All of the 120 volt portions needs to be in accessible junction boxes with covers.
Cree XML's are 1040 lumens @ 10 Watts, being somewhat better lumens/watt with less amps.LEDs are in the 60-70 lumens/watt range
You are probably imagining something far larger than I am. This would be for a house (and not a shopping mall), with a single 54 volt driver, no parallel strands, no complex circuitry and no runs longer than 20 feet.It will definetly NOT be cheaper by any stretch of the imagination once you consider all of the AC-DC converters, and large gauge copper wire, the complex circuitry for balancing multiple LEDs in parallel etc.
Not sure I agree, but what *most* of them are doesn't concern me, only the ones I'd use.Sorry, 250 is the theoretical max, low pressure sodium are up to 200. Most LEDs are still <60 lumens/watt.
Is 10 watts high wattage?...accounting for heat dissipation in such a high wattage LED.
If I could build them better and cheaper than the professionals , I'd be selling them. I can build something that looks more utilitarian than what is being sold now at a much cheaper price. There is no market for ugly fixtures you have to hard-solder to install.To say that you could reliably build an LED fixture cheaper and more reliable than the professionals is a stretch.
Very little knowledge if any is required - connect 2 wires, if it lights, you connected them correctly.The technology is there if you have the knowledge to not fry your fixture over the long term, but I don't think it's worth the effort at this point.
Hence the driver mentioned above.You also have to consider the ac/dc conversion loss in any of your designs.
People wouldn't be using them for aquariums if they weren't more efficient or reliable than anything else. When you are paying hundreds or even thousands a year in bulbs and electricity, it pays to do the research and come up with the most optimal solution. When you are just lighting your basement, it doesn't matter as much, which is why most people are still on conventional fixtures.LEDs have been getting better for years, but they're still not reliable or cost efficient to best any of the residential fixtures out there. In certain limited circumstances they have a leg up, particularly when you're starting from a DC system (cars) or need a single wavelength (traffic lights), or need pulsing (camera flashes etc...). But efficiency wise, even with the latest LEDs, those are theoretical based on low temps, no ac/dc conversion, and perfect heat dissipation.