New CFL from Ireland
The Irish company Tecninter recently launched a screw-base CFL under the name Lumin 8. The CFL is claimed to have excellent power factor qualities, with a power factor above 0.95 and a total harmonic distortion (THD) below 25%. The lamp has been developed in close cooperation with the Irish Electricity Supply Board. According to Tecninter, the new lamp addresses a growing concern about power quality issues raised by electric utilities around the world. According to the manufacturer, the new lamp reduces line losses by a factor of four compared with standard electronic CFLs on the market.
However, the power quality issue is controversial. For instance, in a recent Swedish study, to be presented at Right Light 4, six CFLs were installed in all of a group of one-family houses connected to the same transformer substation. The preliminary conclusions are that massive CFL use in this case only had a marginal impact on transformer stations, etc., and that it was much less compared with that of other home electronics such as TV sets, video recorders, computers, transformers, and battery chargers. On the other hand, since utilities want to fight poor power quality in all areas, it is likely that this lamp will attract their interest if it fulfills other quality requirements related to light output and life, etc.
For info:
Lumin 8
Tel: + 353 21 210020
Fax: + 353 21 210172