Within five years all lights in cars and trucks, other than headlights, will be LEDs. As goes the automotive industry, so it eventually goes for boats.

An LED is a light emitting diode. A diode lets current flow in only one direction. To get a diode to emit light, it is made from two semiconductor materials. One has too many free electrons, the other not enough. The electrical current forces the excess electrons across a barrier and light is produced. Compare this to incandescent bulbs, which generate light and heat (wasted energy) by electrical resistance that makes a filament glow. [Read more...]