Organic LED lighting: only a niche market by 2020?

The future market for lamps based on organic LEDs is set to be a very small one, according to a new market analyst report. Lux Research says that although the aesthetically pleasing technology will improve over the next decade, and become much cheaper than today, it will still be far too expensive for mainstream use.
As a result, says Lux, OLED lighting will command just a $58 million market by 2020, with the technology only making a significant penetration into high-end applications such as designer lighting, casinos and upmarket bars and restaurants. If correct, it will mean that the wider market for OLEDs will be almost totally dominated by display applications such as phone handsets and televisions.

Long term alternative to wasteful halogen

As the world looks to meet targets for carbon emissions, one of the ways to reduce energy use is through LED lightning. While halogen and incandescent lights are more commonly used, there are a number of benefits with the continuing uptake of LED technology. The emergence of the technology being used in both commercial and domestic environments has been attributed in some quarters to increased efficiencies in chip technology.

GE Lighting to acquire leading driver maker Lightech

GE Lighting, a lighting manufacturer based in East Cleveland, OH, has signed an agreement to acquire Lightech, a privately-held manufacturer of LED electronic drivers and halogen transformers for the lighting industry. Based near Tel Aviv, Israel, Lightech has R&D facilities in California and Israel, and commercial teams in Europe, the US and Asia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close within the next six to eight weeks.

Automotive Qualified High Brightness LED Driver IC

Micrel Inc  rolled out the MAQ3203, an AEC-Q100 version of the MIC3203. This new step-down High Brightness LED (HBLED) driver IC reduces the complexity and cost of high current LED driver solutions in automotive lighting applications. The MAQ3203 is currently available in volume quantities, with 1Ku pricing starting at $1.50. Samples can now be ordered at: http://www.micrel.com/ProductList.do .
"LED-based lighting is gaining popularity in automotive applications with both LED makers and LED light engine designers in need of more robust, efficient solutions that enable OEMs to realize the full benefits of energy-efficient LEDs," noted Doyle Slack, senior marketing director for Analog. "By integrating the core functions critical to automotive LED lighting, the MAQ3203 driver IC offers a compact all-in-one solution that requires few additional components, enabling more cost-effective, elegant and reliable LED module designs."
The MAQ3203 is capable of driving multiple HBLEDs in series at more than 90 percent efficiency with +/-5 percent current accuracy from input voltages of 4.5V to 42V. With its hysteretic control architecture and high-side current sense scheme, the device provides an ideal solution to drive the HBLEDs with constant current. The MAQ3203 operating frequency is adjustable up to 1.5MHz which allows flexibility in the design and offers a frequency dithering feature to mitigate EMI. The IC features a dedicated PWM dimming pin, an enable pin for very low power shutdown, over temperature protection and an under voltage lockout. The MAQ3203 has an external power switch and requires no external compensation. The MAQ3203 is available in a SOIC-8L package.

LED Emergency Floodlight for Hazardous and Marine Environments

A new floodlight combining maintenance free LED technology and a self contained backup battery has been introduced by hazardous area lighting specialist Chalmit. The Solas is designed for use in both Zone 1 hazardous areas and harsh marine environments. Uniquely it provides the same level of light output under either normal or emergency conditions. This performance and durability offers a new solution for both lighting designers and engineers tasked with providing a safe working environment.
“We are excited about the possibilities the new Solas LED can provide,” explained Chalmit Marketing Manager Gareth Bruce. “The initial concept was to replace an existing emergency floodlight, the 261E. In this product the batteries were contained in a separate Ex e box. The use of LED’s and smart driver technology has allowed the complete solution to be contained within the luminaire enclosure. Not only is the Solas a more efficient, compact and price competitive replacement for the 261E, it has also created a host of new applications due to its increased flexibility.”
Traditionally, battery backup emergency floodlights have been reserved for specific platform abandonment applications. The development of quality long life LEDs is proving to have a much wider appeal. Such floodlights can now be used for continuous operation under normal lighting conditions. In contrast to high intensity discharge floods, the Solas is effectively maintenance free offering over sixty thousand hours of continuous operation. Another advantage of using LED technology is the efficient use of the light generated. The Solas has a high light output ratio resulting in over four thousand lumens with minimal losses. These levels can be compared to a seventy watt high pressure sodium (HPS) floodlight. However unlike HPS lamps the use of LED results in a much whiter light closer to that of natural daylight.
The luminaire is compliant with both ATEX and IEC Ex standards and is suitable for use in a wide range of ambient conditions from -55 degrees C to +55 degrees C. The universal voltage; 110V – 254V AC/DC 50/60Hz, makes the Solas a truly global product. An industrial, non-hazardous version is also available that provides the same levels of ingress protection (IP66/67) and maintenance free capability.
In addition to normal emergency operation where the battery engages when the mains power goes off, the Solas can also be fitted with a remote inhibition switch. Similar in function to the earlier 261E, this enables the LEDs to remain de-energised (Off) when the mains power fails. By operating the switch, the LEDs can be energised and run from the internal batteries. This gives instant illumination with one hundred percent output, unlike HID lamp technologies. The use of remote switching thus ensures battery duration is maximised.
This flexibility means the Solas is ideally suited to provide emergency escape lighting for example; during platform abandonment conditions, where the sea must be illuminated to ensure lifeboats can be safely launched.
Chalmit is part of Hubbell Harsh and Hazardous, a division of Hubbell Inc. The company has worldwide distribution and a network of offices strategically located to provide sales technical support to the oil and gas industry. Free Chalmlite software is available to help electrical and mechanical services designers optimise lighting intensity for safety and efficient working.

