2. LEDs inside buildings

The performance of LEDs currently (2010) makes them ideal for lighting applications.

The latest announcements from manufacturers such as Nichia and CREE point to luminous efficiencies in excess of 180 lm/W for LEDs at currents of 350 mA (performance achieved for a few components in the laboratory), far outstripping traditional sources. These efficiencies, achieved in the laboratory, give hope for the implementation of this technology in many other applications, and allow us to look ahead to the very near future.

• LEDs available in industry are closer to 100 lm/W, at costs of €1 to €1.5 (for quantities of several tens of thousands). We can see very clearly both the interesting current performance levels, which exceed those of many traditional sources, and the tremendous potential for the future.