A DC-DC converter used as a light dimmer for compact fluorescent lamps

To face the challenge of possible global warming, the governments of developed countries around the world try to cut their carbon emissions by promoting the use of energy efficient appliances such that the standard of living of their people could be maintained with less overall energy consumption . One of their moves is to replace inefficient incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) with high efficacy through legislation. However the majority of CFL available in the market cannot be used in conjunction with tradition Silicon Controller Rectifier (SCR) light dimmers such that certain replacements cannot be conducted as expected. Moreover, dimming the light output to a desired level is also a way of energy saving without degradation in living quality. Therefore this paper presents a practical light dimmer, which is essentially a DC-DC converter, that can be used in conjunction with the majority of CFL available in the market and the dimmer can be installed in a wall mountable housing like a conventional dimmer. The paper also provides the measured characteristics of a set of CFL under dimming control and evaluates the overall performance of the proposed light dimmer in conjunction with CFL. Finally, this paper gives a brief discussion on the possible impact on the efficacy and lifetime of CFL used in conjunction with the proposed light dimmer.