Lighting Research Center Launches Light and Health Alliance

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched a new collaborative initiative—the Light and Health Alliance—to bridge the science of light and health to practical applications, and to provide objective information based on basic and applied research. The Alliance is led by Dr. Mariana Figueiro, LRC Light and Health Program director and associate professor at Rensselaer.

Light has a profound effect on health and wellbeing, including sleep, alertness, and performance. Humans need to be exposed to a sufficient amount of light of the right spectrum, for a sufficient amount of time, and at the right time, for the circadian system to remain synchronized with the 24-hour day. The LRC is researching light as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including jet lag, Alzheimer’s disease, insomnia and other sleep disorders, seasonal affective disorder and depression. Light can be used to improve sleep, alertness, and performance, along with overall health and wellbeing among the general population, and in populations with rigorous work schedules, such as submariners and night shift nurses. 

“Through this collaborative initiative, we will conduct evaluations, demonstrations, and research projects to develop practical devices and applications using light to improve people’s lives,” said Dr. Figueiro. “We will also hold seminars and present at conferences to educate key audiences and advance attention to light and health.”

The Light and Health Alliance is a collaboration among manufacturers, government organizations and NGOs, codes and standards bodies, along with architects, specifiers, medical facility managers and physicians, working to enable the broad adoption of lighting for human health by producing factual information based on basic and applied research and by visualizing future applications. Acuity Brands, Ketra, OSRAM SYLVANIA, and Philips are current members. Dr. Figueiro is seeking interested organizations to join this innovative program. Please email figuem@rpi.edu for details about becoming a member.

Tips for us how to use LED Flat Panel Light fixture

When bought some led flat panel lights, we should know how to use them correctly. Only by right usage steps, led flat panel light could be maintained and used for a long time. Now, professionals will give us some useful tips on using led flat panel correctly as below:

The first step before you use led panel light is to installation. Don't install led panel light on pin deformation condition. When you are installing it on printing circuit board, you had better keep the same distance between the hole centre of circuit board and the foot centre spacing of led panel light. Because the hole spacing is so wider that welding distortion. When you plug led panel light into PCB board, the hole of PCB board should be made to match the size of led panel light in case of too big or too small. It is recommended to use guide sleeve positioning when installing. You should choose the size of welding pad in according with the type of your led panel light. For double welding pin, each foot of welding pad occupies the area of not less than 4.6 square millimeters. For SMD bracket, each foot of welding plate occupies the area of not less than 1.65 square millimeters. When it comes to welding, you should consider the suitable temperature and time. Please reduce the shock the welding stress to the chip of led thermal to a minimum. Please don't be charged while welding.

When you use led panel light, you must focus on its working condition. The driving current of working should not exceed the maximum current wrote in the specification. It is advised that the drive current keeps between 10 to 20 MA. The ideal temperature of working is negative five to zero. However, it is impossible. Therefore, you had better put a small fan aside the led panel light to disperse the heat, so that it can prolong it lifetime of using.

At the same time, you also should pay attention to the polarity of led panel light. Generally speaking, the longer end of light foot is for positive, while short one is for negative. You should identify carefully if the lame feet are the same long. Don't make heat resistance components close to led panel light as far as possible. Please avoid friction with hard objects such as metals.

In a word, you should know more about the characteristics of your led flat panel light as much as possible, so that you can take reasonable measures of protection when you are using it.

Anchor to Expand LED Lighting Business and Begin Manufacturing in India

Anchor Electricals, a subsidiary of Panasonic India, is reportedly looking to expand its LED lighting business. Last week the company opened an LED lighting experience center in Mumbai and announced plans for a similar center in Bangalore."Our next such showroom will be in Bangalore and we will continue expanding to other major cities in India and hope to increase to 1,000 stores, including distributor and dealer stores, by around FY 2014-15," Anchor Electricals vice president sales Ashok Gangar said. "We will open four distributor stores in Mumbai and gradually spread out to other main urban areas." Gangar further stated that Anchor would soon select a site for a new plant to manufacture LEDs in India, however, he refused to share the details of the location.

