We’ve all heard them uttered or said them ourselves: hyperbolic statements that, if nothing else, really get the point across. “25 hours a day, 8 days a week,” “On a scale of 1-10, that ice cream cone was an 11!” or, “I want you to give 110 percent out there!” Despite their effectiveness at conveying enthusiasm or productivity, we know that in reality, giving 110 percent isn’t possible, nor does 11 exist on a ten-numbered scale, and sadly, there are only 7 days in a week. But recently some very smart MIT physicists (who else?) figured out how to turn that concept on its head in the realms of light and electricity.
The scientists created an LED light that operates at an efficiency of 230 percent. Specifically, the LED produces 69 picowatts of light using 30 picowatts of electricity, which means it “operates above unity efficiency — putting it into a category normally occupied by perpetual motion machines,” according to Wired. It works because the LED draws not only on electrical energy to emit light, but also on thermal energy as well. This new LED “appears to draw in heat energy from its surroundings instead. When it gets more than 100 percent electrically-efficient, it begins to cool down, stealing energy from its environment to convert into more photons,” Wired writer Duncan Geere explains. Pretty exciting stuff, though for now the LED doesn’t emit enough light to provide much visibility. No matter what, I’m sure (I might even be 110 percent confident) that over time, this discovery will prove to be an important stepping stone in the evolution of LED technology and in energy efficiency as a whole.
Thanks to Wired for the quotes and image.