Bridgelux Innovation Brings Micro SM4 LED Light Source to Market

Bridgelux, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies and solutions, today announced the commercial availability of the new Bridgelux® Micro SM4™ surface mountable LED component that will decrease the cost and improve the performance of lighting in commercial buildings.
The Bridgelux Micro SM4, a multiple die emitter, dramatically reduces the component count, cost, complexity and size of diffuse or directional lamps, the popular ceiling fixtures seen in modern office buildings and retail establishments. The new product leverages design and manufacturing advances at Bridgelux and expands the company's broad portfolio of solid-state lighting solutions.
The Micro SM4 is a light source, analogous to the heated gases or hot wires found in fluorescent bulbs and incandescent lights. The difference comes in energy consumption, longevity and control. The Micro SM4 light source consumes only 4.2 watts, but it emits as much light as a 20-40 watt incandescent or 20-35 watt halogen B10-style bulb and will last thousands of hours longer. The Micro SM4 component also delivers high flux density in a smaller footprint, giving designers, architects and lamp manufacturers greater freedom when it comes to creating and illuminating interior spaces.
The new smaller footprint, surface mountable emitter requires fewer components for applications typically using discrete LEDs. The 20-40 watt replacement market segment constitutes a $1 billion opportunity in the $100 billion market for lighting.
Using only 4.2 watts of power, the Bridgelux Micro SM4 component will deliver between 330 and 500 lumens in both warm white (2700K and 3000K) and cool white (5600K) color temperatures. Minimum 80 and 90 CRI options, with 3-step MacAdam Ellipse color selections, will be offered for warm white products. The new Micro SM4 light source features the latest technical advancements in epitaxial GaN layer growth, LED chip design and automated packaging technologies.

Axis Introduces Affordable IP Cameras with Built-in IR-LED Illumination

Axis Communications, the world leader in network video, announces two strong additions to the successful AXIS M11 Network Camera Series: AXIS M1143-L and AXIS M1144-L Network Cameras with integrated IR-LED illumination and mechanical IR-cut filters for true day/night surveillance. The new indoor fixed IP cameras are specially designed for easy and discreet day and night surveillance, with highly efficient H.264 video compression and options for full frame rate HDTV quality -- making them ideal for professional surveillance in retail outlets, restaurants, hotels and offices.
With their slim, compact and intuitive design, AXIS M11-L Network Cameras enable quick and easy installation and trouble-free surveillance for applications where surveillance is required around-the-clock. The cameras feature two easily adjustable levers concealed by a lid at the top of the camera to adjust focus and field of view, and two high-efficiency integrated IR-LEDs are purpose-built to have a longer life than typical market LEDs and mirror the lifespan of the IP camera.
“Integrated IR is an attractive feature because there’s no need to configure or focus the IR light or buy additional accessories. However, LEDs from traditionally integrated IR cameras have been known to produce heat that causes noise in the picture and burn out in a few short years,” said Fredrik Nilsson, general manager, Axis Communications, Inc. “The high-efficiency IR-LED lights in the AXIS M11-L cameras are sunk behind the lens to dissipate that heat and provide up to 50 feet of IR light for a minimum of seven years -- even if used 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
AXIS M1143-L (SVGA) and AXIS M1144-L (HDTV 720p/1.3MP) Network Cameras offer multiple H.264 and Motion JPEG streams that can be individually optimized for bandwidth and storage efficiency. Other benefits include pixel counter, corridor format, Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3af) and an I/O port to connect ancillary devices such as a PIR sensor or alarm panel.
With a built-in Micro SD/SDHC memory card slot, AXIS M11-L provides a great complement to the recently released AXIS Camera Companion solution for small camera count systems. In addition, the cameras include support for AXIS Video Hosting System (AVHS) with One-Click Camera connection and ONVIF specification for interoperability of network video products.

Liquid-Cooled LED Arrays as Bright as 30 Headlights

Thanks to their increasing light output, high-power LEDs are becoming an interesting option for medical products, industrial image processing, and UV hardening, to name just a few.

Hundreds of very densely packed power LED chips are needed to illuminate large-surface objects. This can lead to thermal problems.
On top of that, high demands are placed on unchanging optical parameters, especially in UV applications, such as wavelength, chromaticity, forward voltage, and light output. Fluctuating temperatures or very inhomogeneous temperature distribution across the power module are unacceptable. A joint project sponsored by VDI/VDE-IT Bavaria faced these challenges and developed compact LED modules with a high packing density and output.
The Electronic Applications Division at CeramTec GmbH supplied innovative aluminium nitride (AlN) liquid-cooled heat sinks. The Fraunhofer IZM institute in Oberpfaffenhofen designed the thermal and fluidic cooling. The Fraunhofer IZM institute in Berlin populated the ceramic heat sinks with LEDs using new bonding techniques, and Excelitas Technologies GmbH & Co KG (formerly PerkinElmer Elcos) in Pfaffenhofen produced the functional LED module with an optical compound and electrical and fluidic interfaces. 
The compact CeramCool Box is made for homogeneous and efficient cooling of packing densities up to 100W/cm². Within a 16mm x 40mm x 40mm form factor, it provides a total cooling capacity of 1,600Wat 90C. This translates into a temperature delta of 60K to the coolant.