Panasonic acquired Anchor, the 49-year-old Indian family-owned electrical equipment brand, in 2007. Anchor sells products like switches, fans, CFL and LEDs and also sells switches under the Panasonic brand, which are priced slightly higher.

"By March next year our turnover would be Rs 2,100 crore and it has almost doubled. In 2007, when Panasonic acquired it, the turnover was around Rs 1,000 crore," he said, adding that it has remained in number one atop the electrical switch gear industry. Currently, 55 percent of the company's revenue comes from this business segment, Gangar noted.

Although, presently the company does not export, Ganger revealed the company has plans to export in next two years to Gulf and Africa. "Till now there is no export from us. But in last few years, changes have happened. Our quality has improved as new technologies are coming from Japan. In next two years, we would start exporting our products to Middle East and Africa under Anchor by Panasonic brand."

2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Headquarters Incorporates Energy- and Maintenance-Saving GE LED Fixtures

LED fixtures at Rio de Janeiro site will save half a million dollars in energy costs compared to fluorescent technology

The modular headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games is the first commercial building in Brazil to adopt GE Lighting’s Lumination™ ET Series Recessed LED Troffer, an ultra-thin fixture as thin as the width of a finger that brings modern styling to traditionally uninspired commercial ceiling spaces.

LED fixtures at Rio de Janeiro site will save half a million dollars in energy costs compared to fluorescent technology.

Approximately 3,000 Lumination ET Series Troffers offer an indoor lighting solution with lower energy consumption, longer life and lower greenhouse emissions resulting from power consumption compared with other options available in the market. The technology will help make the headquarters of 2,000 employees a benchmark in the search for more efficient solutions in the sports field and also will create an important legacy in infrastructure and technology for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.

"LED technology plays a fundamental role in the model that sustains the environmentally conscious construction of the new headquarters for Rio 2016,” says Alexandre Ferrari, general manager of GE Lighting in Brazil. “We worked in partnership with Rio 2016 and the International Olympic Committee to create and enable a solution that combines energy efficiency, innovation and long-term, tangible benefits.”

By opting for the GE LED solution, Rio 2016 will save nearly half a million dollars on its energy bills over the four years the building will be used by the Organizing Committee. During this period, maintenance costs will be marginal, as the fixtures have an 11-year lifespan, approximately 120 percent longer than conventional fluorescent fixtures that last about five years.

"The headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016 is a project that seeks to use best practices in the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and solutions, creating an important and lasting legacy for the Brazilian society,” says Leonardo Gryner, operations general director for Rio 2016, “GE is certainly a strategic partner that contributed directly to achieving the goals of this initiative.”

The innovative design of the Lumination Luminaires allows greater lighting uniformity with fewer lighting points. When illuminated, the Lumination ET Series Recessed LED Troffers produce a perfectly even glow, delivering exceptionally uniform light to fill the space. While off, they appear free of a light source, while fluorescent fixtures are typically visible. The ultra-thin panels (0.5 inches) fit seamlessly in most common T-bar ceiling grids and feature a built-in dimmable LED driver to help make installation less complex and time consuming compared to traditional fixtures. As the Rio 2016 headquarters is a modular construction, the LED solutions will be available for future use after the closing of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The lighting design for this building was completed by Peter Gasper, a well-known lighting designer for several major Brazilian landmarks.

LED technology is part of a range of energy-efficient and lower-environmental-impact solutions provided by GE for the Rio 2016™ headquarters. The company also is responsible for state-of-the-art technologies used in energy security and electrical distribution. The building also uses 25 Uninterruptible Power Supply units supplied by GE Digital Energy, which continue the energy supply for 10 minutes in the event of a failure while the generators are turned on, preventing the interruption of work. Electrical distribution components also have been installed in the building, including circuit breakers, relays, plugs and other equipment from GE Industrial Solutions.

Efficient Technologies

LED technology is part of a range of energy-efficient and lower-environmental-impact solutions provided by GE to for the Rio 2016™ headquarters. The company also is responsible for state-of-the-art technologies used in energy security and electrical distribution. The building also uses 25 Uninterruptible Power Supply units supplied by GE Digital Energy, which continue the energy supply for 10 minutes in the event of a failure while the generators are turned on, preventing the interruption of work. Electrical distribution components also have been installed in the building, including circuit breakers, relays, plugs and other equipment from GE Industrial Solutions.

