-powered car race which covered a remarkable 1,877 miles (!) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.

The Stanford Solar Car Project (SSCP) brings students together to design, build, test and race solar-powered vehicles – pretty cool, huh?

Well the SSCP, a student-run, donation-funded organization, has been building and racing solar-powered vehicles since 1986. This year, their mission was to be the first American team to win the World Solar Car challenge since General Motors’ Sunraycer in 1987!

Cree Energy Awareness Month

This year’s car, named Xenith, was unveiled on Aug.11 and is a 23-percent efficient solar array featuring a three-wheel steering system, glass encapsulated solar panels and a high-efficiency electric motor. The Xenith can travel at 55-60 mph under sun power alone, and can reach higher speeds when using the reserve battery pack. Also on board are Cree’s components – XLamp MC-E LEDs are used for the Xenith’s headlights while XLamp XP-E Amber LEDs are used for sidemarker lights.

Photo by Andreas Peña Doll

Photo by Andreas Peña Doll

 

xenith21

Photo by: Andreas Peña Doll

The Xenith isn’t likely to appear at a dealership any time soon, however the Stanford Solar Car Project provides a real-world chance to test innovative cutting-edge ideas — which could eventually boost the efficiency of everyday autos.

Unfortunately for the Xenith team, while trekking across the Australian Outback, they ran into some gray skies and clouds, preventing them from finishing the solar race. But they weren’t the only ones – this year, only seven of the 37 competing teams were able to cross the finish line. Great job, team and best of luck next year!

To keep up with the SSCP team as they prepare for next year’s race, check out their blog: http://solarcar.stanford.edu/blog. You can also follow the team on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/susolarcar.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month | No Comments »

Get Your Game Face on with Cree LEDs

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

It’s that time of year in North America – the leaves are beginning to fall, it is almost sweater weather and Saturday’s are all about college football. Given the theme of this month’s blog, it’s also the time of year when we think about energy efficiency. So, how does energy-efficiency, particularly LED lighting, relate to college football?  Allow us to elaborate.

Say you’re at home on your comfy couch watching your favorite team play a friendly game of pigskin on your high-definition TV. Or say you’re at the stadium, checking out live in-game action, stats and most importantly, the score. Well guess what – that vivid game day action may be powered by energy-efficient LEDs. From your LED-backlit HDTV to the high-res screen in the stadium, LEDs are a fan’s best friend.

Cree Energy Awareness Month

In fact, in stadiums around the U.S. and the world,  high-brightness LEDs, particularly Cree’s Screen Master® high-brightness LEDs, can be driven at a lower power to save energy and extend the lifetime of indoor and outdoor video screen and billboards. With industry-leading water-resistant packaging, Cree’s versatile 3-in-1 LEDs feature superior color quality and contrast, as well as the high-intensity output and wide viewing angles needed for optimal fan viewing.

If you’re a University of Michigan Wolverine fan, you might have noticed the newly upgraded scoreboards in “The Big House.” The largest stadium in the United States, The Big House consistently boasts game day crowds of more than 100,000 fans.

IMG_2008

Well those new scoreboards are courtesy of Lighthouse Technologies and feature more than three million Cree Screen Master CLV6A LEDs in these state-of-the-art LED video displays and scoreboards. Positioned in each of the end zones, these massive high-resolution LED video boards are 40 percent larger than the previous system, providing in-game broadcast capability, instant replay, animation and dynamic promotional content in vivid color and ultra-sharp detail – all while saving energy.

IMG_1989

And the University of Michigan isn’t the only one getting in on this high-bright action. The American Airlines Center, the Dallas home to both the NBA’s Mavericks and NHL’s Stars, installed 25 Lighthouse LED video screens as part of a large-scale renovation project in 2010. It even included the first 1080×1920 high-definition video screen in any NBA or NHL facility.

So whether you’re enjoying game day updates at home or at the stadium, don’t forget that the high-resolution action is being brought to you thanks to high-quality, high-performing Cree LEDs.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month, LED Components | 1 Comment »

Cree Applications Engineers Investigate LEDs

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Working for Cree can sometimes be about the nerdy-gritty intricacies of manufacturing an LED, but it’s not always that way – just take it from our Applications Engineers. If a component doesn’t perform like it should, their main responsibility involves finding out why. (Did you know their work helped initiate the need for our new TEMPO testing services?)

Cree Energy Awareness Month

With all nerdiness aside, our apps engineers’ jobs are more like working as an investigator – or shall we say CSI: Cree Solid-state Investigators. They use crime-solving technical abilities to help our customers better understand LED components. By conducting physical, electrical and optical tests, they set out to find the real culprit. Recall that lab scene from last week’s CSI episode when the technician dusts for fingerprints, swabs various objects in hopes of finding foreign substances, or examining clothes with a magnifying glass to look for fibers? That’s along the lines of what our apps engineers do, well, maybe minus the intense music in the background. Sounds pretty cool, huh?

