Vu1 readies efficient lightbulb Edison would love | Green Tech - CNET News

Vu1 readies efficient lightbulb Edison would love | Green Tech - CNET News


The latest challenger in the lighting technology race is LEDs, which are trying to displace familiar incandescents and more efficient compact fluorescents bulbs. But lighting company Vu1 is going a different route.

Vu1 (pronounced "View one") today said that it received UL certification for its first lightbulb which it says matches the light quality of incandescent bulbs but uses a fraction of the energy and costs less than current LEDs.

Its technology, which the company calls electronically stimulated luminescence (ESL), is derived from cathode ray tubes used in televisions, said Chief Operating Officer Philip Styles. Electrons are fired at a bulb coated in phosphors which are excited and emit light. The effect is a "natural light," which is the same as a traditional incandescent, Styles said.


Vu1 has an alternative efficient lighting technology to CFLs and LEDs. Its first product will be an R30 bulb for spotlights. (Credit: Vu1) "It's basically old technology that everybody just gave up on some years ago because it's based on the TV side, not lighting," he said. Because of the phosphors Vu1 is using, it can better match the light spectrum of incandescent light than competing technologies, Styles said.