Latest news with #LEDs
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Energy and efficiency: on India and greater energy efficiency mandates
Despite robust growth in electricity generation over the past two decades, with rapid additions of renewable energy in the past five years, India has been unable to meet its peak power demand, with the deficit widening from 0.69% in FY20 to about 5% in FY24. This reveals constraints in the supply of power — new power production is time consuming, especially if fossil-fuel based, even as India attempts to integrate renewable power into the power grid. Therefore, India must focus on enhancing energy efficiency holistically to reduce power demand, also the quickest and least expensive way to address rising power demand and climate change. This year marks a decade of India's groundbreaking energy efficiency scheme, UJALA, which has helped bring down the price of energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs from about ₹500 a decade ago to ₹70, enabling its widespread home use. The scheme succeeded as another public energy efficiency measure was baked into the initiative — the Street Lighting National Programme, which led to the installation of over 1.34 crore LED lamps across urban local bodies and gram panchayats, and reducing peak demand by over 1,500 MW. As of January 2025, the government has distributed about 37 crore LED bulbs and enabled the sale of about 407 crore more. LED bulbs consume half the amount of power of compact fluorescent lamps, while incandescent light bulbs require nine times the power that LEDs consume, translating into considerable cost savings for Indian homes. But estimates also suggest that the UJALA scheme alone has helped India save over $10 billion and avoided building over 9,500 MW of new generation capacity, which is the equivalent of 19 new coal-fired 500 MW power plants. Indeed, there are other energy efficiency measures that India has taken following the enactment of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The International Energy Agency states that between 2000 and 2018, energy efficiency improvements enabled India to avoid an additional 15% of energy demand and 300Mt of CO₂ emissions. But with India's rapid urbanisation in the past two decades and rising per capita energy consumption to meet cooling needs as summers get hotter, peak power demand reached 250 GW last year. India is today the third largest power consumer globally, after China and the United States. Moreover, 70% of its energy output continues to be from coal and India has plans to add another 90 GW of coal-based capacity by 2032. What is needed now is greater energy efficiency mandates across sectors such as buildings, home appliances and the country's sprawling MSMEs.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
In Pics: Volkswagen Golf GTI gets an illuminated fascia. Here's what it looks like…
The Golf GTI is now available in India for ₹ 53 lakh, featuring a powerful 2.0-litre engine and a sporty design. 1/6 Volkswagen has introduced the Golf GTI in the Indian markets at an introductory ₹ 53 lakh (ex-showroom). The hatchback is a rather large one and looks unmistakably like a VW. What's different is the futuristic-looking connected LED DRL, which merges into and illuminates the VW emblem. 2/6 The front grille gets a honeycomb mesh pattern with five of the slots on either flank being LEDs which act as fog lamps. At the centre of the grille is placed the radar sensor. There is also a red accent line along the connected LED DRL, highlighting the sporty nature of the car. 3/6 The interior of the Golf GTI is spacious by hatchback standards. However the interior of the iconic car remains subtle. There are modern touches like a toggle type shifter, a floating touchscreen infotainment display, a customisable digital drivers display and a modern steering wheel with a minimal VW emblem. 4/6 The alloy wheels on offer are sized at 18 inches and wrapped around with low-profile tyres, The wheels have 5 spokes on the wheel. The rear bumper is complemented by a sporty diffuser and dual exhausts, highlighting the car's sporty look. 5/6 The workhorse inside the Golf GTI is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This setup sends about 245 horsepower and delivers a peak torque of 370 Nm to the front wheels. 6/6 The Golf GTI can very well qualify to be a daily driver car for the enthusiast. It gets about 380 litres of boot space and a close-to-negligible loading lip. In terms of dimensions, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is 4,289 mm in length, 1,789 mm in width, 1,471 mm in height and holds a wheelbase of 2,627 mm. The ground clearance of 136 mm is low for Indian roads. First Published Date: 27 May 2025, 20:34 PM IST
