There are two primary factors in the justification of most solid state lighting systems.The first is energy savings. However,there are other alternative lighting technologies that offer high efficiency for lower initial costs.The second justification,lower maintenance costs,is therefore critical.LEDs have the advantage of much longer life than most other lighting technologies. Reduced replacement and/or maintenance costs can be a very significant factor.However,if the power electronics in the system does not match the life/reliability of the LEDs then the justification of the system is in jeoprdy.
The life of an LED driver is mainly determined by the life time of the electrolytic capacitors employed.Therefore,to achieve long life of LED drivers,it is critical to select long-life,quality electrolytic capacitors.Also,since the life of electrolytic capacitors drops by half for every 10C increase in operating temperature,thermal management of these components is important.Two key factors for reducing the temperature of the capacitors are high efficiency design and thermal design.