Both the LED Lumination Luminaires and the UPSs are part of GE’s ecomagination℠ initiative, which helps customers improve operational efficiencies while allowing a significant improvement in their environmental impact.

GE has been an official sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2006. Its commitment to contributing to the quality of the Games led the company to announce, in August 2011, the extension of its sponsorship agreement until the 2020 Games. Since the beginning of this partnership, GE has done more than $1 billion in Olympic-related business.

GE’s Lumination™ LED DownLights Provide Customizable Lighting Design

The first led downlight of GE’s Lumination™ LED Luminaires, the DI Series offers easy customization through an ideal ambient lighting solution for high-end retail, commercial office, and hospitality applications. Featuring the breakthrough design of GE Lighting’s Infusion™ technology, users can easily select their preferred lumen output and color temperature to illuminate key products or focal points with the simple switch of an LED module.

Offering greater flexibility and future-friendly versatility than typical LED downlights, the GE Lumination LED DownLight modules can be quickly and effortlessly removed and upgraded in seconds through a twist-fit design that doesn’t require a fixture change. The Infusion technology provides outstanding efficacy and color rendering—including high R9 values across all color temperatures—which is ideal for retail settings, lobbies and other areas where the color, richness and detail of merchandise and key interest areas can pop.

Source: GE Lighting

Additionally, the energy-efficient DI Series is available in 4- and 6-inch round and square shapes that allow users to choose the perfect light for each application.

“GE Lumination LED Downlights provide dramatic illumination to any store, office or hotel,” said GE Indoor LED Product Manager John Koster. “At the heart of the design is the Infusion DLM downlight module, which uses a unique color-mixing technology to deliver 90+ CRI and very high R9 at all lumen levels and color temperatures without sacrificing efficiency. Better yet, the socketable module allows for easy upgrade as LED technology advances, ensuring the lowest total cost of ownership. Customers will finally be able to upgrade or service just the LEDs—tool-free—without having to change the entire downlight. With lumen package options from 1,000 to 4,000 lumens, the Lumination DI Series truly is the ideal LED alternative to everything from 13-watt CFL to 100-watt metal halide downlights.”

A product of GE ecomagination℠, the LED modules of GE Lighting’s Lumination LED DownLights come in a variety of lumen outputs, color temperatures and offer up to 90 CRI color rendering—ideal for 10-16-foot ceilings. Additionally, the DI Series has a 50,000-hour rated lifetime, providing considerable maintenance savings compared to 20,000-hour rated lifetime for many CFL downlights.

Learn more about Lumination LED lighting fixtures at www.ledpanel-light.com. Read more about GE’s commitment to innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges at www.ecomagination.com.

Why led light tube's 3014 lamp bead will replace 3528 lamp bead?

In the previous year, led light tube of indoor lighting in the industry which is around 0.06w, the ball bubble made most of the 3528 lamp beads, and in the first half of the year is 3014 lamp bead based to use most, using 3014 lights in the market is more attractive, more novel and also continue to strengthen in the competition in the market.

As early as in the first half of 2012, Xin Light electronics, Hong photoelectric, and other enterprises have launched 3014 white light series products, and those led lighting enterprises have also passed the white LED test. In 2013, as the industry growth, in the field of indoor lighting of ball bubble lamp and led light tube warm into the outbreak. The amount of 3014 also continued to rise, has been largely replaced by 3528.

In high LED industry research institute of statistics, in 2012 China LED ball steep light sales breakthrought in 200 million, up 15.8% from a year earlier. China LED bulb sales in 2013-2017 annual compound growth rate at about 66%, up to more than 2.5 billion sales in 2017. And indoor lighting in the ball bubble lamp also is less than the size of the led fiuorescent tube, thus it can be seen both occupied how much market share.

3528 lights in the LED market replaced by 3014 of the main reason: 3014 lights, ball bubble or fluorescent lamp, it has reduced the cost of the luminous flux increased. Moreover, 3014 lights, Which possess the better light rate and price advantage, have better heat dissipation performance and bigger light emittint area. Thus concluded that a long period of time, the use of 3014 lamp as the core source of led lighting tube and bulb is a kind of trend.

