The Prospects of Using Carbon Fluorescent Light in Larger Quantity - Assignment Example

a shift from halogen to Fluorescent light bulbs abstract This paper is in favour of the use of CFLs, Carbon Fluorescent light bulbs or the Compact Fluorescent light bulbs; in the day to day life. As compared to halogen bulbs, this is an innovative invention that consumes electricity, and is a recyclable product. With the use of solar power, the CFLs can be generated for street lights,by the addition of using solar panels located on the top or sides of a pole and luminaries. The total light output, of a CFLs light getting used between one fifth and one quarter of the power is as equivalent to an incandescent lamp.1 As according to the US Household Electricity Report stated by the official US Energy Information Administration (2005), the lighting accounted for approximately 9% of household electricity usage in the United States in 2001. That is to say by means of a widespread use of CFLs there can be a saving of maximum total energy of about 7% from household usage in the country. No doubt that it has got the potential to reduce electric consumption and so will be the pollution. These days there are various organizations that encourage the adoption of CFLs. Their efforts include publicity programmes to encourage awareness and make CFLs more widely available to direct measures to provide the public with it. Not only that the contributions made by governments are also noteworthy. There is emphasis on some electric utilities and subsidizing CFLs or providing them free to customers as a means of reducing electric demand. The paper is thus an attempt to highlight the prospects of using CFL in larger quantity. Thus the use of these lamps is highly recommended. content ABSTRACT 2 I. Introduction 5 II. ABOUT the company 5 III. information on the innovation 6 IV. innovation processes within the company 7 V. Discussion of issues 9 VI. conclusion 11 Recommendations 12 References 13 I. Introduction The target of the paper is to find out the various innovations and contribution made in gaining popularity of CFLs worldwide. As the paper develops the development of compact fluorescents lamps CFL are further discussed. Contributions made by Mr. Yan and his halogen factory too are matter of discussion. The highly technologically upgraded CFLs have got a lifespan of 6,000 and 15,000 hours..2 The lifetime of any lamp depends on many factors. The respective factors are the operating voltage, manufacturing defects, exposure to voltage spikes, mechanical shock, frequency of cycling on and off and the predecided ambient operating temperature. It is a fact that the life of a CFL will get significantly shorter if it is only turned on for a few minutes at a time. If a CFL, goes under a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be up to 85% shorter, as a result its lifespan might get reduced to that of an incandescent lamp3. The shift from halogen to CFL by Mr. Yan amidst heavy competition is too a part of the whole discussion. The objective is to emphasis the environmental supporting elements of this product and the various reasons to make them a part of life. There is also the background study of TCP and the innovative process as are adopted by the company. There is also the discussion regarding the use of CFLs. Eventually the paper concludes with some affirmative ideas. II. about on the company Ed Hammer, now a consultant to TCP Inc., once commented very correctly about Mr. Yan. Ed Hammer commented about Mr. Yan that he has ‘quickly understood that the spiral bulbs would emit more light than linear bulbs. Indeed with all contribution ans comprehensiveness of Mr. Ellis Yan, TCP is the counted as the largest maker of CFLs sold in the U.S4. Initially, Yan was into the production of Halogen lamps that is back in 1986. But soon in 1994, halogen lamps started facing heavy competition to the fluorescent lights, and as aresult Yan shifted his business from Halogen lights to the Production of CFLs. The business started in Shanghai with just four factories. The total output was more than one million compact-fluorescent bulbs a day. It was 2000 when Mr.Yan was among dozens of prospective suppliers demonstrating products to Home Depot. After a year, Home Depot became TCP's largest customer and resulted as a jackpot to the company. The actual business ground was US. Soon CFLs started occupying the position of incandescent bulbs. In the year 2006 about 200 million CFLs were sold in the U.S.alone, as compared to the incandescent-bulb of about 1.5 billion5. According to some declarations made by Mr. Yan, TCP makes 70% of the CFLs sold in the U.S. added to this is the statement pu forward by Mike Deneen, a senior analyst with market researcher Freedonia Group Inc., Cleveland, by the year in 2011, the wholesale sales of CFLs ‘will jump to $1.55 billion’. III. information on the innovation Compact fluorescents can make someone save an amount of 75% energy than incandescent bulbs. Moreover they are considered for a likely initial replacement for most home uses. CFLs , as compared to halogen lamps are produced with the facility for both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) input in the households. CFLs with Direct Current are much used in recreational vehicles and off-the-grid housing. they are also used with car batteries, small solar panels and wind generators, to