In addition to their role with us, our CSIs are passionate LED Revolutionaries, advocating LEDs as the energy-efficient lighting option. Aww, thanks gang! We’ll be sure to get you all bullet-proof lab coats for Christmas.

Posted in Energy Awareness Month | No Comments »

Bye Bye Binning, Hello EasyWhite: How Cree’s EasyWhite technology simplifies designing with LEDs

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Cree is celebrating Energy Awareness Month with a series of blog posts about ways Cree and our products are helping save energy.

Halloween is quickly approaching…the one time of year where it’s completely appropriate to dress up as your favorite SpongeBob characters and scare yourself silly with horror movies and haunted houses. One thing that’s not okay this Halloween? Being scared of LEDs.

For too long, lighting manufacturers and designers have been spooked by LEDs. Sure, hearing the terms black body locus, flux and ANSI (what?!) are enough to make even the toughest of us shake in our stylish yet affordable boots.  One of the most bloodcurdling words to LED-phobes? Binning.

More than two years ago, thanks to EasyWhite technology, Cree removed the evil-ness of binning, which can simplify LED system design and improve LED-to-LED color consistency.

Cree Energy Awareness Month

Before EasyWhite, lighting and fixture manufacturers had to play “mad scientist” and manually mix multiple LED bins to achieve the desired color consistency using recipes. Not only can this be complicated and time-consuming, sometimes it’s just plain impractical. Like when you’re designing those tiny MR-16 bulbs (track lighting) where you just can’t cram multiple LEDs into that small form factor to get that ‘just right’ color.  

With EasyWhite, all you, Mr.-or-Ms.-Lighting-Designer, need to know is what color temperature (2700K, 3500K, etc.) and light output you want…and voila! Not at all scary, right?

The following Cree LEDs are currently available with EasyWhite color mixing technology: XLamp XM-L, MC-E, MT-G (perfect for that MR-16 bulb!) and MP-L LEDs (directional lighting), the easy-to-use CXA2011 LED array and the LMR4 LED module, which is hands-down, the easiest way to design with LEDs.  For even more information on Cree’s EasyWhite technology, check out http://www.cree.com/xlamp/easywhite.asp.

2-step MacAdams Bin MP-L MC-E

At Cree, we’re constantly trying to remove the obstacles to using LEDs to create more energy-efficient fixtures.  We believe the fewer challenges associated with LED-based fixtures, the more widespread the adoption of LED technology…which is a win-win for everyone.

So this Halloween, as you go door-to-door for sweet treats, you can be rest assured that Cree has taken the fear out of LEDs.

Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month | 5 Comments »

Spotlight on one of Cree’s R&D Engineers

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Cree is celebrating Energy Awareness Month with a series of blog posts about ways Cree and our products are helping save energy.

How does a wannabe-law student end up designing LED lighting products? For Elizabeth Rodgers, Cree’s newest R&D optical engineer, it started with an impulse decision to take a physics optics lab, which prompted an interest in lighting. A smart college professor pointed her in the direction of University of Colorado Boulder’s Buildings Systems Program, which provided Elizabeth with a degree in architectural engineering, specializing in lighting and electrical design.

Sidenote: CU-Boulder offers the largest undergraduate educational program in lighting and illumination engineering in the country, preparing about 20 students per year for careers in the lighting industry.

“I never really thought much about LEDs, or lighting in general, until I went to school for it,” explains Elizabeth. “Once I started studying lighting, I realized the extraordinary amount of energy wasted by traditional technologies like incandescent bulbs…and I knew that I wanted to be involved in using a technology like LEDs that delivers better quality light while saving energy.” 

So what does an R&D optical engineer do? Pretty much everything, according to Elizabeth.

Typical responsibilities including designing optical products and systems, conducting computer-based engineering analysis on new products that are in development and working daily with various Cree teams on current projects and future prototypes.  Elizabeth participates heavily in design reviews and product meetings, working to improve the overall optical design process.
Cree Energy Awareness Month

“No day is the same, which is awesome, since I enjoy variety,” said Elizabeth. “My job is really challenging and that’s one of the things I love about it – it’s so different. Working in the SSL industry is very exciting because we, both Cree and the industry as a whole, are advancing so quickly in terms of the products we are putting out and the technology we’re working on. It’s incredibly gratifying to be a part of a company that has the ability to help shape how the lighting of the future is going to look.”

Elizabeth is one of the newest members of Cree’s team of innovators, pioneers and dreamers, all working to rid the world of antiquated, inefficient lighting. If you’re thinking about a career the sustainable energy movement, make sure to check out @CreeCareers all the latest and greatest jobs working with Cree LEDs.

Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month | 3 Comments »

Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda Shines with Cree LED Lighting

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

We realize for some of you, it’s not every day that you take in the glorious sight of your state’s Capitol Building. Let’s face it – unless you’re a politico or on a student field trip, you’re not going to be frequenting that building.

But these historic buildings are often the heart of where important state decisions are made. So while we’re talking energy-efficient LED lighting, we thought we’d take you on a virtual tour of the Kentucky State Capitol Building – it’s Rotunda to be specific.

Back in 2009, David Buchta, director and state curator, and his team set out on a major renovation project to update the energy systems of the Rotunda as part of an overall restoration.

Cree Energy Awareness Month

“At one time there were nearly 900 incandescent bulbs in the Rotunda,” said David. “Later it reduced to around 300, but there were a lot of burnouts and many were too difficult to replace. Our focus was to bring the lighting back but use far fewer fixtures. ”

Working with lighting consultant One Source Lighting, David installed nearly 45 Cree LED lights to help illuminate what he believes is the only state Capitol Rotunda to be 100 percent lit by LEDs. In fact, 24 Cree LR6 downlights replaced the mass of 60-watt incandescent bulbs around the oculus of the rotunda (or that circular stained glass window pictured below) which hadn’t worked since the 1980s! That’s even before Cree was founded…which was nearly 25 years ago, in case you were wondering.

Kentucky Rotunda 2

“One of the best parts is that the LEDs look very close to incandescent bulbs replaced,” said David.

In addition to the LR6 downlights, four LR24 LED troffers light up the stained glass of the oculus and 16 LRP-38 spotlights highlight the newly painted murals in the Rotunda.

As a result of installing LEDs, David said the lights are on 24/7 and he hasn’t had to change a single bulb since the restoration project was completed in January 2010. Let us say that again…not ONE single bulb in nearly two years.

It isn’t surprising, either, that the contractor for the overall renovation, Midwest Maintenance and Restoration of Piqua, Ohio, was awarded the 2010 Award of Excellence from the Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Awards for the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda restoration project.

“After the success of this project, my preference is that eventually all Capitol lighting is upgraded to LEDs,” David said.

David, we couldn’t agree more!

To see others that have made the switch to LED lighting, check out our Revolutionaries.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Cree, Energy Awareness Month | 1 Comment »

Making solar panels more efficient with Silicon Carbide Schottky Diodes

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011


We’ve all been told to be more aware of our exposure to the sun…that the sun’s rays are damaging. So it’s weird, sort of, when you consider that for centuries, countless civilizations have looked to the sun as a symbol of power and strength.

We get a little excited about a renewed fascination with the sun because we see opportunity. Opportunity to harness the sun’s strength to power our electronics. And because solar panels themselves are pretty complex feats of engineering, that’s where we come in.

As solar panels become more and more commonplace, the design considerations for converting light into electricity must focus on increasing energy efficiency. At Cree, we like to think that we’ve become the “ray of solar power efficiency” through our development of the silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes that increase the conversion efficiency of solar energy.

Yes, we’re getting super technical, but this is actually pretty “hot” stuff.

Cree Energy Awareness Month

First, let’s go through the basics: Solar panels are designed to absorb the sun’s energy and convert it to a positive DC voltage, which varies with the intensity of the sun’s rays to which the panels are exposed. That voltage is raised (or “boosted”) to a fixed DC voltage by means of a boost converter circuit either at the solar panel itself, or in the first phase of the power inverter, which takes the fixed DC voltage from the panel and converts it to a usable AC voltage at a fixed frequency. Conventional silicon Schottky diodes, when used for both the boost phase and in the inverter circuitry, typically contribute to an overall inverter efficiency of around 96 percent, due to a phenomenon known as switching loss (i.e., the circuit “wastes” about 4 percent of the energy produced by the solar panel in converting it to AC power).

Now that you’ve got that down…let us reiterate, conventional silicon diodes are 96 percent efficient. That’s pretty good, but…

If you use Cree’s SiC Schottky diodes, the inverter circuit operates at significantly higher frequencies, and virtually eliminates these diode switching losses, which has the effect of dramatically improving the overall inverter’s energy efficiency. This more efficient design enables more of the energy from the solar panels to get converted to usable electricity. With Cree SiC devices, the inverter’s average efficiency can be boosted by 2 percent, representing a 25 percent reduction in inverter losses. And when you’re making usable energy—every percent increase in efficiency counts.

So now you know enough be a little dangerous about solar panels and Schottky diodes. But don’t forget your sunscreen because while more sunlight makes a happy solar panel, it can also make for miserable sunburn.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Department of Energy, Energy Awareness Month | 3 Comments »

« Older Entries