Lutron to Widen PhotonStar LED Product Distribution

PhotonStar customers will have the option of ordering many of the company’s high performance LED lighting products with a prewired Lutron Ecosystem driver, straight from the factory.

Lutron’s EcoSystem protocol seamlessly communicates with all Lutron EcoSystem digital controls from the recently launched Energi Tripak solution to the complete building system Quantum and all systems in between.

PhotonStar’s Marketing Director Fenella Frost commenta, “Adding seamless Lutron EcoSystem protocol compatibility as an option on our products is in line with our mission to provide the most reliable and workable control and lighting solutions to our customers. We intend to further deliver on this aim through collaboration with many respected industry leaders.”

Rishang Malaysia to Launch LED Commercial Lightings in Malaysian Market

Rishang LED, the leading manufacturer of LED lighting modules and components in the world and renowned lighting brand, will be launching its wide range of products for the Malaysian market. Marketed through Rishang Malaysia, there will be all types of products that can be used in the commercial lighting sector of the local market segment that will cover commercial and private properties respectively.

Rishang Malaysia is the sole and exclusive distributor for Rishang LED products in Malaysia where the company will be involved in all areas of distribution, marketing, sales and support for the complete product line. This is a significant milestone for Rishang Malaysia which will see the rolling out of all types of commercial lighting modules, LED power supply, components and LED bulbs that are suitable for use in all spaces.

LED or Light-Emitting Diode lights have been one of the fastest growing technologies in the world especially through its known benefits which offer better cost savings in utility bills like electricity. Apart from that, LED lights can operate for a longer time up to 7 times more than conventional lighting. By emitting lesser heat, LED lights help the premise owners to depend less on cooling units like air-conditioning systems which will in the long-run provide more savings and making them the ideal replacement for conventional light bulbs.

Rishang Malaysia will be offering a wide range of LED bulbs in Malaysia which can be used in all types of environments. This product is highly energy-efficient and cost-effective which can be used for lighting, illumination, decoration and any other purposes required. The LED bulbs can be used for spotlights, wall-washers and in display cabinets as well as for customized purposes like garden and outdoor lighting in which the bulbs can be mounted into waterproof enclosures to withstand any type of extreme weather conditions.To launch the campaign, Rishang Malaysia will be bringing in popular modules like LED modules and LED strips for lightboxes and signages in Malaysia. In offering affordable options in this area, business owners who are using lightboxes and signages in their premises have a more economical and beneficial option. Rishang LEDs have been used in many businesses to replace fluorescent bulbs for signage purposes. The brand is currently being used by large corporations and organisations like AIA and the Pavilion Shopping Center in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from that, Rishang LED products are used in retail and convenience stores like 7-Eleven and many others.

Another popular product that business owners can consider through the launch is to replace the current fluorescent lights with Rishang Malaysia’s T5 and T8 LED tubes. These tubes are among the most commonly used and installed in many spaces where the dimension and length are identical. With minor adjustments, business operators can now enjoy up to 50% in electricity savings per month which would be highly advantageous in the long term.

Customers of Rishang Malaysia will enjoy technical support and customer service in terms of installation and on design. Pricing of the products are very competitive and based on the current market rate where bulk purchases will enjoy additional discounts. All Rishang LED products come with 5-years warranty with 1-to-1 exchange against manufacturer’s defects with no questions asked.

As part of this launch, Rishang Malaysia is inviting LED distributors from all regions around Malaysia to apply for exclusive distribution privileges. Entry into this market requires very low capital where Rishang Malaysia will be offering support in all areas. This includes providing the appointed distributor with a website for better online presence and e-commerce facilities for ordering of stock and other services. From there, Rishang Malaysia will facilitate all orders and make arrangements like logistics, delivery and technical support. Meanwhile, Rishang Malaysia will be responsible in the support of the distributor’s network through a well-planned and run advertising and promotions campaign throughout the year to ensure business growth for the partners.

