 Light Pipes at Smithsonian Air & Space Museum  Image from NY Times, Forrestal Building | A new light source is in the development stage and is very energy efficient along with a long operating life. Developed by the Maryland company, Fusion Lighting in Rockville, Maryland, this new light has been named the "Light Pipe". With funds from the Energy Department, this new lighting source would replace multiple individual lights with just one Sulfur Light Pipe. The technology uses microwave energy to produce white light similar to that of our sun. The microwaves excite the Sulfur element and an inert argon gas held together in a golf ball sized bulb. Then combined with plastic light pipes which they are testing at two installations in Washington: The Forrestal Building, which is the main office for the Energy Department and the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum. One Light Pipe is 240 feet long and ten inches in diameter. A sulfur bulb is at each end to bounce the created light back and forth. The light output is equal to 240 bulbs using 175 watts each for a total of 42,000 watts. The Light Pipe uses only 14,000 watts and provides the same amount of light while lasting 15,000 hours! The cost for these two test runs was less than the cost to replace the current 240 bulbs when they burn out. The Light Pipes was invented by A. L. Whitehead Ltd. of Vancouver by using plastic reflector films made by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. Fusion Lighting expects to be selling Light Pipes on the market next year. Updated Blog Post - Article to Published on Light Bulb Hotline to GoingTrueGreen.com Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com Environmental Scientist International Sustainability and Energy Consultant Contribute your comments! |
