LEDs — Signage & Architecture

GE Tetra® LED Lighting Systems are transforming the world of commercial signage and architectural lighting with a new generation of solutions. Patented Tetra® delivers impressive energy savings, long life, reduced maintenance and more consistent brightness, both indoors and out.

Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are compound semiconductor devices that convert electricity to light. In fact, GE scientists invented the first practical application of LEDs in the 1960s. LEDs are vastly different from traditional incandescent, fluorescent and neon light sources.

Unlike lamps that can shatter, LEDs are robust and highly resistant to shock and vibration. Due to the solid-state nature of these devices, there are no filaments to break, no moving parts to fail and no glass components of any kind. With LEDs, breakage during transportation, installation or operation — a common problem with traditional light sources — is virtually eliminated, speeding up installation times and installer training.

The benefits of using LEDs vary depending on the application, but typical technology features include:

» Up to 90 percent energy-cost savings

» A long life of up to 50,000 hours

» Minimized maintenance hassles and costs

» Low-voltage operation

» Excellent cold-weather performance

Many of GE's LEDs are Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and National Science Foundation (NSF) compliant and recognized by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). GE's unique design provides an environmental benefit because it has no UV, no infrared, no glass and no mercury, making handling and disposal less of a concern.

LEDs have applications in retail displays, signage and architecture, and transportation.

Tetra® LED lighting systems

GE Tetra® LED Lighting System provides a significant reduction in energy consumption while simultaneously improving performance of commercial signage and architectural lighting applications. Compared to standard neon or fluorescent lamps, GE Tetra LED solutions are up to 80 percent more energy efficient, while delivering less frequent maintenance, easier jobsite installation and more consistent brightness.

The Tetra® high-efficiency, long-life LED system delivers exceptional performance in channel letter, border lighting, architectural accent, cove lighting, POP signage and wall washing applications.

If a major retailer switched outdoor signage in 450 stores from fluorescent lamps to Tetra® Power White LEDs, the energy savings would exceed US$ 189,000 per year. Annual CO2 emissions would be reduced by 3.2 million pounds. That is equal to the amount of carbon 402 acres of trees absorb annually, or the impact of removing 283 cars from U.S. roads.

The advanced thermal management design maximizes the life of the Tetra® LED, which can last up to 50,000 hours. If a chain of 200 stores replaced the neon in existing signs with 250 feet of red Tetra CL LEDs, it could save about US$ 67,000 per year in energy costs and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 1.14 million pounds, which is equivalent to the CO2 absorbed each year by 142 acres of trees.

What's next for LEDs?

According to industry sources, the LED industry grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year between 1995 and 2004, and its growth trajectory between 2004 and 2009 is expected to nearly double, from US$ 3.7 billion to 7.3 billion USD. Many industry observers would attribute these high-growth forecasts to the low penetration of LEDs in general illumination (1 percent), signage (5 percent) and transportation (25 percent) applications.