Solid state lighting: The new normal in lighting

The electrical lighting industry is in the midst of the biggest and most rapid change in its history. Conventional light sources that have been used for decades are being pushed aside in favour of solid state lighting (SSL). Light Emitting Diodes (LED) along with lesser known sources offer longer life and significant energy savings over their predecessors. While most of the breaking news deals with LEDs, other sources such as OLED and plasma are changing the face of the lighting industry as we know it. In addition, several existing light sources are reinventing themselves in an attempt to meet the economic performance of LED. SSL light sources are also changing the language of lighting, how we measure light source and fixture performance. Everything we knew about lighting is changing will continue to change for the next few years. This paper discusses what is changing, the various light sources and the impact it is having and will have on the application of lighting.