Who Invented the CFL

An article by Peter Pierce    Comments Off on Who Invented the CFL

Edward E.Hammer, an engineer at General Electrics, invented the Compact Fluorescent Lamp, widely known as CFL in 1976. An electric crisis in 1973 is what led to the invention of the CFL. The first linear florescent lamp known as the F-40 Watt Miser was developed thereafter. However the bulb could not be launched in the market at that time, as GE was not in a position to pay the estimated cost of 25 million US dollars for the project. China was the only place where CFL could be mass manufactured at a reasonable price. As GE delayed the launch of CFL many others copied its design and eventually GE was not the first to bring them into the market. It was only in 1995 that CFLs produced in China became commercially available.

A major problem with early CFLs was that the output frequencies of the CFLs clashed with those of some televisions hence causing interference. Corrective steps were taken immediately once the problem was identified. Interference is no longer a problem with current CFLs, however the initial problems resulted in a decline in sales.

CFLs contain small quantities of mercury as it is the best agent to ignite the lamp through it reaction with phosphorous. However the mercury content in CFLs is an area of concern as it contributes significantly in air and water pollution.