On top of that, Rishang Malaysia is partnering with the Malaysian Advertisers’ Association through a collaborative programme which will be venturing into a major campaign to improve the Association’s services to its members. Rishang Malaysia will work with all parties involved to assist the Association in becoming more relevant and to play a more integral role for the enhancement and strengthening of the Malaysian advertising industry.

EOI Automotive LED Lighting October Revenue Up from Last Year

Following the rise in the automotive electronics market, Excellence Opto. Inc. (EOI) is trying to make a mark for itself in the automotive LED lighting market. The company’s single month consolidated revenue for October reached NT $172 million (US $5.8 million), growth of 46 percent compared to October last year. Accumulated consolidated revenue for Jan.-Oct. was NT $1.38 billion, increase in revenue of NT$ 243 million compared to same period last year with a yearly performance growth of 21.44 percent mainly due to increase in automotive LED lighting module shipments.

Over the past few years, automotive LED applications have become EOI’s new blue ocean market as the company continues developing this niche market. For automotive LED lighting to be manufactured by automotive LED lighting module suppliers, every project must undergo meticulous design and go through stringent TS1649 product quality system and spec certification, due to strict safety regulations. Once entering the automobile OEM’s automotive LED lighting supply chain, the company can then hope to establish stable long term orders. The company’s product gross profit margin has improved since focusing on this niche market.

EOI has maintained their principal of making impeccable products. The company has gradually entered the close industrial supply chain, and manufacturer automotive electronic components which have a lifespan over 10 years. EOI’s long-term  development of automotive industry strategy has lead to revenue growth. Revenue contribution for automotive LED lighting products last year was 60 percent higher than total revenue. Target revenue contribution for this year is expected to rise to 65 percent.

EOI has continued to receive automotive lighting module orders for new vehicles from automotive manufacturers such as Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Audi, and more. The company hopes to become the biggest benefactor from automotive LED lighting market growth. 

It's Time for the LED industry to Tackle Compatibility

The story behind LED development—only the 4th lighting technology developed in human history—is remarkable. The potential ahead of LED lighting to deliver real and measurable advantages—to save energy, last years longer, significantly lower bottom-line costs—is limitless.  But for it to be the next great defining feature of the lighting landscape, LED lighting needs to work.

Yes, work. That’s precisely the question LED end-users, specifiers, designers, utilities and regulatory agencies ask themselves before adopting LED options for their stores and retail fronts, offices and homes. Will these alternative lighting offerings achieve what they promise?

And the simple, scary truth facing the LED industry today is often, there’s no guarantee they will.

Today, legacy infrastructure—the transformers, fixtures, and control devices already incorporated into built environments—creates unique and challenging compatibility interferences with widespread LED adoption.  

What we’ve seen to date in our current, ongoing preliminary phase of LED adoption is “plug and play” applications--a customer simply installs an LED bulb into an existing fixture. Sometimes that fixture works with the LED bulb’s mechanical, electric, and thermal requirements; sometimes it doesn’t; and sometimes there are mixed results. The effect? Consumer uncertainty.  

Any new technology only has a small window to prove its value. Second chances with first impressions do not exist—which is why in any market; it’s essential to capitalize on the moment of market introduction. It’s an opportunity—and a test—to gain the trust of the consumer on the first try.  

The LED industry, peers, partners, and competitors, must work together to ensure full compatibility with the millions of lamps, dimmers, transformers, and fixtures on the market.

When looking at the compatibility problem, there are three separate issues to address: 1. Electrical compatibility; 2. Mechanical compatibility; and 3. Thermal compatibility.  

Electric Compatibility. Common voltages in lighting systems are significantly higher than LED requirements. As a result, the transformer and dimmers often don’t operate consistently, or properly.  Frequently this causes the LED to flicker and dim erratically, one lamp powering off before another, or the LED not even powering on at all.

Mechanical Compatibility. Problems arise when LEDs do not match the size and dimensions of traditional lamps.  It’s simply a matter of fitting a square into a round hole—the LED does not fix the legacy fixture’s width or height.