The significant increase in output of the new cooling modules was made possible by several development projects. For example, the usual thermal bottleneck seen in glued components was avoided altogether through the development of new chip assembly techniques using optimized sintering processes for direct LED assembly on AlN ceramic heat sinks. The metalized Alunit ceramic creates efficient thermal coupling between the chip and the coolant.
Another area of emphasis was the development of a special thermal management system with even temperature distribution over the entire module that also takes other general conditions into account, such as scalability in every direction and simple handling. The CeramCool Box that resulted from this effort also allows quick adaptation of the illumination to the respective application requirements without any complex optics.

Precise control and regulation of LED colors for lighting design

Whether it be in businesses or in public buildings, in shops, restaurants, hotels, or private homes, thanks to their environmental and economic advantages, LEDs are gradually taking over as illuminants from traditional light sources. Unfortunately, however, the world of LED lighting is not entirely straightforward. Good and efficient LED lamps require an intelligent activation system. This activation system must solve a number of technical challenges, among them, the color and intensity of individual LEDs which depend on age, current and temperature.

New PIAA 570LED Powersports Driving Lamps

The new PIAA 570LED Powersports Driving Lamps are designed to meet intense off-road lighting needs by casting 75,000 lumens of brilliant cobalt-blue (6000 Kelvin) illumination in a precise long-range driving pattern, with a 30-degree spread. These powersports lamps are offered as aftermarket accessories for installation on most types of off-road vehicles, including trucks, jeeps, SUVs and UTVs.
The PIAA 570LED lamps feature a computer-designed, highly polished multi-surface reflector. PIAA’s use of advanced Reflective Facing Technology (RFT) allows the rearward-facing 9-watt LED bulbs to project off the finely tuned reflector for a precise beam pattern, which in turn leads to improved long-range sighting and visibility during nighttime driving.

Finelite Wins Three Product Innovation Awards

Finelite Inc., a manufacturer of high performance lighting systems, takes home awards in the general ambient and decorative sconce categories with the High Performance Recessed (HPR-LED) collection receiving a special citation for Most Unique Product by Architectural SSL Magazine's 2012 PIA judges. Winners were announced in this month's issue of the magazine and featured products that show the greatest promise in the solid-state lighting arena. Companies will also be honored at LightFair International 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada this coming May.
“There are at least four strategies for LED troffers, and this is the only one using mid-power LEDs that are the least expensive and maybe the longest life. Plus there's no heat sink and a 10-year, worry-free warranty is very good.”
Finelite's HPR-LED collection received an award in the General Ambient category and a special citation for “Most Unique Product” noted for expanding lighting design and applications beyond the conventional.

Light Bulbs Light Up for the LED Industry

The light-emitting-diode industry's cyclical recovery is underway as LED adoption is moving to prime time for the general lighting market in 2012. A comparative growth-cyclical case study of the PC industry during the 1990s versus the current LED industry reveals similar parallels. LED process equipment providers could thrive throughout the adoption cycle while LED chip makers and wafer substrate providers have a more uncertain long-term future.

Plessey Acquires GaN-on-Si LED Technology

Plessey Semiconductor Ltd. (UK) has acquired CamGaN Limited, a University of Cambridge spin-out with novel gallium nitride (GaN) technology for high-brightness light-emitting diodes (HB-LEDs) fabricated on large-area silicon substrates. Plessey will move the technology to its 6" wafer processing facility in Plymouth, UK to produce GaN-on-Si HB-LEDs.
The newly acquired Plessey HB LED solution enables the growth of thin HB LED structures on standard, readily available silicon substrates. Current technologies use silicon carbide (SiC) or sapphire substrates, which are expensive and difficult to scale-up. Plessey’s GaN-on-silicon solution offers cost reductions of the order of 80% compared to LEDs grown on SiC or sapphire by reducing reject rates, minimizing batch time, and utilizing automated semiconductor processing equipment. These cost reductions will be achieved while enabling outputs in excess of 150 lumens per watt – a combination that will allow Plessey to offer the most cost effective solutions in the HB LED industry.
Michael LeGoff, Plessey’s Managing Director stated, “HB LED lighting represents the future of domestic, architectural, medical and automotive lighting. Achieving the goals of high efficiency and brightness is key to the rapid deployment of energy saving, solid state lighting. This new British technology provides cost and performance advantages that will constitute a game-changing step forward towards the replacement of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs with HB LED lamps.”