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New Infrared Contacts Let You See in the Dark
Humans have a new way of seeing infrared light, without the need for clunky night-vision goggles. Researchers have made the first contact lenses to convey infrared vision — and the devices work even when people have their eyes closed. The team behind the invention, led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, gave the lenses their power by infusing them with nanoparticles that convert near-infrared light in the 800–1,600-nanometre range into shorter-wavelength, visible light that humans can see, in the 400–700-nanometre range. The researchers estimate that the lenses cost around US$200 per pair to make. The technology, which was detailed in Cell on 22 May, 'is incredibly cool, just like something out of a science-fiction movie', says Xiaomin Li, a chemist at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. It opens up 'new possibilities for understanding the world around us', he adds. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] Near-infrared light sits just outside the range of wavelengths that humans can normally detect. Some animals can sense infrared light, although probably not well enough to form images. Night-vision goggles enable humans to see infrared radiation, but they are bulky and require a power source to work. The new lenses avoid these limitations while also offering richer, multi-coloured infrared images that night-vision goggles, which operate on a monochrome green scale, typically do not. However, the lenses do have their own shortcomings. Because the embedded nanoparticles scatter light, the images the lenses create are blurry. The team partially corrected this by putting the technology into glasses with additional lenses that redirect the light. Moreover, unlike night-vision goggles, which amplify light to detect low-level infrared signals, the lenses allow users to see only intense infrared signals, such as those emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). For these reasons, some critics don't think the lenses will prove useful. 'I cannot think of any application that would not be fundamentally simpler with infrared goggles,' says Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London who specializes in eye health. 'Evolution has avoided this for a good reason.' Nevertheless, the authors think that their lenses can be further optimized and foresee several possible uses for the invention. For instance, wearers would be able to read anti-counterfeit marks that emit infrared wavelengths but are otherwise invisible to the human eye, says co-author Yuqian Ma, a neuroscientist at the USTC. Li, who was not involved in the work, offers another possibility: the lenses might be worn by doctors conducting near-infrared fluorescence surgery, to directly detect and remove cancerous lesions 'without relying on bulky traditional equipment'. To create the contact lenses, the scientists built on previous research in which they gave mice infrared vision by injecting nanoparticles into the animals' retinas. This time, they took a less invasive approach and added nanoparticles made of rare-earth metals including ytterbium and erbium to a soup of polymer building blocks to form the soft lenses, and then tested them for safety. The main challenge, Ma says, was to pack enough nanoparticles into the lenses to convert sufficient infrared light into detectable visible light, while not otherwise altering the lenses' optical properties, including their transparency. Tests in mice showed that animals wearing the lenses tended to choose a dark box that was considered 'safe' over one lit up by infrared light, whereas mice without the lenses showed no preference for either box. Humans wearing the lenses could see flickering infrared light from an LED well enough to both pick up Morse code signals and sense which direction the signals were coming from. The lenses' performance even improved when participants closed their eyes, because near-infrared light easily penetrates the eyelids, whereas visible light, which could have interfered with image formation, does so to a lesser degree. 'Witnessing people wearing contact lenses and successfully seeing infrared flashes was undoubtedly an exhilarating moment,' Ma says. The team now plans to find ways to cram more nanoparticles into the lenses and hopes to develop particles that can convert light with higher efficiency, to improve the technology's sensitivity. 'We have overcome the physiological limitations of human vision, as if opening a brand-new window onto the world,' Ma says. This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 22, 2025.