Thermal Compatibility. Traditional light sources and LEDs operate at dramatically different temperatures.  While some halogen lamps operate at 200 degrees Celsius, LED lamps must operate between a specific thermal temperature to ensure long life and safety standards.  In much of the legacy fixture infrastructure, there’s no means to dissipate heat in the bulb design.  

Let me be clear. Compatibility is the number one compelling problem facing the entire LED industry today. No end-user, designer, specifier will–or should—care what promises and potential LED technology holds in the future, if it doesn’t meet their needs in the present.

So while others keep the issue in the dark, Ledzworld works to guarantee our technology fits legacy lighting infrastructure. How? By proofing every one of our LED solutions against hundreds of the most commonly used dimmer, transformer and fixture applications.  It’s painstaking work, but it’s this behind-the-scenes effort that gives our customers the peace of mind they need, and deserve.

We’re also innovating LED drivers that guarantee our lamps are hassle-free, and work seamlessly on a wide range of magnetic and electric transformers and in combination with commonplace dimmers.

Recently, the company launched a breakthrough MR16 LED lamp with our patented Chameleon driver.  The Chameleon driver self adjusts to its environment by first detecting the transformer type, then analyzing its waveform, and finally adjusting itself to make a perfect electrical fit with that particular transformer. This innovative driver makes the company's MR16 LED retrofit lamps truly "plug and play" devices that can be used in a wide variety of transformer and dimmer combinations.  Anywhere, every time.

What’s more, the CTR functionality implemented in Ledzworld's Chameleon driver design also provides an intelligent temperature control monitoring system. The temperature control system acts as a watchdog by continuously measuring the ambient temperature inside the driver compartment by utilizing a built-in thermal sensor embedded into the Chameleon driver chipset.

Bottom-line, our lamps work on the spectrum of magnetic transformers, in combination with most commonly used leading edge dimmers, and with a large variety of electronic transformers paired with commonly used trailing edge dimmers.

Ledzworld set out to revolutionize the lighting industry with one unshakable commitment: to develop, design, and manufacture LED lighting that meets—and exceeds—all LED technology expectations. But that starts with ensuring that our technologically progressive, best-in-class lamps work as well with older infrastructure as they do with the new.  

So that a few bad actors don’t spoil LEDs reputation, it’s time for the entire LED industry to tackle compatibility, together.  

China Electric Enters LED Lighting Field with Takeover of GIO Optoelectronics

China Electric Manufacturing Corp. has announced its acquisition of GIO Optoelectronics Corp. in hopes to meet their operation goal of increasing LED lighting revenue share by 20 percent next year. The company announced yesterday its acquisition of 160 million shares at NT $ 0.8 per share with allocated funds reaching NT $83.9 million. Main shareholder of GIO, Chimei Corp. sold its 39.2 percent stake to China Electric and relinquished chairmanship. China Electric will join GIO in LED lighting product R&D, but will not interfere with the company’s operations.

With poor tablet manufacturing prices this year, China Electric has slashed backlight application prices. The company has therefore temporarily ceased OEM for backlight applications due to low profitability, leading to a drop in operation revenue for the year. October consolidated revenue reached NT $207 million, a yearly decrease of 63.24 percent. Consolidated revenue for the first 10 months of 2013 was NT $2.77 billion, a yearly decrease of 53.24 percent.

China Electric’s lighting brand TOA is a conventional lighting leader in Taiwan.

Intematix Introduces Remote Phosphor Product for 150W LED Retrofit Lamps

Intematix Corp, a leading innovator of patented phosphor solutions for high-quality LED lighting, today announced the volume shipments of their remote phosphor component that enables 150W equivalent LED retrofit lamps. This production release adds to the product family already enabling 40W, 60W, 75W and 100W bulb replacements all using a similar omnidirectional form factor.

As global government regulations phase out incandescent lamps, these remote phosphor components streamline access to high quality, efficient lighting in these popular lumen output ranges for use in residential and commercial applications. In addition, this innovative form factor delivers an incandescent-like 325 degree light distribution pattern in contrast to many LED replacement bulbs on the market.

“By applying this remote phosphor technology to the high end of the light bulb output range, we show 38% higher lumen output than bulbs available today,” said Julian Carey, Senior Director of Strategic Marketing at Intematix. “We are already seeing newly available, 2200-plus lumen LED light bulbs worldwide using this technology.”

