Soitec Lighting, a division of Soitec (Euronext) serving the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors by selling efficient LED lighting solutions, has unveiled its new T8 LED tube product family for the North American market. This line of solid-state replacement products for fluorescent T8 tubes compliments Soitec’s existing European tube series. With illuminating power above 110 lumens per watt in neutral white (4,000 degrees K), resulting in energy savings of more than 60 percent compared to fluorescent tubes, Soitec’s LED tube is a highly efficient LED lighting solution.

Soitec Lighting T8 LED tube. (LEDinside/Soitec Lighting)

In addition, it has a lifespan of 50,000 hours – more than four times longer than the fluorescent tubes that it is designed to replace. This long-life solution reduces maintenance costs and, together with its high energy efficiency, offers a return on investment (ROI) of less than two years in typical applications.

“Soitec’s lighting products use state-of-the-art LED and optical technologies that produce special illumination capabilities while also enabling low-cost production and installation,” said Scott Kern, general manager of the Soitec Lighting Division. “These advantages have played a role in our recent commercial wins, which have led us to accelerate demonstrations of our lamp technology at public locations in Europe and the U.S.”

The new LED tube family from Soitec features a diffuser to produce glare-free, high-quality light with a beam spread of either 120 or 170 degrees, depending upon the product configuration. The system has a color rendering index (CRI) in excess of 80 and is available in color temperatures of 3,000, 4,000 and 6,000 degrees K. It uses a standard G13 connection and is available in the standard lengths of 600 mm (2 ft), 1,200 mm (4 ft) and 1,500 mm (5 ft), making it fully compatible with existing fluorescent tube holders. The tube’s performance and physical design make it a desirable replacement solution for use in public places including underground garages, retail stores, warehouses, industrial sites, equipment rooms, offices, corridors and meeting rooms.

Soitec tubes contain neither mercury nor lead, and comply with all Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives. They are UL/DLC certified for the U.S. market as well as CE certified and CEM compliant for Europe. DLC certification may qualify the product for an energy-saving subsidy program from utility companies in the U.S. or Canada.

In Europe, Soitec tube solutions have already generated market acceptance, as demonstrated by a high-volume order from Paris Métro (the RATP). Installed throughout mass-transit stations in Paris since April 2013, Soitec’s LED tubes are now running 24 hours per day and, according to RATP, reducing energy consumption by 67 percent. An additional installation in the Netherlands occurred recently with the municipality of Arnhem selecting Soitec’s LED tubes for lighting a public parking garage.