New Wakefield LED Heat Sink Extrusions Available

Newark, a leading multi-channel, high-service electronics distributor in the Americas, announced an exclusive stocking agreement for Wakefield Solutions' new LED heat sink extrusions. Wakefield and Bridgelux engineering teams worked together at Newark's behest to design an optimal heat sink extrusion line which is compatible with all Bridgelux LEDs.
While very efficient, LEDs produce heat that must be dissipated in lighting designs and retrofits, and this is often a challenge for engineers who do not have an extensive thermal management background. Wakefield's new heat sink extrusions save engineers the considerable time it can take to match the right heat sink with the right LED. Offering the maximum thermal management performance, they can accommodate top or side mounting with Bridgelux LEDs.

Council unveils UK's first LED street lights

UK councils are set to cut costs and save thousands on their energy bills after the introduction of the first LED powered street lights in Britain. Bath and North East Somerset Council are pioneering the move and have already installed the environmentally friendly lights at the Hicks Gate roundabout at the Bristol end of the Keynsham, Somerset.

Samsung sues Osram as LED patent row escalates

Korean electronics firm Samsung has hit back in a patent dispute with Osram, a rival maker of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Samsung LED has filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission against Osram and two of its subsidiaries.

InGaN-on-silicon LED from RoseStreet Labs reaches green and longer wavelengths

The world's first long-wavelength light-emitting diode (LED) devices using low-cost silicon wafer substrates were demonstrated by RoseStreet Labs. The company says its technology will find a home in the rapidly growing global LED lighting market where energy efficiency, low cost, and miniaturization are critical product characteristics. The technology, which enables green and longer-wavelength LEDs out to 575 nm, is a significant milestone considering that such longer-wavelength nitride-based LEDs have, until now, been challenging to fabricate compared to blue and ultraviolet (UV) LEDs due to decreasing quantum efficiencies.
The RoseStreet Labs (RSL) LEDs are based on the company's proprietary thin-film indium gallium nitride (InGaN) on silicon technology already used for high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) applications and power devices. The LED devices are fabricated utilizing commercial-scale deposition tools at RSL's Nitride Research Center in Phoenix, AZ; the silicon substrates have a substantial cost advantage over the more traditional sapphire or silicon-carbide substrates typically used in LED fabrication.

Walls that Glow, Ambient Wallpaper that Illuminates

ARC Energy Delivers 100th LEDs Furnace

Advanced RenewableEnergy Company, LLC (ARC Energy), a provider of innovative c-axis sapphire growth technologies and turnkey solutions for the LED solid-state lighting and other clean energy markets, today announced that it has shipped its 100th CHES Furnace. ARC Energy’s highly automated, leading-edge c-axis sapphire growth technology is generating tremendous demand worldwide, and is being used by leading LED manufacturers throughout Asia.
By significantly increasing material utilization and efficiency for sapphire manufacturers, ARC Energy products enable semiconductor scale production and commercialization of cost effective, large diameter sapphire wafers for LED applications.
Designed specifically for LED applications, ARC Energy’s CHES Furnaces are highly automated “c-axis” growth furnaces that are used to produce sapphire boules. Cores from these crystals are turned into LED wafers, and finally into the High Brightness (HB) and Ultra-High Brightness (UHB) LED chips that are used in LED backlighting, general lighting, and automotive and signage applications. In addition to CHES Furnaces, ARC Energy also offers state-of-the-art turnkey solutions to quickly and efficiently ramp-up production to generate revenue from sapphire products. The end-to-end turnkey solutions and services include setup and installation, training, material handling, inspection, core fabrication and material recycling

Through-hole LEDs target full-color electronic signages

Avago Technologies Inc. has launched three high-brightness oval through-hole LED families—HLMP-Lx75, HLMP-Hx74/75 and HLMP-Ax74/75. The LEDs have matched RGB radiation pattern that is designed to maintain consistent light and uniform color mixing from all viewing angles. This combination enables sharper viewing quality with lower power consumption for full-color electronic signage such as billboards, stadium video screens, building video walls, as well as for simpler roadway and commercial signage.

