Why should we embrace LED lighting in hazardous area environments

LED luminaires as we know them are a very recent addition to the general lighting market. The LED or Light Emitting Diode was introduced on an industrial scale in the 1960s, at the time its main usage was for indication lamps within electrical and electronic devices. By the 1990s the LED had been widely adopted in moving sign displays, modern electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers etc. It would not be until around 2006 when research and development had advanced the LED to the point of it being a useful general light source.

The development of the LED as a general light source has accelerated at such a pace that they are now in some cases producing 200 Lumens per Watt. Until very recently the theoretical maximum output had been calculated to be around 220 Lumens per Watt.

To put the above into perspective a GLS lamp typically produces around 10 Lumens per Watt, a Fluorescent lamp typically produces around 90 Lumens per Watt and an HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lamp produces up to 120 Lumens per Watt.

As you can see from the above the potential for energy savings has been the main driving force behind the development of ever more efficient LED lighting solutions.