Cree XM-L not bright enough for you?

Looks like Cree is stepping things up again, at least in the lab.
Cree has again demonstrated another jump in efficiency that could lead to much higher output LEDs in the near-ish future. Hitting 231lm/W at 350mA at room temperature, this 4500K LED will eventually evolve into production level LEDs that will end up making it into our aquarium lighting.

While the jump in output is impressive, the potential energy savings will be even more so. Lot's of people shoot for high lumen output in their systems, but with an LED that can produce that amount of light, you can still produce a fixture that can light almost any tank, but with substantially reduced current levels. This reduces stress on the LED, stress on the electronics, reduces the heatsink size, and lowers your average operating costs. All of this is a win in my book.

This is all in the lab though, so we will have to fantasize about these high efficiency LEDs for a while longer.