The future of the lightbulb may be dimming. A Durham, NC semiconductor maker will begin packaging its light-emitting diodes (LEDs) - chips that illuminate - into a new product called XLamp. Light bulbs produce a great deal of heat and incidentally also generate light. Solid-state lighting produces less heat than traditional light bulbs and could reduce U.S. power consumption by 30 percent. LEDs would use 40 watts of electricity and last up to 11 years. Read more.