Induction and OLEDs: Past and Future Lighting Technologies

When it comes to lighting, fluorescent and LED technologies currently are most often specified in green buildings, but their siblings, induction and OLED (organic light-emitting diode) lighting, have been trying to earn a place at the table.

Nikola Tesla first demonstrated induction lighting in the late 1890s. It is similar to fluorescent lighting in that both contain a gas that produces UV light when activated by electricity; both contain small amounts of mercury (though induction lamps use a solid form rather than vapor); and both require phosphors on the lamp’s glass to convert the UV light into the white light we see. But induction lamps use a magnetic field rather than the electrodes found in standard fluorescent lighting, which is a big advantage: they can last 50,000 hours or more while providing 60 or more lumens per watt (lpw).