Remote phosphor is a lighting system architecture where a separate phosphor component is powered by blue LEDs. LED light bulbs use this architecture and the increased light extraction it enables to reduce LED component count and costs. Lighting uniformity and consistency are also improved and supply chains are simplified. Intematix has launched this specific ChromaLit® Contour product with a light bulb reference design that includes the following features:

• Three-way switching mode up to 2200 lumens
• 2700K, 3000K & 5000K color temperature options
• Standard color rendering options of 80 and 90CRI
• 30 watts power consumption
• 325 degree, omni-directional light meeting ENERGY STAR® requirements
• Up to 25,000 hour lifetime
• 150W equivalent LED light bulbs utilizing Intematix’s patented ChromaLit remote phosphor are now available at major US retail outlets. 

Japanese LED Market Size Doubles

Over the past few years, Japan has seen an upsurge in energy conservation awareness. In the wake of the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, the government has even proposed plans for a “low-carbon society”. LED products have since experienced rapid popularization becoming the poster child for energy saving products. A recent survey shows the Japanese LED market size will undergo explosive growth in 2012 of 195 percent to $420.4 billion Japanese yen (US $4.2 billion),as reported by Liberty Times.

The LED market experience exponential growth last year according to Yano Research’s “2013 LED Lighting Market Research Findings” as published in a Japanese media source. The market this year continues to have high energy saving demands. Driven by LED market’s rapid growth, it is forecasted that the market scale for general lighting products will increase.

High popularization for energy saving efficiency

The main selling point of LEDs is that they save around 40 percent more electricity than florescent bulbs with a lifespan of more than 40,000 hours, which comes to over 10 years. In highly energy conscience Japan, popularization of LEDs began much earlier  than other countries with various related merchandise available on the shelves of home appliance hypermarkets.

The Chinese LED lighting market in comparison has only just begun popularization this year. Chinese LED lighting demands could increase in 2015 to $100 billion yen  according to forecasts by market research companies. Japanese manufacturers hope to take advantage of the opportunity and snare a large chunk of the Chinese market.

Competition is becoming fiercer with the increasing number of companies  entering LED lighting. Companies are straining to accelerate development of product distinction from their competitors to keep the market from transforming into pure price competition. LED lamps are no longer just lighting fixtures, but value added interior decoration pieces with aesthetic design and functional value. 

Japanese LED manufacture Koizumi has recently released the industry’s first lighting simulation app called Virtual Lighting Design where users can pick from various locations (bedroom, entrance hall, and hallway), room size, material for flooring and walls, and more to test LED lighting luminosity before deciding to purchase products.

The LED lighting market is expected to continually expand, but whether companies will be able to release products with features aside from energy-efficient and long-life products will become an important condition for companies vying for market share.

Guangdong Still Under LED Industry Oversupply Pressure

China’s National Development and Reform Commission and others announced the country’s latest strategic new industry development report at the China Hi-tech Fair on Nov. 16, 2013. Most industries remain small in Guangdong Province’s eight strategic new industries, according to the province’s latest strategic new industry report.

Strategic new industry sizes in Guangdong Province remained small, due to difficulties in expanding the domestic market and other factors. Different levels of oversupply issues have surfaced in the LED and photovoltaic industry. In addition, innovative technologies are mostly still at the stage of tracking and imitation, and lacks core technologies developed in-house. Take the Guangdong Province for example, on the surface it is a livid and rising industry, but in reality the industry’s future is in the hands of large companies, such as Google and Qualcomm that have control over operation system and core chip technologies.

Shenzhen strategic new industry is also facing lack of core technology. In addition, the city’s report also admitted nurturing a market is a long and tedious road, and tension in the industry’s developable space is also affecting potential development. 

PIDA’s Unveils Top 10 LED Lighting Manufacturers List

Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA) compiled a list of the top 10 global LED lighting manufactures, according to Economic Daily News, with international heavy weights Philips, Osram, and Panasonic among the top three. No Taiwanese manufacturers made the list. Taiwanese lighting brands currently include China Electric, Everlight, Delta, Tatung, Adata, Tsannkuen, and Leotek.

