Ultra-efficient solid-state lighting: Likely characteristics, economic benefits, technological approaches

Abstract

Technologies for artificial lighting, as illustrated on the left side of Fig. 2.1, have made tremendous progress over the centuries: from fire, with an efficiency of about a tenth of a percent; to incandescent lamps, with an efficiency of about 4%; to gas discharge lamps, with an efficiency of about 20%; and soon to solid-state lighting (SSL), with efficiencies that in principle could approach 100%. At this point in time, there is virtually no question that SSL will eventually displace its predecessor technologies. A remaining question, however, is what the final efficiency of SSL will be. Will it be, as illustrated on the right side of Fig. 2.1, 50%, which is what the community (Haitz and Tsao, Optik Photonik 6:26–30, 2011 [11], Haitz and Tsao, Phys Status Solidi A 208:17–29, 2011 [10]) has long targeted as its “efficient” lighting goal? Will it be 70% or higher, which is what some (Phillips et al, Tsao Laser Photonics Rev 307–333, 2007 [28]) have called the “ultra-efficient” lighting goal? Or will it be even beyond an effective efficiency of 100%, something that might be enabled by smart lighting (Kim and Schubert, Science 308:1274–1278, 2005 [14]), in which one does not just engineer the efficiency with which light is produced, but the efficiency with which light is used? In this chapter, we give a perspective on the future of SSL, with a focus on ultra-high efficiencies. We ask, and sketch answers to, three questions. First, what are some of the likely characteristics of ultra-efficient SSL? Second, what are some of the economic benefits of ultra-efficient SSL? And, third, what are some of the challenges associated with the various technological approaches that could be explored for ultra-efficient SSL?