Brief description

LEDs are solid state semiconductors – they have no moving parts and no filament that can be broken. They are ideal as simple and efficient light sources for creating fascinating lighting effects and innovative lighting solutions – the only problem is their initial purchase price right now. Some LEDs are cheap – this is reflected in the low quality of the light they produce – whereas other LEDs are expensive but produce light of a very high quality. Because of this large variance, you should be wary of the quality and wide range of manufacturers that produce them.

Advantages

Wide colour palette
Excellent colour saturation
Low power consumption and long life make them particularly economical.
Great for illuminating linear and even freeform structures
Also suitable for backlighting surfaces

Disadvantages

LEDs need to dissipate lots of heat so they have big heat sinks on the back of them
Variations in quailty between brands
Price is still an issue but reducing quickly 
Direct replacements for halogens are coming but reliability still currently an issue

Ongoing development

The range of potential business LED lighting applications continues to grow. LED is fast becoming an equal alternative especially for spot and feature lighting applications. Street and car park LED solutions are now becoming popular.