« Back to Facilities Management News Home
Jan. 26, 2015 — Cree, the world’s fastest-growing lighting company and creator of America’s best-selling LED light bulb, will be center stage at Sunday's Super Bowl — based on its unrivaled technology innovation alone.
The game will be played entirely under the clearest and most efficient lighting for the first time ever thanks to Cree LEDs used in fixtures by Ephesus Lighting.
In fact, Cree is the only LED component technology to fully illuminate NFL stadiums, and is driving the LED lighting industry into new territories.
With LEDs not previously viable for full stadium lighting, this signifies, even beyond energy savings and a better light experience, that 100 percent LED adoption is within our reach. Cree has driven the technology to be viable for every general lighting application.
Cree continues to transform and lead the lighting industry with a non-conventional and relentless approach to innovation to provide better experiences with its light and better performance with its technology. Here are some fast facts on how Cree will light up the game:
• What’s happening? 312 Ephesus Lighting stadium fixtures featuring 44,928 Cree Lamp MK-R LEDs were installed in the University of Phoenix Stadium to replace more than 780 metal halide fixtures. This is a huge step for the LED lighting industry, signifying the reality that 100 percent LED adoption is within our reach. The new system uses just 310,000 watts of energy as compared to the 1.24 million watts needed to power the previous system for a 75 percent reduction in overall sports lighting energy consumption. And, each Ephesus LED light provides nearly double the illumination of traditional metal halide lights.
• How? As the world’s fastest growing lighting company and creator of America’s best-selling LED light bulb, Cree initiated the LED revolution by kicking down the doors of the category and inspiring people to care about lighting for the first time in over a century. Now, Cree has enabled LED technology to be discrete, reliable, bright, and cost-effective enough to build viable LED stadium lighting. According to Joe Casper, founder and chief technology officer of Ephesus Lighting, "The capabilities of LED technology have changed the way we view sports lighting. This was a great opportunity to showcase our innovative lighting technology in a venue known as a leader in introducing new ideas to the sports marketplace."
• What does this mean? Most stadiums rely on high-intensity gas discharge fixtures for the main lighting that take time to power up to full brightness — a half hour is common. LED lights, in addition to being efficient, can be turned on and off with the flick of a switch as LEDs have more control and metal halide fixtures typically require a minimum 20-minute warm-up period.
LED lights provide brighter and more uniform light, which eliminates shadows on the playing surface and creates a better stage for players, fans, and those watching on high-definition televisions. The lighting experience also assists with necessary actions, such as the slow-motion camera and replays. In fact, Peter Sullivan, regional vice president and general manager of the University of Phoenix Stadium, said, "They were fantastic on a variety of levels. These lights are rated for super slow-motion, so the clarity and the level of light and the type of light is phenomenal."