Scientific American
23-05-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
New Contacts Let You See Infrared Light—Even with Your Eyes Closed
Humans have a new way of seeing infrared light, without the need for clunky night-vision goggles. Researchers have made the first contact lenses to convey infrared vision — and the devices work even when people have their eyes closed. The team behind the invention, led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, gave the lenses their power by infusing them with nanoparticles that convert near-infrared light in the 800–1,600-nanometre range into shorter-wavelength, visible light that humans can see, in the 400–700-nanometre range. The researchers estimate that the lenses cost around US$200 per pair to make. The technology, which was detailed in Cell on 22 May, 'is incredibly cool, just like something out of a science-fiction movie', says Xiaomin Li, a chemist at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. It opens up 'new possibilities for understanding the world around us', he adds. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Pros and cons Near-infrared light sits just outside the range of wavelengths that humans can normally detect. Some animals can sense infrared light, although probably not well enough to form images. Night-vision goggles enable humans to see infrared radiation, but they are bulky and require a power source to work. The new lenses avoid these limitations while also offering richer, multi-coloured infrared images that night-vision goggles, which operate on a monochrome green scale, typically do not. However, the lenses do have their own shortcomings. Because the embedded nanoparticles scatter light, the images the lenses create are blurry. The team partially corrected this by putting the technology into glasses with additional lenses that redirect the light. Moreover, unlike night-vision goggles, which amplify light to detect low-level infrared signals, the lenses allow users to see only intense infrared signals, such as those emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). For these reasons, some critics don't think the lenses will prove useful. 'I cannot think of any application that would not be fundamentally simpler with infrared goggles,' says Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London who specializes in eye health. 'Evolution has avoided this for a good reason.' Nevertheless, the authors think that their lenses can be further optimized and foresee several possible uses for the invention. For instance, wearers would be able to read anti-counterfeit marks that emit infrared wavelengths but are otherwise invisible to the human eye, says co-author Yuqian Ma, a neuroscientist at the USTC. Li, who was not involved in the work, offers another possibility: the lenses might be worn by doctors conducting near-infrared fluorescence surgery, to directly detect and remove cancerous lesions 'without relying on bulky traditional equipment'. 'An exhilarating moment' To create the contact lenses, the scientists built on previous research in which they gave mice infrared vision by injecting nanoparticles into the animals' retinas. This time, they took a less invasive approach and added nanoparticles made of rare-earth metals including ytterbium and erbium to a soup of polymer building blocks to form the soft lenses, and then tested them for safety. The main challenge, Ma says, was to pack enough nanoparticles into the lenses to convert sufficient infrared light into detectable visible light, while not otherwise altering the lenses' optical properties, including their transparency. Tests in mice showed that animals wearing the lenses tended to choose a dark box that was considered 'safe' over one lit up by infrared light, whereas mice without the lenses showed no preference for either box. Humans wearing the lenses could see flickering infrared light from an LED well enough to both pick up Morse code signals and sense which direction the signals were coming from. The lenses' performance even improved when participants closed their eyes, because near-infrared light easily penetrates the eyelids, whereas visible light, which could have interfered with image formation, does so to a lesser degree. 'Witnessing people wearing contact lenses and successfully seeing infrared flashes was undoubtedly an exhilarating moment,' Ma says. The team now plans to find ways to cram more nanoparticles into the lenses and hopes to develop particles that can convert light with higher efficiency, to improve the technology's sensitivity. 'We have overcome the physiological limitations of human vision, as if opening a brand-new window onto the world,' Ma says.
North Wales Live
20-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Little-known mortgage could slash your monthly bills if you do some DIY
According to a property expert, homeowners can save hundreds of pounds on their mortgage by doing DIY. Phillippa Jackson, Operations Director at Purplebricks Mortgages, said some simple home improvements could qualify you for lower mortgage repayments. Phillipa said: 'There are certain home improvements that will save you money on your energy bills, something we could all do with given the last few years of bill hikes. Not only are more energy-efficient properties cheaper to run, they can also command higher house prices and may be eligible for a green mortgage, which can come with preferential rates. 'Green mortgages were created to reward homeowners for buying or owning an energy-efficient home. The logic behind them being, that lenders view energy-efficient properties as a better, more reliable purchase, that will save homeowners money on their energy bills while making them less likely to default on their monthly mortgage repayments. 'As well as benefiting from lower energy bills, your lender will either offer lower interest rates on your mortgage or a cash back option - which could be win-win either way for homebuyers or people remortgaging.' The first step to qualifying is simple home improvements: The quick fix lightbulb switch Phillipa said: 'Upgrading all your lightbulbs to energy-efficient LED equivalents is a cheap and easy win in the battle for energy efficiency in your home. 