I once heard about a company that developed automobile tires that would never wear down. Be this fact or fiction, the concept is interesting because a development of this type would destroy the tire industry. Quite simply, tires are designed to wear down so we have to buy new ones. Have you noticed? The never-ending tire, if it existed at all, never made it big.
So when I see that General Electric has developed a light bulb that it claims has 17 years of life, I have to wonder if it will fly in my last conspiracy- theory laden little world.
John Strainic, Global Product General Manager for GE Lighting states, “This is a bulb that can virtually light your kid’s bedroom desk lamp from birth through high school graduation.”
The GE Energy Smart® LED bulb is expected to deliver the same light output of a 40-watt incandescent/halogen bulb, while only consuming 9-watts of power. That alone is a good thing.
But then comes the crazy 25,000-hour life (17 years at 4 hours per day). That’s around 25 times longer than what we’re used to in a bulb.
The key is LED technology, which can generate intense brightness while drawing little power. There’s no filament and no mercury, and it doesn’t get hot enough to bake a ham.
The GE Energy Smart® LED bulb should be available for purchase in early 2011. And they would be a great idea if they didn’t cost $40 each. Even with the big green hype, this little sucker may disappear like the ultimate tire.
by John Barker