Linde LienHwa China to supply ammonia to Xiamen-based LED maker Kaistar

Gases and engineering firm The Linde Group of Munich, Germany saysthat its joint venture Linde LienHwa (LLH) China with Taiwan’s LienHwa MiTAC Group has strengthened its commitment to LED manufacturing via an exclusive supply agreement to deliver bulk gases and high-purity ammonia (NH3) to the new production facility in Xiamen of Kaistar.
Kaistar is a joint venture of Epistar Corp of Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (Taiwan’s largest LED chipmaker) and China Electronics Corp (CEC), a state-owned conglomerate under the direct administration of central government (spun off from the former Ministry of Electronics Industry in 1989, and the largest state-owned IT company in China, with over 70,000 staff).

Gotham Launches Complete Line of EVO LED Luminaires

Acuity Brands, Inc, announced the launch of the EVO line of LED downlighting luminaires from Gotham Architectural Downlighting. The new family of solid-state downlighting products combines high performance and energy efficiency with visual elegance and architectural aesthetics.
The EVO line includes eight new solid-state lighting products: open downlight, open wallwash, retrofit kit, lensed wallwash, cylinder, vandal resistant downlight, shower light and decorative downlight. A modular design allows Gotham to configure the mixing chamber, reflector, lenses and LEDs independently of one another, creating flexibility for improvements to EVO luminaires as technology advances. This configurable light engine ensures consistency among the entire line of EVO luminaires in both quality and quantity of light, while still providing wide latitude to continuously upgrade efficacy and performance.
The EVO line is available nationally through Acuity Brands sales representatives and authorized distributors.

Cree expands XLamp family of mid-power lighting-class LEDs

Cree, Inc., introduces new LEDs for its mid-power XLamp ML-C and ML-E series, bringing increased versatility and flexibility to a wide spectrum of lighting applications. Designed to accelerate the adoption of LED lighting, the expanded XLamp ML family offers red, green and blue color options, high-voltage and three different price-performance options in the proven and reliable ML package. The ML LED high-voltage options can enable the use of more efficient, smaller drivers to lower cost for applications such as LED replacement lamps.

Albeo Lands $8M for Industrial LEDs

Albeo Technologies raised $8 million in a series C funding round on Tuesday to increase the breadth of its LED lighting portfolio and to build deeper channel presence. Albeo’s focus on the industrial sectorhas reaped a 50-percent increase in revenue in 2011 and an increase in LED retrofits of 300 percent. The Series C funding comes at a boom time for Albeo, which focuses on industrial and commercial lighting. The investment was lead by Braemar Energy Ventures and joined by Green Spark Ventures, which was an existing investor. Silicon Valley Bank provided a working capital financing line.

LED Market on the Upswing

The Light Emitting Diode (LED) industry is witnessing tremendous growth of late as governments and businesses look for ways to reduce energy consumption. The high-brightness LED (HB-LED) market grew 4.3% year-on-year to $12bn in 2011, according to the report 'LEDs: The 2011 Market Review' from the European Photonics Industry Consortium. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Semiconductor (LED) Industry and provides equity research on Veeco Instruments Inc.
According to IMS Research, the global market for power semiconductors used in LED lighting is forecast to reach over $3 billion by 2016. According to the IMS report, titled "Opportunities for Power Components in LED Lighting," more than half of this market will come from retrofit LED lamps, which will contribute to more than $2 billion of the 2016 outlook.
The expanding range of available lamps with varying electronics design, requirements and specifications are driving opportunities power semiconductor manufacturers, IMS states. Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Semiconductor (LED) industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.fivestarequities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.
According to a recent report from Digitimes, Japan's power shortages following the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 have spurred both the public and private sector to seek ways of reducing energy consumption. Japan has set a target of achieving a 50% LED lighting penetration rate by 2015. Other nations including South Korea and China have also set significant LED lighting targets for 2015, Digitimes reports.
China is becoming the premier destination of LED manufacturers. According to deputy secretary general of China Solid State Lighting Alliance, Tang Gouquin, China is likely to enlarge LED-lighting subsidization coverage, including not only more product items but also more supply sources.

New Pico Zenigata LED line up with 15 – 72.5 lumens

Sharp rounds off its Pico Zenigata LED portfolio with a new white high-performance LED series, while increasing the luminous flux of the previous generation in parallel. The line-up now comprises three different series that shine with luminous flux levels of up to 72.5 lumen and with an efficiency of up to 125 lm/W.
With the new Pico Zenigata LED series, Sharp completes its portfolio for high-performance LEDs. With just a single LED, the types of the GM2BBxxQK1C series achieve luminous flux levels of up to 24.5 lumens and an efficiency of up to 125 lm/watt. Luminous flux and efficiency of the other two series were improved accordingly: above all the GM2BBxxQKAC (2 LED dies) reaches up to 46.7 lumens with an effective power of up to 120 lm/W; the GM2BBxxQK0C (3 LED dies) radiate up to 72.5 lumens at an efficiency level of up to 120 lm/W. All three series are available with a typical CRI value of 83. The high colour rendering (HCR) LEDs achieve the high CRI level through a combination of blue LED dies with a special mixture of green and red phosphor.
Even without secondary optics, the 'Pico Zenigata' LEDs from Sharp provide suitable light for energy-efficient lighting. The light conversion layer of the 'Pico Zenigata' LEDs is based on a two-phased development procedure especially developed by Sharp for this purpose. A layer of phosphor for the conversion of white light is applied in a first step. In a second step, installation of the globe top made from transparent silicone enables light extraction without any spreading loss.
As a LED substrate, Sharp therefore uses a high-quality ceramic plate with silicon sealing instead of conventional plastic materials. This allows efficient heat dissipation and helps to keep the required cooling element small. The Pico Zenigata family also exhibits a long-term illuminating power. After 50,000 hours, the lumen depreciation amounts to only 5%, thereby making it substantially less than conventional illuminants.

