Although the energy efficiency of solid-state lighting has been documented, the most efficient way to power the lighting has been the subject of debate. ALEC MAKDESSIAN and THONG HUYNH describe how Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology brings networking and control advantages to LED lighting systems that AC mains power cannot provide.
LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) is now a mainstream technology, replacing incandescent, halogen, and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in commercial, industrial, and residential use. The benefits of LEDs are well documented and include a longer operational life, higher energy efficiency, and tiny size for small-form-factor fixtures. As an example, the 50,000 hours of operational life for an LED lamp is far longer than the typical 1000 to 2000 hours for incandescent lamps and 5000 to 10,000 hours for CFLs. Given their longer life, LEDs lower the access/safety risks and high labor costs of replacing a hard-to-reach lamp. LEDs also cost much less to operate and the brightness of the light emitted by a 10W LED lamp is roughly equivalent to a 60W incandescent bulb.
While the benefits of using LED lights are now well understood, the best way to power them efficiently remains debatable. In this article, we explain how DC power can be provided to LEDs by using modern power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. When PoE technology is compared to traditional AC mains power for lighting, system efficiency is comparable. However, the PoE technology wins when you add the advanced benefits of networking the lights using the Ethernet local area network (LAN) and the lower costs of LED maintenance.
No comments:
Post a Comment