Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2014 for a technology that’s becoming increasingly popular in the pool industry.
Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura were awarded the prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”
The LED lights from this technology are a growing trend in pool lighting.
“I love them,” said Vance Dover, co-owner of Georgia Classic Pool in Canton, Ga. “I have them in my pool.”
The Pool & Spa News Top Builder installs LEDs in approximately 50 percent of the pools the company builds, and noticed increased requests for them in the past year. Most can change between several different LED colors. “They’re definitely pricier,” Dover said. The products cater to higher-end consumers.
Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura’s creation of a blue light from semiconductors revolutionized lighting technology because combining the new blue diode with a red diode and a green diode creates white light.
The Nobel Committee for Physics recognized the three scientists’ work as “an invention of greatest benefit to mankind,” and cited the achievement as one that contributes to creating a long-lasting, more efficient light source. The committee went on to note: “The invention of the blue LED is just 20 years old, but it has already contributed to create white light in an entirely new manner to the benefit of us all.”