Philips appoints Eric Rondolat as CEO of the Lighting sector

Royal Philips Electronics announced the appointment of Eric Rondolat as Chief Executive Officer of Lighting and member of its Executive Committee, effective April 1st, 2012, succeeding Frans van Houten who has led Philips Lighting on an interim base. Eric Rondolat (Italian/French nationality, 1966) joins Philips from Schneider Electric.
In 2011, Philips Lighting, the world’s largest lighting company, generated sales of EUR 7.6 billion. The sector is accelerating its transformation of its product portfolio to LED, applications and solutions, as evidenced by the robust mid-double digit sales growth across its LED portfolio in the past two years.
Mr. Rondolat is married and has three children. Mr. Rondolat’s CV and a hi-res image are available on www.philips.com/newscenter.

New Night Vision Compatible LED Indicators

Wilbrecht LEDCO, Inc. introduces new Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) compatible LEDs for its front mount CR/BR and rear mount CRM series panel LED indicators.
The rugged indicators are environmentally sealed to IP66, and they are ideal for a variety of military applications, including aircraft avionics systems, communications equipment and battlefield hardware. Used as a direct replacement for incandescent lamps, the LEDs ensure minimal heat dissipation and high reliability for critical aerospace applications.
Available in nickel plated or black matte housings, the Night Vision Imaging System indicators are compliant per MIL-L-85762A and MIL-STD-3009. The NVIS compatible indicators are available in four NVIS LED color ranges: NVIS Green A, NVIS Green B, NVIS Yellow and NVIS Red.

Switching on the lights

Thomas Edison’s incandescent light has been burning for 133 years, but the original is primarily giving way to those energy-efficient, longer-lasting curly bulbs also known as compact fluorescent light bulbs or CFLs. Consumers generally have one complaint: price. “I know why they’re doing it and I like the new bulbs because they do last longer,” said 18-year-old Jordan Hamilton of Fort Wayne. “It just seems they need to make them more affordable for people. In the long run, they are cheaper, though.”

Getting out more than you put in: an overly efficient LED

Recently, researchers made the news because they managed to create an LED with a wall-plug efficiency that's greater than one—it emitted more energy as photons than the researchers put into it as electricity. Unfortunately, many of the reports were short on details. Have no fear: the gods of thermodynamics have their say, this isn't violating any laws of the Universe. We've taken a look at the Physical Review Letter that those reports were based on.

Veeco, Aixtron Shares Rally As Deutsche Bank Ups Ratings

Shares of the LED equipment providers Aixtron and Veeco Instruments were trading sharply higher last week after Deutsche Bank analyst Vishal Shah raised his ratings on both companies to Buy from Hold. Shah took recent field trip to China to meet with companies in the LED supply chain, and found encouraging news. “We held meetings with Chinese LED companies across the supply chain spanning from chipmakers, packagers and local governments,” he writes. “Based on feedback from these meetings, as well as additional channel checks in Taiwan and Korea, we believe fundamentals for MOCVD equipment suppliers are improving.” (MOCVD refers to “metal organic chemical vapor deposition,” equipment used to make LEDs.)

LED streetlights as much about safety as savings

Driving under traditional amber-colored lights can really play tricks on the eyes. You go from light to dark over and over again because the bulbs are focused straight down, creating gaps. The light never covers the entire street. But energy efficient LED lights provide a much larger field of light, and they can be positioned to cover exactly what is needed. Seattle City Light's Scott Thomsen said the city has already replaced 20,000 residential streetlights with LEDS, and it should have all the city's neighborhoods done by 2014.

Lumenpulse Wins Prestigious red dot award for Lumenbeam LBX

Lumenpulse Inc., a leading innovator and manufacturer of high performance, architectural LED-based lighting solutions for commercial, institutional, and urban environments, today announced that it won a prestigious red dot award for its high-performance projector, the Lumenbeam LBX.
The competition is hotly contested by manufacturers from all fields of industrial design including makers of cars, computers and furniture. Lumenpulse's Lumenbeam LBX was selected by a 30-member expert jury after evaluating 4,515 designs -- a record-number of submissions to the red dot competition. The red dot design award dates back to 1955 and is now one of the world's largest and most distinguished design competitions.
The Lumenbeam LBX is a high performance architectural lighting projector, which uses energy-efficient, high-power LEDs for the illumination of large spaces and structures. Half the size and weight of existing solutions, the fixture is unique for its slim form factor and 120,000-hour lumen maintenance (L70). The powerful output and extended lifetime is the result of an innovative thermal design that allows cool air to flow through the system, while a chimney effect uses natural convection to rapidly eject hot air.

