Absolutely. By mid year you will see Molex electronics launch their socket/module product, which was previewed at ArchLED09 in Chicago. GE has purchased Journee's light module, and will be marketing it, and a socket to work with it in the very near future. Rmor has it Philips will be launching their Fortimo "Twist" module and socket at Light+Build, then Lightfair. All will open the door for socketed LED modules that provide thermal connection to the luminiare and/or heat sink. Most will offfer some form of integration of driver to eliminate that being remotely mounted.
If 2009 was the watershed moment for LED performance, 2010 looks to be the breakout year for the emergence of real LED socket/module integration, which will expand rapidly as more players toss in their hat - looking to be the Edison socket of SSL. The dust will take a few years to settle, finishing with ANSI, IEEE, and the like getting involved to set open standards based on the best of the best that emerge.
In the long haul, the majority of LED products will need to include integration of a replaceable light source component. The initial concept of creating all luminaires as replaceable throw-away hardware is just not being embraced by building owners, facilities managers, or lighting decision makers.
That said, there may be some product categories where the luminaire has a short life, like landscape products that get killed by lawn mowers and weed whackers before the LEDs fail, these are the exception in the global scheme of lighting. There is also the issue of driver and electronic system life to be addressed, that modular architectures make easier to deal with.
If 2009 was the watershed moment for LED performance, 2010 looks to be the breakout year for the emergence of real LED socket/module integration, which will expand rapidly as more players toss in their hat - looking to be the Edison socket of SSL. The dust will take a few years to settle, finishing with ANSI, IEEE, and the like getting involved to set open standards based on the best of the best that emerge.
In the long haul, the majority of LED products will need to include integration of a replaceable light source component. The initial concept of creating all luminaires as replaceable throw-away hardware is just not being embraced by building owners, facilities managers, or lighting decision makers.
That said, there may be some product categories where the luminaire has a short life, like landscape products that get killed by lawn mowers and weed whackers before the LEDs fail, these are the exception in the global scheme of lighting. There is also the issue of driver and electronic system life to be addressed, that modular architectures make easier to deal with.