replace kerosene lanterns. These are some of the innovative practices followed in different countries. the estimation for the amount of heat or infrared radiation, as emitted by a halogen in comparison to compact fluorescent light bulbs is in every case higher than the average. Both incandescent and halogen bulbs create light which is generated through the heat, of about 90% of the energy they emit6. Fluorescent light bulbs follow a very different pattern to create light. Compact fluorescent bulbs contain a gas that, when excited by electricity, hits a coating inside the fluorescent bulb. Whatever light gets emitted by a CFL, is worth making them far more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs. The common household fluorescent bulbs emit only around 30% of their energy in heat, which makes the houses far cooler than the use of any other bulb. CFLs use less power to supply the same amount of light than that of halogen lamp. Most of the time, CFLs are used to decrease energy consumption at the location in which they are used. It is ideal equipment for all those countries where electricity is largely produced from burning fossil fuels. In these countries, CFL can save the reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. However in some, the reduction may help reduce negative impacts from radioactive waste and hydroelectric plants. In a way these are the best innovative creations for saving maximum energy. IV. INNOVATION processes within the company 7 Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp TCP discovered a very big drawback in CFLs. The company found that these lamps contain mercury, a toxin and environmental hazard. the mechanism takes place as in a fluorescent bulb, a little mercury gets heated till it turns gases which reacts with other gases and produce the light. Thus in order to get a solution Mr. Yan and his assistance are applying some innovative devices to reduce the amount of mercury from these bulbs. Due to the use of mercury these bulbs are not eco friendly decomposers, and thus are sent for recycling processes. The technological upgradation has modified the modern CFLs. Today these bulbs last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and comparatively use lesser energy than the halogen bulbs. Even the cost of manufacture is getting cheap and will be cheaper in the long run. The modern bulbs also work far better than earlier fluorescents. They deliver full brightness and gives light quickly without any kind of flicker. There is also the addition of style to this famous product. They a re now manufactured in varied shapes, sizes and colors. Added to these additions they can be used in fixtures such as ceiling fans and chandeliers. They are getting into the interior designing segment and are being an integral part of it. It is no mere old fashioned bulbs but is meeting the styling concepts of the designers, making the market broader. Apart from that, as with the concern with the climate change the prices started lowering for TCP’s CFLs. This helped in the tremendous growth of the selling of the product. It rose to an estimated amount of $400 million. The act to rush forward in sales by the company is one of the chief causes of its achievements. As for instance when managers at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas weren't satisfied with the color of TCP's lights for hotel hallways, it was then, Mr. Yan who immediately developed a soft-white light, now called the "LV color," for all the hotels of Las Vegas. Thus the credit of having a big business is absolutely in the innovative promptness of the company. TCP has been well-positioned as in United States, with highly rated selling corners. This is the reason that most of the consumers demand and seek alternatives to traditional incandescent bulbs. None other than TCP’s CFLs could solve the se demands. In order to accomplish with the energy bill that President Bush agreed to implement, will require the lighting to use as much as 30% less energy than what the country is using now. As a solution to this, the use of Compact fluorescents is only way. With the use of CFLs, one can use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and are considered the likely initial replacement for most home uses, to lessen the consumption of energy. Mr. Yan is looking forward for the day when each household of America will be using his CFLs. It is no doubt a very big budget and is going to get implemented for sure. V. Discussion of issues The socket, rated in general to handle up to a 60w bulb, a 20w CFL would not draw much current. A 60w bulb on 120v draws 0.5A. TCP’s CFLs are in capacity of holding an equivalent power of standard halogen lights. The light output of 14W CFL is found to be equivalent to light output of 60 W incandescent or halogen bulb, which will be at about 900 lumens of light. In order to discuss the issue of putting CFL’s in the household fixtures we need to speculate over two basic points. These are the electrical circuitry and the amount of heat dissipation. In case of using CFL, 150 W halogen is equivalent to CFL that uses 50 W. As for electrical circuitry, 50 W CFL would be a lighter load than 60W incandescent or halogen bulb. In case of heat dissipation, CFLs are even better, because incandescent light bulbs or the halogen bulbs turn 90-95% of the electrical energy to heat and only about 