Switch Intros 100 Watt LED Replacement

Switch Lighting, maker of innovative liquid-cooling LEDs, recently announced the availability of a 100-watt replacement bulb that will hit commercial channels.  The color temperature is 4100 K, which is less warm than a homely incandescent and perfect for areas in need of bright white light.  Plus, this bulb uses about 80% less energy than an incandescent, or 20 watts. The Switch100 is currently undergoing Energy Star review.  It outputs 1600 lumens, lasts 25,000 hours, and has a CRI of 80.  The LED bulb can be used in recessed or fully enclosed fixtures, unlike some other LEDs.

Magnalight LED Light Bars Provide Illumination for Big Cat Week Footage

Premiering last December during National Geographic’s “Big Cat Week”, American Cougar documented the lives and habits of cougars in the Rocky Mountains and captured amazing and in some cases entirely unique footage as researchers worked to gather data and information under demanding and often hazardous conditions. Unusual and often never seen before night footage of these elusive animal’s activities was made possible in large part by the inclusion of cutting edge LED lighting technology provided by Magnalight LEDP3W-6X2 LED light bars .
The remote and often hazardous conditions encountered by researchers during filming included rain, freezing temperatures, snow, and rugged terrain that put the researchers and their equipment to the test. Magnalight’s heavy duty series of LED light bars were a natural choice for these conditions due to their high light quality and lumen output as well as their extremely rugged design and ability to operate from portable power sources for extended periods without depleting power sources at an extreme rate. During filming of this documentary researchers set up remote cameras and required lighting that could be counted on to perform without close supervision. Magnalight LEDs are an ideal choice for such applications due to their “instant-on” capability, high durability, extreme lumen output, and ability to run for extended periods on portable power sources without draining them at an extremely fast rate.
In unique applications such as the filming of highly elusive and dangerous animals such as North American Big Cats, researchers often will get only a single opportunity to capture a once in a life time footage, and if equipment fails to perform, that opportunity is forever lost. By including these heavy duty LED lights, researchers reduced their chances of failure and were able to illuminate scenes that up until now had remained hidden from human observers. With the spectacular success of Big Cat Week and the American Cougar documentary established, further footage has been slated for production and researchers have again turned to Magnalight LED lighting equipment to guarantee further success in their efforts to capture new and amazing footage of these incredible animals.    

Viper Networks To Conclude Due Diligence On Attractive LED Acquisition

Viper Networks expects to conclude their preliminary due diligence on a U.S.-based, profitable LED company that they have been in acquisition talks with (as announced 1/30/12) by March 31st.
As previously announced, the Company has been proactive in their pursuit of well positioned, profitable LED industry acquisition candidates and has earnestly continued merger talks with two U.S.-based firms since early 2012; one of which specifically provides compelling synergy to Viper Networks’ emerging business within the LED lighting sector.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Company’s due diligence, Viper Networks will release a closing date projection (expected in mid-April) that they expect final negotiation terms and conditions to be consummated by.
Interested parties should note that these are amicable discussions propelled by strong mutual benefits and final acquisition terms are expected to include a combination of cash and stock.
In reviewing Company news during 2012, shareholders and investors will quickly see Viper has been busy establishing solid alliances within the LED industry along with key agreements designed to generate industry-leading margins and facilitate large scale growth initiatives in new global markets.
This major alliance with LEDs America has led to key agreements for Viper Networks in a North American sales and marketing agreement, global exporting arraignments, supplier status and manufacturing rights, and multiple foreign country territorial exclusivity agreements.
Another emerging alliance is Envirolite Corporation and their PowerDisc™ product that can extend the life of incandescent and halogen bulbs by up to 10 years. The Company’s reseller agreement has already led to Viper Networks initial success (i.e.TBA) with targeting one mass merchant in North America for nationwide sales.

US moving to more energy-efficient light bulbs

Most Americans don’t use energy-saving light bulbs, so the government has implemented a three-year transition to more energy-efficient lighting. “It’s a government regulation right now that all the incandescents have to go away,” said Darryl Sanford, a lighting expert at Home Depot. “Starting with the high wattage bulbs because they use the most energy. 300, 200 and 100 watt bulbs are all going away as of this year.” That means the incandescent bulbs that have been the standard for years will start disappearing from store shelves in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs, which are more energy-efficient.

Clean Energy Opponents Attack Super-Efficient Light Bulb

A slanted Washington Post story by Peter Whoriskey attacked the innovative $50 light bulb that won the Department of Energy’s $10 million L Prize for lighting innovation as being “costly,” “exorbitant,” and “too pricey” in comparison to a $1 incandescent bulb — based on faulty math. The Philips LED bulb, which is assembled in Wisconsin with computer chips made in California, is a technical breakthrough, with high-efficiency natural-color light. At no point does the article — which appeared online with the tendentious headline “Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag” — compare the lifetime cost of the super-efficient (10-watt), long-lasting (30-year) bulb with that of traditional 60-watt light bulbs.

