Live More, Save More Program Visits Bridgelux!

Take a moment at night to take a look at your street lights. In case you haven’t noticed, the City of Livermore partnered with Bridgelux, a company here in Livermore, to replace all of the street lights as a case study. Don’t worry, I didn’t notice either until the Capacity Project recently toured the facilities at Bridgelux on August 13.

We met up at Bridgelux’s business, located off of the 580 freeway, on Portola Avenue. Inside their lobby, visitors gain a sense of the modern atmosphere and lightning solutions. There were several employees entering and exiting the building, curious to see why were there a bunch of college and high school students standing in their lobby. Chevron Energy Solutions also joined us for the tour.

Keith, the VP at Bridgelux began to provide us with an introduction of Bridgelux, its influence, brand in the market, and some of its latest accomplishments. I’m sure everyone has heard of technology-mogul Toshiba, and Bridgelux is actually partnered under Toshiba. Bridgelux’s objectives are to provide the most cost effective and the best quality available in lighting solutions through the development of its LED’s. Keith passed around a small square that looked like a sunny-side up egg but was really a component that could go even in our own homes. These parts are manufactured in arrays and Keith explained the lengthy process. What sets Bridgelux products apart from the status quo is that their LED’s disperse evenly and fully and emit less heat than conventional light bulbs. Afterwards, Bill the director of operations at Bridgelux walked everyone through the process of making Bridgelux LED’s. I found the presentation to be very enlightening, and had most of my questions answered, if not all. Their LED’s are also built to last a long time; how long you might ask? Is 50,000 hours long enough for you? What sets LED’s apart from conventional light bulbs is that they don’t die out but rather tend to fade in lighting.

The next step in our tour was to view the actual facilities. We took a break, and indulged in cookies, water, Bridgelux-swag (consisting of reusable water bottles and coffee mugs) and Bridgelux fixtures. Our company was split into two groups: Patterson/Chevron and Livermore/WattzOn. Bill showed us the rooms where the LED’s were manufactured and which materials were used in the process. During the switchover, their engineering director showed us how they tested their LED’s.  During one test they utilized a street lamp fixed on a platform where a mirror tests the overall lighting around the lamp. What they were looking for was an overall evenness in the distribution of the light. Testing is conducted in a black room because the color black absorbs the light and heat (fun fact!). The engineering director then explained LED’s use blue die because when it is turned to light it will turn to white light.

All in all, it was a great experience to see how the industry in lighting is advancing forward, especially in our community. It ties in with the Capacity Project because as we suggest to residents to replace old light bulbs we can recommend excellent alternatives. Anyone can find Bridgelux products at their local hardware store.

For more information about Bridgelux, visit www.bridgelux.com,