Understanding LEDs and LED Lighting

What’s SSL lighting?

SSL is short for Solid State Lighting. Most of us come into direct contact with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) every day. LED is a solid-state technology. This means there are no glass bulbs, no pressurized gases, no toxic chemicals and no burning filaments. They work by flowing electrical energy through a semi-conductor.

Used as indicators in automotive dashboards, numeric displays on consumer electronic devices, or as low power flashlights, LEDs have been perceived as low output, monochromatic light sources. Not surprising considering that for many years, there were no advancements in LED technology and very little changes in lighting technology overall. In recent years, LED technology has completely changed by reinventing the light bulb and the way we think about lighting in general. This was not really possible prior to the technological revolution of the ‘90s and the rapid advancement of semiconductors. The same advancements that spurred the computer to reach dizzying levels of efficiency have done the same for the LED. Just as computers have become faster and cheaper, LED lights have become brighter, smaller, less expensive, and more sophisticated.