LED table raises the bar

The LumiSource Spyra LED Light-Up Bar Table, designed for the consumer market, mirrors the easy availability of LEDs. Featuring an etched acrylic top and chrome styling, the table cycles through color-changing LEDs that make for an illuminating drinking experience. And yes, there are matching bar stools available. Integrated LEDs phase between red, blue, and green, giving the table its distinctive look.

Majan Electricity to distribute 40,000 energy saving light bulbs

Muscat based Majan Electricity Co SAOC plans to freely give away thousands of energy saving light bulbs this year as part of its green energy and conservation initiatives. Around 40,000 energy saving light bulbs will be distributed starting from next month, the utility's General Manager, Ahmed bin Saif Khamis al Mazrouy (pictured), said. "Majan Electricity is a pioneer in the distribution of energy saving bulbs. We gave away 40,000 bulbs last year as part of our commitment to supporting energy conservation. This generated total savings of around RO 120,000 to our customers, and around RO 160,000 to the government (taking subsidy amounts into account). Savings in CO2 emissions amounted to nearly 200 tonnes annually," Al Mazrouy told the Observer.

EnvironmentalLights.com to Launch New Line of LED Strip Lights

Nightclub and bar owners looking to update their lighting to improve the atmosphere of their space now have another line of lighting products available to them. EnvironmentalLights.com, a leading source of high-quality, energy-efficient LED lighting products, is launching a new line of LED strip lights and controllers at the Nightclub & Bar trade show. Held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from March 13 - 14, the Nightclub & Bar Tradeshow boasts over 30,000 attendees including bar and nightclub owners, operators, bartenders and other professionals in the industry. The trade show offers the ideal opportunity for owners and designers to get acquainted with product capabilities and potential applications available to lighting improvements.
The new LED strip lighting is an ideal solution for decorative lighting displays because it can provide maximum brightness and energy efficiency as well as long life. The new line offers a Color Rendering Index (CRI) over 80, which is not found in most LED strip lights. The higher CRI rating offered by the new LED strip lighting line can improve color vibrancy when used in backlighting or uplighting bar areas.

Blue Phoenix Lites introduces line of energy-efficient LED products

After spending the past eight years building LED lighting systems independently, Justin Gray introduced a line of energy-efficient LED products Thursday, saying he has "reinvented the light bulb." Gray's startup, Blue Phoenix Lites (BP Lites), wants to take the appeal and reliability of high-energy concert lights into homes and businesses. Gray, the company's president, has worked as a stagehand technician for major entertainment acts. This year, he is working with Northwest LoveFest, a summer musical festival. "I want light to be accessible to everybody," said Gray. "I'm so sick of people saying LEDs are too expensive."

$25 LED light bulb sets bar for efficiency

When Philips unveiled its new line of EnduraLED lighting, it wasn't pulling any punches. "The new LED lighting from Philips is here, and it can change everything," boasts a brochure at The Lighting Center by Rockingham Electric in Newington.
The first LED replacement for a 60-watt incandescent light bulb, the EnduraLED A19 certainly looks different than a traditional light bulb. When unlit, it's yellow. And at about $25 a pop, its price tag may seem a bit out of the ordinary. But then, this isn't your grandparents' light bulb.

Inventor of the Organic Light Emitting Diode Joins QD Vision Science Advisory Board

QD Vision, Inc. announced that Professor Ching Tang, inventor of the organic light emitting diode (OLED) and a winner of the prestigious Wolf Prize in the field of chemistry, has joined the company’s scientific advisory board.
Currently the Doris Johns Cherry Professor at the University of Rochester, Tang is credited with several key innovations that led to commercialization of OLED flat-panel display technology, including the discovery of the basic heterojunction device structure.
“Ching Tang is an extraordinary talent and we are thrilled to have him join Professor Vladimir Bulovic and Professor Moungi Bawendi on QD Vision’s three-member scientific advisory board,” said Dr. Seth Coe-Sullivan, QD Vision founder and Chief Technology Officer. “His creation of the OLED and organic photovoltaic fields has shaped 25 years of research and technology around the world, changing how we display information and harvest solar energy. We look forward to him having a similar impact on our quantum dot devices in the lighting and display markets.”
In addition to the Wolf Prize, Professor Tang has received numerous industry awards. These include, the Daniel E. Noble Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to emerging technologies, the Humboldt Research Award, and the Jan Racjhman Prize from the Society for Information Display. His seminal paper on OLED technology was published in 1987 in Applied Physics Letters, and to this day has been cited by more scientists than any other paper published in the history of the journal. Professor Tang is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Scientists Create 230-Percent Efficient LED Bulbs

