the way traffic signals are being converted to LEDs

The agency is converting lane-use signals at the Bay Bridge and the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels to LED-type signals and is beginning to design a new LED-based lighting system to replace the 8,680 fluorescent tubes in the Fort McHenry Tunnel.

Next year, the State Highway Administration will begin its first LED streetlight project along U.S. 50 on Kent Island. Agency spokesman David Buck said that as the technology continues to improve and costs drop, LED conversion projects will be incorporated into the budget, much in the way traffic signals are being converted to LEDs.

It's not just governments making the switch. Two years ago, the National Aquarium converted its landmark 350-foot wave sign from neon to LEDs. The result was a deeper shade of blue and a pile of green — about a 70 percent reduction in electricity costs, aquarium officials said.

Lately, a research team from Taiwan's National Defense University has been utilizing nanocarbon materials to develop lightbulbs and tubes that are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than currently available products.