Philips LED Bulb: Best Invention of 2009

[pioneer]

Philips Electronics announced that their recently revealed LED replacement for the common household bulb was named one of the “best inventions of 2009” by TIME magazine. The lamp was Philips’ entry to the US Department of Energy’s Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) competition, the first and only such entry submitted to the Department of Energy to date.

The TIME “best inventions team” included this Philips invention on the list because of the significant technological developments that were achieved to deliver breakthrough product capability previously unseen from an LED light bulb.

Under the heading “The $10 Million Lightbulb,” the editors declared that “with the flick of a switch, Philips Electronics may have just dramatically lowered America's electric bill,” noting “Philips' LED bulb emits the same amount of light as its incandescent equivalent but uses less than 10 watts and lasts for 25,000 hours â€" or 25 times as long.” - manila bulletin