Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) are developing solid-state lighting technology. They predict that semiconductor light-emitting diodes will eventually become the nation’s primary lighting source.

"In some ways, the revolution in lighting can be compared to the revolution in electronics that began 50 years ago and is only now reaching maturity," says James Gee, a senior scientist at the U.S. Dept. of Energy laboratory. "Just as for electronics, glass bulbs and vacuum tubes are giving way to semiconductors. And as in the microelectronics revolution, many of the possible applications for solid-state lighting will occur in ways that have not yet been envisioned."