How did LEDs change the world?

LED stands for light emitting diode and it was invented by Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962.

LED lighting products produce light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs.

How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light. To prevent performance issues, the heat LEDs produce is absorbed into a heat sink.

How did LEDs change the world? The most pronounced impact of LED lights is its energy efficiency.

Compared with conventional light sources that first convert electrical energy into heat, and then into light, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) convert electrical energy directly into light, delivering efficient light generation with little-wasted electricity.

Holonyak, the inventor of LEDs predicted that his LEDs would replace the incandescent light bulb of Thomas Edison in the February 1963 issue of Reader’s Digest.

Over the years, LEDs have improved in quality and efficiency and are gradually replacing incandescents as the bulb of choice.