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CFLs v LEDs - what's the greenest option?
An interesting article on TreeHugger examines the whole life cycles of both LED and CFL lightbulbs, asking which is the greenest option. The conclusion?
Both the Carnegie Mellon and Osram studies found that production is a relatively small portion of the total life-cycle impact of the different lightbulb technologies. From the Osram study: "[with LEDs and CFLs] over 98% of the energy used is consumed to generate light. Less than two percent is allocated to production. This dismisses any concern that manufacturing of LED particularly might be very energy-intensive."
When comparing LEDs that produce about 30 lumens/watt to CFLs, the results are very close, and for all practical purposes, we can say that LEDs are as energy efficient as CFLs. But LEDs are still improving and they do not contain mercury, which makes their disposal less hazardous than CFLs. The Carnegie Mellon study predicts that efficiencies of 150 lumens/watt are possible for LEDs:
This would make LEDs take a significant lead and assure their dominance over CFLs, as long as prices can be brought down. Even if 150 lumens/watt isn't attainable in the near future, a doubling to 60 lumens/watt would leave CFLs in the dust.