5% to visible light. The consumption is more as they work by heating a tungsten filament to about 2800 Kelvin. Due to the presence of the Argon gas filling in the bulb, one can get insulated from this high temperature. Even then, the surface of the bulb can still be 550 F or higher. On the contrary, a 50 W CFL could never hurt a 60 W light bulb enclosure. As CFLs are specifically built for such enclosures, the enclosure shouldn't hurt the CFL either. As estimated above, the average life of a CFL is between 8 and 15 times that of the halogen bulbs. As compared to the retail price of a CFL, it is typically 3 to 10 times greater than that of an equivalent halogen lamp. The modern product has got an extended lifetime and lower energy use. This is no doubt is going to compensate for the higher initial cost in many applications.8 When it comes to the understanding of CFL, there is none other than Mr. Yan and hic TCP Inc. Yan is considerably growing his industries and the business is expanding in a gigantic way. The application of the spiral and U-shaped designs added more to the glory of TCP. Yan even bought a glass factory to add more benefit to the business. In an article published in US9, it has been stated "A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12% discount to estimate the savings." The cost-effectiveness in commercial buildings is also provided with highly satisfying results by the use of CFLs. As a CFL replaces a 75 W incandescent fixture, it starts offering an average yearly savings of $22. This implementation gives a capital investment of $2 per fixture is typically paid back in about one month. As a result the amount of savings are greater and payback periods shorter in regions with higher than average electric rates and, to a lesser extent, higher than average cooling requirements.10 Added to this is the quality of light that stands far better than any other halogen bulb. CFLs are comprised of some amount of phosphorous that emits light in a narrow frequency range. It is very much different from an incandescent filament, which emits the full spectrum, though not all colors equally, of visible light. As when there is an appropriate mixture of phosphors gets in, it undoubtedly gives a daylight effect. CFLs of very good quality, in general use three or four phosphors to achieve a 'white' light with color-rendering indices (CRI) of around 80. Here the assessment of 100 represents the appearance of colors under daylight. VI. conclusion Unlike halogen lamps, fluorescent lamps need ballast in order to regulate the flow of power through the lamp. Generally, it is 4 ft (122 cm) or 8 ft (244 cm) in length and is enclosed in the fixture. Compact fluorescent light bulbs may have conventional ballast located in the fixture or they may have ballasts integrated in the bulbs. This process allows them to be used in lamp holders normally used for incandescent lamps. Eventually there are many legislative steps are on the way to make a shift from a halogen light to a CFL, in order to reduce the consumption of energy in the country as a whole. There are many proposed efforts that involve tax measures to the use of halogen. Whereas, some adopted the process of bans on future production of incandescent light bulbs. Ireland is such a nation that has announced that by 2009, it will be the first country to implement such a ban. Australia, has announced for the implementation of a plan to phase out the use of incandescent lamps by 2010. In the same way, Canada too has committed to phasing out incandescent lamps starting in 2012. From all sides it is going to be a great offer for Mr. Yan. His words at his distribution center in Aurora, "Capacity is not an issue," as he says "I don't need anybody else. I can do the whole thing by myself" seems to get the action soon. Recommendations 1. Charles P. Halsted (March 1993). Brightness, Luminance, and Confusion. Information Display. Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster, PA. 2. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Fluorescent Lamps and the Environment, NEMA01BR, January 2001 3. Schroder Philips Technical Review 1965 4. Zubler and Mosby Illuminating Engineering 1959 References 1. Arun Kumar, N.K. Bansal, Sudhir K. Jain (2003). "Delphi research assessment for popularising Compact Fluorescent Lamps in India" (in English). International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 1 (3): 278-301. [accessed on April, 22 2008] 2. Can CFLs interfere with electronic equipment? at ConsumerReports.org. [accessed on April, 22 2008] 3. Chernoff, Harry (2008-01-23). The Cost-Effectiveness of Compact Fluorescents in Commercial Buildings. EnergyPulse. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. 4. Electronic Fluorescent Dimmers. Hunt Dimming. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. 5. FAQ: The End of the Light Bulb as We Know It. US News & World Report, 19 December 2007. 6. Long Island Power Authority News | LIPA Encourages All Long Islanders to Join in the Change a Light, Change the World Campaign 7. Osram Dulux EL Energy-Saving Lamps (PDF). Osram. Archived from the original on 2006-07-22. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. 8. R. J. Van der Plas, A. B. de Graaff, A comparison of lamps for domestic lighting in developing countries (Energy Ser. Pap. 6, Industry and Energy Department, World Bank, Washington, DC, 1988). Read More