What is Induction Lighting?
Induction Lighting is a proven lighting technology that has been around for over 100 years. Thanks to technological advances in electronic ballast and generators, induction lighting is now more affordable than ever, making it a great alternative
What is Induction Lighting?
Induction Lighting is a proven lighting technology that has been around for over 100 years. Thanks to technological advances in electronic ballast and generators, induction lighting is now more affordable than ever, making it a great alternative for commercial and municipal uses. Induction lighting has been used extensively for street lighting applications in Asia, Australia and Europe, but is just now emerging as a leading energy-efficient option in North American cities that are looking to "GO GREEN".
An Induction Lamp is surprisingly similar to a fluorescent lamp. It contains mercury in a gas fill inside the bulb, which becomes excited when electricity is applied. The gas then emits UV radiation that in turn is converted into visible white light by the phosphor coating on the bulb. Fluorescent lamps, however, use electrodes inside the bulb to strike the arc and initiate the flow of current - each time the arc is struck, the electrodes degrade a little, eventually causing the lamp to flicker and then fail. Induction Lamps differ from fluorescent lamps in that they do not use internal electrodes, but use a high-frequency generator with a power coupler. The generator produces a radio frequency magnetic field to excite the gas fill.
With no electrodes, induction lamps lasts longer than other types of light bulbs on the market - in fact, induction lamps can last up to 100,000 hours. At 60,000 hours, most induction lamps will still produce roughly 70 percent of its original light output. In other words, their rated life is five to seven times longer than metal halide (7,500 to 20,000 hours at 10 hours/start) lamps and about seven times longer than T12HO fluorescent (at 10 hours/start) lamps.
What is the quality of the light output?
Many people who see induction lights comment on how bright they appear and on the quality of the light. However, when comparing an induction light to a conventional lamp using a light meter, the induction lamp is generally measured as producing less light than the conventional lamp. When looking at this data on paper, rather than seeing the light in action, many people question the installation of induction fixtures even after being told that they use 50 percent less energy. Even though the lights appear to be as bright or even brighter than traditional lighting, induction lamps have met some resistance in new markets