'Switching from traditional halogen bulbs to LEDs can save a typical UK household around £40 per year on their electricity bill. This is because LEDs use significantly less energy than halogens, saving around £2-3 per bulb per year.' Insulate, Insulate, Insulate Phillippa said: 'A well insulated property will save you a fortune in central heating charges. The older your property, the less likely it will be well insulated, particularly properties built before 1925, and those in rural areas. 'Older homes are likely to feature solid walls, which are more difficult and costly to insulate compared to cavity walls. Some areas of your home might require a professional to carry out insulation but your loft could be an easy win that you could tackle yourself. 'Given a quarter of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home, insulating your loft, attic or flat roof is an effective way to reduce heat loss which will in turn reduce your heating bills.' Deal with your drafts Phillipa said: 'An easy job that can make a huge difference is sealing gaps around windows and doors to prevent drafts and heat loss. 'Chimneys, pipes and gaps in floorboards and eaves can also significantly lower the temperature of a room and can be easily sealed up without needing to spend a fortune.' Cover your windows A typical home loses roughly 10% to 18% of its total heat through the windows. This percentage can vary depending on factors like the type of glazing (single, double, or triple), the number of windows, and their insulation. Phillipa said: 'Changing your window dressing to thermal blinds or thermal curtains is one way of preventing heat loss, keeping the cold out and the heat in, especially in the winter months. 'I'd recommend also looking at placing draught excluders along window sills as they can provide an effective barrier against draughts coming from windows. You can also easily reseal the edges of window frames with self-adhesive foam tape, which blocks cold air from entering the room.' Are your appliances energy efficient? Philipa said: 'It might sound boring, but I'd strongly advise you to do an energy audit of all your electrical appliances. This is how you will find out how much energy they use and whether they are energy efficient or not. 'If you are able to replace any energy guzzlers with appliances that use less power when performing a task, you will start to see your bills coming down.' Now, get a new EPC Phillipa said: 'A new Energy Performance Certificate can cost less than £50 in some areas of the UK, meaning homeowners can find out whether all their hard work on their home has paid off. The EPC document assesses a building's energy efficiency, grading it from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). Any improvements could upgrade your home to a higher category. 'As part of the EPC assessment process, an expert will also be able to advise you on what other changes you could make to the property to boost its green credentials.' Could you be eligible for a Green Mortgage? Phillipa said: 'Green mortgages were created to reward homeowners for buying or owning an energy efficient home. To qualify the property has to be rated either an A or B in its Energy Performance Certificate. 'If you are wondering what this all means - all properties for sale must have an energy efficiency rating, when they are sold. It is estimated that over half of UK homes fall into the C or below category, suggesting thousands of homes are on the cusp on a qualifying energy efficiency rating. 'If you qualify for a green mortgage, as well as benefiting from lower energy bills, your lender may offer lower interest rates on your mortgage or a cash back option - which could be win-win either way for homebuyers or people remortgaging.' Phillipa said: 'Green mortgages have seen significant growth in the past few years, increasing from four products being available in 2019 to over 60 today. Surprisingly, they are still relatively unknown. In fact, a recent survey found that 80% of homeowners were unaware of green mortgages or their benefits.' Phillipa added: "Green mortgages can be a common-sense option for homeowners who have recently purchased new, energy-efficient homes or have improved their existing home's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. The rising cost of energy bills has also made green mortgages more appealing for both lenders and borrowers. 'Initially, lenders primarily only offered incentives like cashbacks or small discounts on standard mortgage rates for new build homes or those with high EPC ratings (typically A or B). Now, lenders are recognising the connection between energy efficiency, lower energy bills, and a borrower's capacity for higher mortgage and are incentivising homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient, in return for a more attractive mortgage interest rate. 'They not only benefit the environment but encourage homeowners to future proof their properties too. Chosen carefully, they can make good sense for a prospective buyer,' explains Phillipa. Phillipa said: 'For those wanting to take advantage of incentives to remortgage, you need to ensure it meets lenders T&Cs on what the money can be used for and importantly, the work needs to genuinely improve your EPC rating. You need advice from a mortgage broker as the rates on offer may not always be the cheapest over the term of the mortgage. A good broker will take into account cashback, incentives, fees and interest rates to ensure you get the best advice over the term. 'What's more, the cost of upgrading your property might exceed any gains you might make in mortgage repayments. Be sure to look into how much the improvements are going to cost you, before making any commitments. And even if you do fit the criteria to qualify for a green mortgage, be sure to shop around, and ensure it makes the most financial sense to you both for the short and long term.'
