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Technologies > HID ELECTRONIC BALLASTS
Characteristics: Electronic HID ballasts are steadily increasing in applications and versatility while decreasing in size and cost. Meanwhile, lamp and ballast manufacturers are partnering on joint dedicated lamp and ballast development.
A number of models now offer versatile multi-wattage and multi-voltage operation. HID electronic ballasts with multi-wattage capability and an ability to run on 208-277 volts provide a heightened level of application versatility. Meanwhile, ballasts have steadily been decreasing in size, as shown in Table 1 below. Since 1998, typical ballast volume has decreased by 25-75 percent, depending on the wattage. Miniaturization is expected to allow the pairing of HID electronic ballasts with ceramic metal halide lamps, which will present a compelling energy savings story for retailers currently using halogen lighting. It has also enabled the introduction of smaller fixture designs in track lighting. Table 2. Progression of electronic HID ballast miniaturization. The table shows a comparison of typical ballast volume in cubic centimeters. Source: “Emerging HID Technologies,” Lightfair 2005 seminar.
While the average cost of magnetic HID ballasts has been slowly increasing since the late 1990s, the average cost of electronic HID ballasts has been steadily declining. As costs are reduced, the electronic option becomes more cost-effective and competitive. Applications: Interest in electronic HID ballasts is growing for both low-wattage and high-wattage lamps, as these ballasts prove competitive against incandescent and halogen lamps as well as standard HID systems. Currently, retail is the leading application for HID electronic ballasts, in conjunction with more ceramic metal halide lamps being used for accent lighting in retail applications. Advantages: Electronic HID ballasts offer a number of benefits that can save energy and increase quality. In Table 2 (below), we see several electronically ballasted ceramic metal halide systems compared to comparable magnetic and halogen incandescent systems. The use of an electronic ballast can increase energy savings by 5-25 percent. Table 2. System comparison: system watts @120V (lamp watts). Source: “Emerging HID Technologies,” Lightfair 2005 seminar by Helen K. Diemer, FIALD, The Lighting Practice, Manuel Oomen, PhD, Philips Lighting and John Cummings, Advance.
Disadvantages: Electronic HID ballasts are more sensitive to extreme temperatures and are not necessarily suitable for use in every application where magnetic HID was used previously. Be careful when attempting to pair high-frequency electronic ballasts with ceramic metal halide lamps. Ceramic metal halide lamps will operate only on a low-frequency ballast design. In addition, application of HID dimming electronic ballasts is somewhat limited due to availability in a limited range of wattages (although manufacturers estimate that within the next few years dimming will be available in all wattages), and also limited in color-critical applications due to color shift that occurs during dimming on some ballasts.
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Description: Electronic HID ballasts combine the ballast, capacitor, ignitor and mounting brackets into a single unit, and operate HID lamps more efficiently than conventional magnetic ballasts. Operating a ceramic metal halide lamp, the use of an electronic ballast can increase energy savings by 5-25 percent than a system using a magnetic ballast.
Wattages have been expanding, with ballasts now available for 20W, 39W, 50W, 70W, 100W, 150W, 175W, 200W, 250W, 320W, 400W and 450W lamps. One manufacturer estimates that 39W and 70W lamp applications make up 50 percent of the electronic HID market, but sees accelerating growth in conversion of 400W metal halide lamp and magnetic ballast applications to 250W, 320W or 350W systems due to the lamp lumen depreciation benefits and energy savings derived from use of electronic HID ballasts.