The World's Greatest Light Bulb

When I drove to the offices of a start-up called Switch Lighting last week, I wasn't expecting much. A company representative had promised to show me something amazing—an alternative light bulb that uses a fraction of the energy of a traditional incandescent bulb and lasts 20 times as long, but that plugs into a standard socket and produces the same warm, yellowish, comforting glow that we're all used to seeing when we flip the switch.

Market's Brightest Oval Through-Hole LED Series Reduce Power Consumption

Avago Technologies, a supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, today announced three series of high-brightness oval through-hole LEDs that set a new performance standard for electronic signage applications. The new HLMP-Lx75, HLMP-Hx74/75 and HLMP-Ax74/75 LEDs deliver industry-leading brightness for oval through-hole LEDs, reducing the current required to drive systems. The LEDs' matched RGB radiation pattern is designed to maintain consistent light and uniform color mixing from all viewing angles. This combination enables sharper viewing quality with lower power consumption for full-color signage such as billboards, stadium video screens, building video walls, as well as for simpler roadway and commercial signage.
The HLMP-Lx75 and HLMP-Hx74/75 LED series offer a typical viewing angle of 40 by 100 degrees, while the HLMP-Ax74/75 LEDs offer 30 by 70 degrees. The wide typical viewing angles and the high luminous intensity of the LEDs deliver optimal performance for outdoor applications. The package epoxy of the LEDs contains UV inhibitor to reduce the effects of long-term exposure to direct sunlight, and the package also offer superior resistance to moisture, providing enhanced durability for outdoor environments. Avago provides design flexibility with the option of shipping tight color and intensity bins, up to 4 nm per bin for the new blue and green LEDs.
The new red AlInGaP LEDs are available at 626-nm dominant wavelength, and the new green InGaN and blue InGaN LEDs are available at 530-nm and 470-nm, respectively. The maximum luminous intensity at 20 mA of the new LEDs is as follows

Outdoor LED Luminaires help minimize light pollution

Suited for parking lots and walkways, Tersen Ratio 1.5 supports 48 LEDs that produce illumination equivalent to 175 W metal halide lamp. Unit has finned shape that serves as both heat sink and architectural statement, and luminaire achieves 50,000-hr life at 1,000 MA with 70% lumen maintenance.

Olney prepares to install new LED traffic lights

A project to replace approximately 170 traffic lights with LED lights is set to be performed this summer. According to information from City Manager Randy Bukas, the city applied for funding to replace the current incandescent bulbs with LED traffic lights. The budgeted costs were $24,958. The city was awarded $9,783 from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Public Sector Energy Saving Program and $13,175 from the federal EECBG.

Residents Aim to 'Light Up' Hilton

The Hilton Neighborhood Association recently celebrated its 16th anniversary by launching a new initiative to improve community safety. “Lighten Up Hilton” is providing all neighborhood residents with free light bulbs to encourage them to keep an exterior light on at night to deter crime. At a work-party held earlier in June, HNA members assembled 300 bags — which also included informational pamphlets from the Maplewood Police Department and letters explaining the program – and distributed them door-to-door. 

SmartWatt Energy Completes Significant LED Lighting Retrofit

SmartWatt Energy, Inc. recently completed a LED lighting retrofit at Americold's temperature-controlled storage facility in Fort Worth, TX resulting in an 86% reduction in total lighting cost. The project, which replaced 319 fixtures, produces higher quality light and gave rise to a utility incentive greater than $46,000 from the local energy provider.
This LED lighting retrofit project will reduce Americold's energy consumption at just its Fort Worth facility by 516,024 kWh and will help it shed 85.92 kW, while resulting in additional cooling savings of more than $17,000. "LEDs are perfectly suited for the cold storage environment," said Ben Stewart, Vice President of West Coast Operations for SmartWatt Energy. "The light is better than with fluorescents, the energy savings are higher and the projects have a greater environmental impact."
"SmartWatt Energy designs projects highly beneficial to cold storage environments," said Fred Walker, Americold's Vice President of Engineering. "We've been able to install fewer fixtures and achieve greater energy savings. We're looking forward to working with SmartWatt Energy on additional projects worldwide."
Americold partnered with SmartWatt Energy's Sacramento, CA office for the Fort Worth project. Earlier this year, SmartWatt Energy completed LED lighting retrofit projects at Americold's Rochelle, IL, Victorville, CA, Allentown, PA, City of Industries, CA and Russellville, AR facilities. SmartWatt Energy teams will be upgrading two additional Americold facilities by the end of July.