Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and LED Lighting

Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting has the potential to surpass many conventional lighting technologies in terms of energy efficiency, lifetime, versatility, and color quality. It is forecasted that LED lighting will represent 46 percent of general illumination lumen-hour sales by 2030, resulting in an annual primary energy savings of 3.4 quads (Navigant Consulting, Inc., 2012a). Increasing the efficiency of installed lighting products through the adoption of LED technology is an effective method to reduce the electricity consumed on site; however, to truly gauge the full energy (and environmental) impact of a lighting technology, the materials and energy resources used must be traced over the entire life cycle of the lamp. In other words, even though the energy consumed during the use of LED lamps is less than that consumed by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and incandescent lamps, the question arises whether the energy and environmental benefits achieved during use of the product are outweighed by energy and/or environmental impacts during earlier phases in the life-cycle process. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Program recognizes the importance of understanding life-cycle impacts, and that this evaluation is crucial prior to the mass adoption of LED lighting products. Early identification of potential energy and environmental benefits or concerns during manufacture, use, and disposal will allow for LED lighting technology to evolve in a responsible manner. This course is a course on Life cycle assessment of Energy and LED lighting a brief Review of the Life-Cycle Energy Consumption of Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent, and LED Lamps.