The Centre for Galium Nitride at Cambridge has developed a new method for producing Galium Nitride. Imagine that. What’s exciting about this is that Galium Nitrade (GaN as the kids like to call it) is the most expensive component of LED light bulbs.

Until now Galium Nitrade could only be grown on pricey sapphire wafers. Thanks to the good folks at Cambridge it can now be grown on much less expensive silicon. The consequences? LED light bulbs could drop in price by as much 90 percent!

It will take a few years for the LED light bulb manufacturing infrastructure to catch up but once they do start mass producing LEDs with this method people will be able to light their homes for a fraction of their current costs.

If all light bulbs were swapped for an LED replacement the savings in electricity would be massive. Besides, they through off some nice light. A lot nicer that those damn fluorescent bulbs, always flickering and crackling and trying to drive me mental.

“This could well be the holy grail in terms of providing our lighting needs for the future,” Stated Professor Colin Humphreys, the researcher leading the project. “We are very close to achieving highly efficient, low cost white LEDs that can take the place of both traditional and currently available low energy light bulbs. That won’t just be good news for the environment. It will also benefit consumers by cutting their electricity bills.”