7 October 2014: The Royal Swedish Academy has announced it will award the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics to three scientists who invented the blue light-emitting diode (LED). LED lamps use less power to emit light compared to older sources, including the incandescent light bulb and the fluorescent lamp, and are also more long-lasting and do not contain mercury.

Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura will receive the Nobel prize “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.” Blue light is necessary for creating white light, together with the older inventions of red and green LED. The Academy suggests that the three scientists’ invention, dating back 20 years, is revolutionary: “incandescent light bulbs lit the 20th century; the 21st century will be lit by LED lamps.”

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, “as about one fourth of world electricity consumption is used for lighting purposes, the highly energy-efficient LEDs contribute to saving the Earth’s resources.” At present, the luminous flux per unit electrical input power of white LED lamps is comparable to that of 16 regular light bulbs and nearly 70 fluorescent lamps. LED lamps also last up to 100 times more than incandescent bulbs and 10 times more than fluorescent lights.

Among the numerous advantages of the LED lamp is its potential for improving energy access and quality of life for more than 1.5 billion people currently lacking electricity grid access. Given the low power requirement of the LED lamp, it can be powered by local solar power. Also, ultraviolet LED, an elaboration of the blue LED, can be used to sterilize polluted water.

The laureates will receive their award in a ceremony taking place on 10 December 2014, in Stockholm, Sweden. [Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Press Release] [Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Information Sheet]