GE plans world debut of LED bulb to replace 100-watt incandescent

GE Lighting this past week illuminated a light-emitting diode replacement for the 100-watt incandescent light bulb - developed in its East Cleveland, Ohio LED lab - that packages 27-watts of input power in a standard "A-19" bulb shape. The GE Energy Smart 27-watt LED bulb incorporates proprietary synthetic jet technology that was enabled by GE's collaboration with ecomaginationSM Challenge winner Nuventix, creator of LED cooling technologies for energy-efficient lighting.

GE's 27-watt Energy Smart LED bulb, on store shelves in the US and Canada in the first half of 2013, will debut on May 9 at Lightfair International in Las Vegas, the world's largest lighting trade show. GE's existing portfolio of LED bulbs includes a 13-watt LED (60-watt incandescent replacement) and a 9-watt LED (40-watt incandescent replacement), which was the first incandescent-shaped (A-19) LED in the world to earn Eenergy Star qualification.

Steve Briggs, general manager of LED systems, GE Lighting said GE's innovation team has tackled a previously insurmountable technical challenge: cooling a 100-watt A-19 shaped replacement LED bulb without making it physically bigger. He also said each subsystem such as optics, electronics and thermals needed to be designed for miniaturization and cooperative performance and that GE explored the limits of what's possible and pushed far beyond industry expectations as well as competitors' thinking and product offerings.

GE testing confirms 100-watt incandescent replacement metrics: 1,600+ lumens, uniform omnidirectional light distribution, 3000K color temperature, 25,000-hour life rating (22.8 years at 3 hours per day), dimmable, no mercury, instant full brightness and 60+ lumens per watt - all fitting neatly in the standard A-19 bulb shape.

Briggs added that GE's achievement does more than backfill for the 100-watt incandescent bulb and that GE now have a clear path to attaining even higher light levels, which will give customers more energy-efficient lighting options in both commercial and residential settings. This product fills a real customer need and further extends GE's LED lighting leadership, added Briggs.

Every GE Energy Smart LED incandescent replacement bulb, including the coming 100-watt replacement, offers smooth, incandescent-like dimming, minus the stepped dimming, flicker, shimmer, pop-on, drop-off or even inaction that plague other LED bulbs touting a dimming capability, the vendor said.

The 100-watt replacement LED will expand GE's current family of LED bulbs already offered in a broad range of shapes, wattages and colors, including its 40- and 60-watt LED standard incandescent bulb replacements, spot and flood lights (PAR20 & PAR30), ceiling fan bulbs (A15), medium globes (G25), small globes (G16.5), candles (CA10) and night lights (C7). All of GE's Energy Smart LED bulbs are rigorously tested to ensure constant color, long life and verifiable lumen ratings.