Researchers at Cambridge University have been developing a new type of LED bulb which could revolutionize lighting for the home and for aquariums. Traditional LEDs are made by growing Gallium Nitride onto sapphire wafers but the new bulbs are made by using much cheaper silicon wafers. The change in base materials explains the reduced cost (about $3 for a ‘household’ bulb) but it is unclear how this current iteration of LED technology can last for decades and decades. The researcher state that prototypes will be completed soon and that the bulbs could be widely available within two years. Who knows how long t will take for high intensity bulbs are developed but given the potential of the tech and the increasingly efficiency minded reef population, we suspect these bulbs will be quickly adapted to aquarium use.
Oh boy, cheap white LEDs that last 60 years
Jake Adams
Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.
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