General lighting

Street lighting and house lighting are the biggest consumers of electricity, with their net consumption reaching around 30% of the overall electricity consumption. The inefficiency of incandescent bulbs and high-pressure sodium lamps used for the indoor and outdoor lighting applications resulted in enormous load on the power stations and generators. Later on, the fluorescent tube lights and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) replaced most of the indoor and street lights to reduce the power consumption, but they struggled to keep the consumers under confidence due to the hazardous effects of mercury vapors trapped in these lamps. CFLs also pose a threat to the environment due to the deadly effects of mercury, which can leak due to breakage or improper disposal of lamps after use. Under such circumstances, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) appeared as a boon to the society and the environment. LED lamps offered eco-friendly lighting to both indoor and outdoor needs. LEDs were also able to save about 90% of the power that was earlier required for lighting. With their superior efficiency and light characteristics, LED lamps have penetrated the lighting market and established their dominance globally.