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Technology Stocks : Wolf speed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: slacker711 who wrote (4469)	12/6/2000 2:14:24 AM
From: 993racer	Respond to of 10713

I would think it was basically a deal of "we'll take this last batch and pay for it with the growers" for the meantime Cree does not produce gems and C3 has the opprtunity to concentrate on selling and building the bizness...Cree just moves on

To: slacker711 who wrote (4469)	12/6/2000 1:36:34 PM
From: slacker711	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10713

Interesting application for LED's....from Siemens, it touts the enviromental benefits of the LED's. siemens.com Environmental Protection For the trade press Munich, November 20, 2000 Light-emitting diodes replace propane gas burners: new means of illumination for railroad signals is environmentally friendly and helps trim costs As part of a scheme to modernize the railroad signaling system, Siemens has supplied Deutsche Bahn, the German railroad authority, with 15,000 light sources consisting of long-life, high-intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These are taking the place of signals which operate with propane gas burners. Conversion to the new system of signal illumination has been largely completed and is resulting in a 98 percent reduction in the volume of carbon dioxide emissions; this is turn will save the railroad authority millions of DM annually. So-called semaphore signals are still in use to a certain extent for railway signaling purposes in the Federal Republic of Germany. During daytime hours, signals are communicated by the position of the "arms" on these semaphore signals, but after dark an additional form of lighting is required. This has normally been provided by means of propane gas burners behind panes of colored glass. The disadvantage of such burners is that they emit noxious gases and entail considerable outlay on maintenance and repair. Both these drawbacks can be largely eliminated through the use of long-life LEDs. The propane gas burners are being replaced by light sources, each of which consists of 60 LEDs. In order to ensure that each light source produces precisely the yellowish color which is required (and standardized) by the Deutsche Bahn, a special "mixture" is necessary: 52 warm-white LEDs are combined with two cold-white and six orange-colored LEDs. As with the older system, it is the colored panes surrounding the light sources which create the actual signal colors, such as red or green. The LEDs are powered not only by normal electrical connections or storage batteries (usually at construction sites), but also by solar cells: Siemens has supplied Deutsche Bahn with 1700 solar energy systems for the conversion of its semaphore signals in addition to the 15,000 LED light sources. At night and during periods of bad weather, so-called buffer batteries ensure the supply of power to the solar-operated signals. The new system reduces the volume of carbon dioxide emissions drastically. Compared with the approximately 13,700 t produced by propane gas technology, only about 300 t are generated for the power required by the LEDs - a reduction of some 98 percent. In addition to this saving, less outlay is needed for maintenance and repair, for example because the LED light sources are self-cleaning and there is no necessity to replace empty propane gas canisters. Maintenance technicians no longer have to travel around 485,000 kilometers annually in order to service the signals - a further saving of 114 t of CO2. With little or no repair work necessary, the saving in terms of lubricating grease each year is in the region of some 16.5 t. Altogether, the savings in operating and maintenance costs for the Deutsche Bahn amount to roughly 7.7 million per annum.