Incandescent bulbs are the poster child of inefficient energy conversion. The devices heated a filament with an electrical current which not only produced light, but a lot of waste heat as well. Fluorescent bulbs, CFL's, and even conventional LED's all generate the same waste heat to varying (albeit much smaller) degrees but none has ever reached 100-percent efficiency—a mark known as "unity efficiency."
A team from MIT posited that while the bulbs energy requirements decrease at an exponential rate (halving the voltage reduces the input power by a factor of four), the lumen output would decrease linearly (halve the voltage and the lumens drop by half as well). This means that at some point, the amount of lumens the bulb is emitting would be more than the amount of energy spent—essentially "free" light

White LEDs boast brightness of 33,500mcd

Vishay Intertechnology Inc. has released a 1W series from its Little Star family of SMD power LEDs. The cool, neutral and warm white devices use nitride phosphor for enhanced color stability over temperature, noted the company. The VLMW712xxx LEDs are geared for a high current drive of up to 350mA, and offer luminous intensity of 33,500mcd (typ) and luminous flux from 67.2-113.6lm (typ).
The LEDs offer thermal resistance of 10K/W. Featuring an SMD power package with a 6 x 6mm footprint and ultra-low profile of 1.5mm, the Little Star LEDs are among the most robust and light-efficient products on the market, claimed Vishay .
The VLMW712xxx series LEDs are engineered for conventional lighting and specialized applications. Typical end products include traffic signal lights, architectural lighting, tube lights, indoor and outdoor video and advertising lighting, garden lights, and general lighting; and indicator and backlighting for audio equipment and household appliances such as microwaves.

Cree LEDs illuminate public school in Washington

The firm's LR24 luminaires have been installed at Monroe Elementary School in the Everett district. The school recently installed nearly 450 LED fixtures made by Cree. This makes it the first predominately LED-lit school in the Everett Public Schools district. Cree LR24 LED troffers now illuminate the newly rebuilt two-story, 68,000-square-foot elementary school, which serves about 600 students in grades K-5. “We looked at a lot of LED fixture manufacturers but only Cree had fixtures that met all of our requirements for high-quality lighting and cost savings,” says Harold Beumel, director of facilities and planning, Everett Public Schools.

Indoor Growing Leader Phototron Signs LOI to Acquire SG Technologies

Phototron Holdings, Inc., the Los Angeles hydroponic grow box company leading the "grow your own" revolution, announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire SG Technologies Corp., a leading manufacturer of hi-powered light emitting diode (LED) products sold under the Stealth Grow brand that speed indoor growing and require very little power. The proposed merger is expected to close in the next 30 days in an all-stock transaction.
"The management team at Phototron is excited to announce the signing of an LOI with SG Technologies," said Craig Ellins, Phototron's CEO. "We expect the proposed merger to expand our current product offerings and provide additional financial strength as we look to integrate the Stealth Grow line, which is highly respected amongst top horticulturalists. We also anticipate exciting new product synergies as we combine Phototron's innovative hydroponic grow systems with Stealth Grow's industry-leading LEDs."
SG Technologies is a leader in LED grow light technology. Selling products under the popular Stealth Grow brand, the company is comprised of a team of experienced horticulturists and engineers who have worked to bring LEDs to the forefront of indoor horticulture by creating a superior line of LED grow lights.
SG Technologies manufactures its own components, and as a result the company has an incredible amount of flexibility in testing its products. Generations of lights have been tested on numerous home-grown plants to create the most advanced combination of spectrum and intensity of any LED grow light available today.
The proposed acquisition is expected to complement Phototron's existing direct sales and online initiatives for its innovative hydroponic grow systems, which are designed to serve both the $30 billion home gardening and $1.7 billion medical marijuana markets.

Energy Efficient LED-based Area Light

PowerSecure International, Inc announced its new energy efficient LED-based Area Light, called SecureLite, has been adopted by two more utilities as their standard fixture. These utilities have placed orders for several hundred units, which will be used to replace lighting on their systems as their traditional lights require repair or replacement, and for specific residential and commercial illumination projects. The Company expects additional orders will be received in 2012 and beyond as these initial orders are depleted.
PowerSecure's industry-leading SecureLite was chosen because of its superior energy efficiency and quality of light, low maintenance cost, and environmentally friendly design. Compared to a traditional High Pressure Sodium area light, it delivers a 67% reduction in energy usage, extends lighting life four-fold to approximately fifteen years, and reduces maintenance costs because of its increased reliability. The light is extremely durable and easy to maintain, including industry-leading surge protection technology which surpasses industry standards, "tool less" entry, and housing and components that deliver 30+ years of service including the ability to replace the LEDs. SecureLite is engineered to deliver a better quality light that enhances visibility, minimizes light pollution, and is Dark Sky compliant. The light incorporates PowerSecure's breakthrough proprietary dusk-to-dawn control technology to maximize efficiency and reliability.

