'Light from Silicon Valley' finds its way to football fields in Africa

SAN JOSE, USA: LUXEON Rebel LEDs made by Philips Lumileds in Silicon Valley are the light source in a solar-powered LED floodlight system designed by Philips that was unveiled late last year much to the joy of local children and adults with a passion for play.

For the first time, they can participate in sports even after the sun has gone down. The new lighting presents a fantastic opportunity to enrich their lives, their health and their well-being.

Philips new, fully portable solution enables people with little or no access to electricity to enjoy playing or watching a sport long into the night. Today, some 1.6 billion people in the world are unable to connect to a regular electricity supply.

The new Philips system with LUXEON LEDs enables communities in developing and developed markets alike to participate in social, educational, cultural and commercial activities after sunset - including the world’s most popular sport, football (soccer).

Using the very latest energy-efficient LUXEON Rebel LEDs, the system can illuminate areas up to 40x20m with bright white light. Advanced battery cells provide up to eight hours of floodlighting on a single solar charge – the equivalent of two or three full evening football matches or training sessions. The system is also highly sustainable, with a rugged design able to withstand the extreme rigors of life in some of the more challenging and remote terrains in the world.

The union of LED and solar technology has been long awaited. Both technologies are DC based systems and the high efficacy and minimal power requirements of the LUXEON LEDs are perfectly matched to solar powered solutions.

The LED chips used in all LUXEON LEDs are manufactured at the company’s San Jose California facility in the heart of Silicon Valley. The LUXEON Rebel LEDs used in the new solar LED floodlighting system can also be found in street lights, recessed downlights, retrofit bulbs, and many other illumination applications installed around the world.

The new solar LED floodlighting system is available now from Philips Lighting on a project basis. Philips provides a complete solution including the LED floodlights, portable poles, solar panels and batteries, or just a set of floodlights.

The system can also be used for non-sporting applications in locations without access to an electricity grid, such as evening classes in remote villages, safety and security, shops or outdoor markets, or emergency lighting for disaster situations.