What's the deal with the LED light? Good idea for Earth Day.

I was trained many years ago in electronics, so please forgive me if some of the details are a little off.

I kick myself for not patenting the idea because someone should have made the LED light bulb a decade ago since the transistor light bulb has been in use for indicators in electronic devices for decades.  Yes, the LED is an old technology as far as computers go.

  The standard light bulb gets light as a byproduct of a heat exchange of burning or charging of the filament. The new CFL light bulbs are basically neon light bulbs. Gas light bulbs produce light as a byproduct of a chemical charge of inert gases in a contained environment. Both forms of light producing products are inefficient because light is a byproduct, not the main source, of energy transfer.

  The LED (light emitting diode) is an electronic device that is made to only produce light, that is why it is 98% energy efficient. Theoretically, LED lighting is a 100% transfer of electrical energy to light energy, but we know life doesn't exist in theory. The inefficiency of an LED comes from the mechanical makeup of the diode or electronic device. In other words, the LED must have a mechanical component to actually function in the real world. As we all know, electronic devices require the least amount of electricity to function. I say all that to show that LEDs are both efficient in process and mechanically.  You will notice they don't get hot like standard light bulbs do.

  Lastly, the components that make up an LED are non-toxic and very durable. The CFL and other gas light bulbs are usually toxic and can be problematic for home use. Who hasn't broken the incandescent light bulb? Or wondered why they don't last long? The LED does not have to be made of glass or breakable material and thus can withstand abuse and long-term usage.  Unlike CFL bulbs, the glass surrounding the LED can be broken and the light will still work.

  The LED really should cost the least to produce once they become standard lighting for the same reasons that calculators are so inexpensive.

  Obviously I'm not a technical writer, but I'd like to see the LED become the standard light bulb for economic and environmental reasons. There is not a better lighting technology available for everyday usage. They truly are the wave of the future.

Walmart has the cheapest selection of LED light bulbs that I've found, yet Home Depot, Lowes and Target all have them.

If you're looking for a cheaper and longer lasting light bulb, the LED is hard to beat.