I remember hearing about ESL tech quite some time ago. In everything I've heard about it, they've been quite vague about the technology in specifics.
It does however seem a reasonable replacement for incandescents in residential/commercial "can" lighting situations. A far better solution than
CFL anyways (I've always HATED CFLs).
Why does it seem tech like this is not taking off? I think that's pretty simple, as usual different technologies get pushed aside for a time when another is selected to be pushed forward. There has been such a big
boom in
CFL and
fluorescent tech development and manufacturing that it is no small wonder hardly anyone has heard of ESL lighting.
It takes a lot of money and time to tool up for production of a new product, and a lot of lamp manufacturers have been spending that last TEN YEARS I believe in revving up for the "
CFL revolution". They simply aren't even looking at different or new tech.
The most they are likely to want to do is simply improve on
CFL and
LED lighting tech (remember that both
CFL and
LED lighting has been around for a LONG time (the roots of
LED lighting being just over 100 years ago! And you all know how long fluorescents have been around)).
The money has been put into improving and "fixing"
Fluorescent and
LED tech, not looking at new ways to produce light.
Is ESL ready for the market at large? I have no clue!
Would ESL
take off if mass produced and placed on the world market today? NO! Too many people are fixated on
CFL and
LED.
Do I think we need to put more R&D into various forms of creating light? YES!
Right now for many applications I'd still much rather use
incandescent light than any of the alternatives accessible. I like the quality of the light. In a home especially I much prefer the warm, even, soft, cosy, delightful light of an
incandescent. For me it is not about "keeping things the same" (however some people stick with
incandescent for that reason Im sure).
I find
fluorescent light leads to headaches, and it is a major contributor to Seasonal Effective Disorder. I also think that for many applications
fluorescent light looks like, pardon me, but total crap. Yes it is drastically improved, it is SO much better than it was 20 years ago, but it will never have the right feel.
LEDs have their own drawbacks, such as the heat problem (when trying to produce copious amounts of light). The quality of the light is also not quite right either. Look at most of the (especially cheap)
LED stage fixtures out there right now. That and the price (which has drastically dropped, because so many manufacturers are now 'tooled' to make them and much of the R&D is done).
I think ESL might be cool to look at. I think that developing it certainly won't hurt! If it does not form a good product, perhaps the research will lead to something else down the
line!
Edit: Plus the Enviromental factor for CFLs is one of the main reasons I don't like them....
Checked for the Vu1 website. One of the latest pieces of news:
December 22, 2010 - Vu1 Corporation (OTCBB: VUOC), a developer and manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient, general illumination lighting technology, today announced that it has received 57 individual preliminary orders for its unique ESL R30 light bulbs in the first 100 hours since the December 17th launch of direct-order functionality on its website. The orders range in size from eight to 50 bulbs and comprise individual consumers and a number of small to medium-sized businesses and organizations...
I guess the reason that we haven't heard anything new, is because they are just barely tooled up for manufacture. Hell look in that video earlier, they could not come even close to producing lamps at a rate for sale. They'd have to
build a LOT of
stock.