16 SEPTEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: TECHNOLOGY E ven the brightest technolo- gies can have unintended con- sequences as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Inspections and Compliance Directorate recently demonstrated in its August 15 Safety Alert about light bulbs on commercial vessels. Safety Alert 13-18 focuses on one particular type of “new” light bulb, the LED. It’s hardly new. The science behind semiconductor light emitting diodes or LEDs was first discovered in the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until 1961 that the first patent for a LED was given to two Texas Instrument employees. Since then, research on solid-state lighting has rapidly increased the tech- nological advancements and today LED lights are ubiquitous in homes, offices, schools, retail shops, and the maritime community. The reasons are well known: LEDs generate bright light without using much energy. In addition, LED lights last longer than incandescent bulbs. Furthermore, LEDs stay cool to the touch, even when turned on for long periods of time. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Saver office in Washington, DC, “Residential LEDs – especially ENERGY STAR rated products – use at least 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandes- cent lighting.” The DOE also reported that, “wide- spread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the United States. By 2027, widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity: This is the equiva- Coast Guard Enlightens Vessel Operators About LED Lighting By Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing Editor