LittleSun solar LED lamp delivers cheap light to rural areas

Deploying solar-lighting solutions in places where power grids are non-existent isn't a new idea; everyone from major corporations to NGOs to individuals think they have the solution. But Olafur Eliasson and Frederik Ottesen have something they think the others lack — good design. Eliasson, an artist and industrial designer, and Ottesen, a pioneer in solar-powered flight technologies, teamed up to create the LittleSun: a light-weight, solar-charged LED lamp. What makes the flower-shaped LittleSun different from other solar solutions on the market is its simple all-in-one-design.

Colorful New LED Diffuser Sheet

Bayer MaterialScience LLC developed Makrolon LED diffuser grade sheet to provide uniform light diffusion of intense LEDs and eliminate the visual hot spots they can create on sign faces. Now Bayer unveiled a new portfolio of standard colors at this year’s International Sign Association (ISA) Expo in Orlando, Florida.
At the show, Bayer introduced its full lineup of standard Makrolon LD polycarbonate sign colors that are in stock for sampling and prototyping, and its comprehensive custom color capabilities for the product. Makrolon LD has proven effective when thinned down to as much as half the original sheet thickness by thermoforming, often a problem with other materials.
Bayer also highlighted a new matte finish grade that complements its well-established standard UV resistant Makrolon SL polycarbonate sheet. The material was recently introduced to the sign industry in a wide array of stocked and custom sizes.
In addition to these product innovations, Bayer’s ISA exhibit will feature various applications of specialized Makrolon sheet grades. Examples include the growing use of abrasion- and impact-resistant Makrolon AR for menu and information board covers in airports, restaurants and municipal transit facilities. Its surface hard-coat offers the highest level of resistance to marring among polycarbonate sheet products, and allows easy removal of graffiti.

10% off LED Lighting from Koncept Lighting

Lightology.com, the largest online retailer of contemporary lighting is offering an exclusive sale on all Koncept Lighting fixtures from March 1-31, 2012. Save and additional 10% on LED desk lamps, floor lamps and undercabinet LED lighting with a minimum $200 Koncept Lighting purchase. Using LED lighting technology paired with sleek design and feather-light adjustability, Koncept fixtures are used in trend-setting interior designs and have earned recognition for excellence in both design and energy efficiency.
The Equo desk and floor lamps use a counterweight design that requires only one finger to adjust its position. The special neck joint maintains the head's tilt as the arm swings up or down, while brightness is controlled by sliding or touching a finger along the touchstrip. To date, it has earned 10 awards, including the coveted Red Dot Award for design excellence in 2011.
The Koncept Lighting flagship series, Z-Bar, is super-adjustable, with a three-bar design that can spin in its socket, sweep side to side and rotate around the end of the arm to point in any direction. Various versions of the Z-bar are featured in the Chicago Museum of Sciences Smart Home, numerous movies and TV shows and at McDonalds headquarters in Australia. The Z-bar has also earned recognition from publications such as the International Design Magazine and Time Magazine.

LED Light Mimics Coral Reef

One of many lighting designs inspired by the shapes of coral developed by QisDesign, Qisda’s in-house design group, this unique, thee-part floor lamp makes use of energy-efficient, cool-to-the-touch LEDs, inviting the user to twist and adjust its three tiers as needed for task or ambient lighting. The competition’s judges — which include distinguished international designers, as well as some up and coming talents — were impressed by they way the Coral Reef LED Floor Light merges an innovative use of LED technology with an organic language of form, designating it one of the “best of the best” of its 2011 winners in this category.

EnvironmentalLights.com Launches New Line of LED Strip Lights

Retailers seeking a new lighting option to highlight their products may wish to look no further than the High CRI LED Strip Light product line. EnvironmentalLights.com, a leading source of high-quality, energy-efficient LED lighting products kaunched a new line of LED strip lights at GlobalShop.
The new LED strip lighting is an ideal solution for retail applications to provide maximum brightness to highlight product displays. The new line offers a Color Rendering Index (CRI) over 80, which is not found in most LED strip. A lighting source's CRI rate can range from 0 to 100, and will often be referred to as color accuracy. The higher CRI rating offered by the new LED strip lighting line provides increased illumination to give consumers the ability to easily identify colors.
The High CRI LED Strip Light product line features 120 LEDs per meter in order to give retailers optimal brightness levels for greater color accuracy. There are a variety of color temperature options available for retailers looking for greater control over their lighting color, such as very warm white (2,400°K), warm white (2,700°K), neutral white (4,000°K), daylight white (6,500°K) and color tunable (range 2,400-6,500°K).
Retailers offering a variety of products may wish to invest in a color tunable strip for further color control. Adjusting the color is easy with a color tunable dimmer with remote control or 12 V dimmer with rotary knob. Easily tune the color temperature from warm white (2,700°K) to daylight white (6,500°K) and any other variation in the spectrum in between. EnvironmentalLights.com offers quality expert advice for any questions about the best lighting needs for your business.
Retailers and designers can consult with these experts about the High CRI LED Strip Light product line and see them on display at GlobalShop. LED light bulbs, under cabinet lights and other lighting solutions will be installed in the trade show booth and available for demonstrations.