PIDA top 10 global LED lighting manufacturers in order are Philips, Osram, Panasonic, Toshiba, Cree, ENDO, Zumtobel, Koizumi, Iris Ohyama, and Sharp. Global LED lighting output value reached NT $11.5 billion (US $390 million) with a penetration rate of 11 percent

PIDA looks optimistically on business opportunities in the start of 2014, when Europe and North America markets begin to replace most commonly used 40-60W incandescent bulbs in households. Global LED market penetration rates were pushed up by U.S. companies that have slowly switched from conventional lighting to LED, such as GE, and by domestic Chinese manufacturers and OEMs that are global powerhouses for lighting manufacturing. Taiwanese manufacturers are all rushing to grasp this business opportunity whether it is through their own brands or as OEMs. 

Technical Consumer Products Introduces LED Home Lighting System

Technical Consumer Products, Inc announced the immediate purchase availability of its new smart home LED lighting system. Connected by TCP™ utilizes LED technology that operates on a home’s Wi-Fi network and is controlled by any iOS or Android-enabled device, allowing instant control of any home or business lighting system.

“In today’s smart device driven society, phones and tablets enable us to control several aspects of our personal and professional lives”
“In today’s smart device driven society, phones and tablets enable us to control several aspects of our personal and professional lives,” said Ellis Yan, Founder and CEO of TCP. “With the combined power of Connected by TCP and any smart device, our customers can now enjoy the performance of LED technology in the palms of their hands. As technology advances, we believe everyone’s lighting should get smarter too.”

Connected by TCP is powered by GreenWave Reality’s award-winning cloud-based Home2Cloud platform providing a smart home infrastructure that makes it easy to combine everyday household items, and make setup fast and simple. By linking to a home’s existing Wi-Fi network, users can easily program a LED lighting system to turn on and off while arriving or leaving the house, or dim the bulbs to create the desired ambience. Connected by TCP also enables users to create a Smart Control routine using free app software that will automate the bulbs to a personalized setting to be used at any time during the day or evening. The smart routine can be programmed for any time period and used while home and away.

When compared to incandescent lighting, LED light bulbs utilize 80 percent less energy and have an average lifespan of over 10 years. With the use of Connected by TCP home and business owners can eliminate the need for light dimmer switches and save on energy costs.
The Connected by TCP kit includes: three A-Lamp 11 watt 800 Lumen LED bulbs (60 watt equivalent), one Greenwave Gateway – providing anywhere access – one Gateway power supply, one remote control with batteries that can be used in addition to any smart device, one LAN cable, free downloadable app software, and installation instructions.

Roadblocks for Chinese LED Manufacturers to Overcome

Quotes/ Perspectives from LEDinside： 

"Consumers have only heard about LED lights, but do not really understand its benefits. Aside from energy saving benefits, the lights also have exceptionally long lifetime...Our long term goal is to lead Chinese enterprises out of China and introduce them to the world." -Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside.

In the midst of China’s tightening natural resources, serious environmental pollution, degrading ecosystems, society is increasingly focused on the “beautiful China, ecological civilization, and green development.” The LED technology has become an emerging industry comprised of a two core business strategies, a new generation of communication technologies and energy saving technology. LED companies in lighting, display and backlight industry have sprung out like young bamboo shoots after spring showers. 

However, the industry’s development has not been a smooth ride. Foreign manufacturers have monopolized the technology market in China. The industry in China also faces challenges of being overtly small, incomplete supply chains, and oversupply in the midstream and downstream markets. Despite being the “star” of the era, the industry is facing a bottleneck. How can companies cope pragmatically during an industry low tide? How should social awareness change to create a better environment for industry development? How can the Chinese government speed up industry standardization and corresponding development policies?

Recently, LEDinside Director Roger Chu and Lawrence Lin, Marketing and Sales General Manager at MLS were invited as guest speakers to “China’s Positive Energy” (literal translation), a TV program produced by Xinhuanet. The two shared insights on LED green lighting industry. 

Below are excerpts from the interview:

TV host: LED has been viewed as the “green lighting” of the 21st century. It has naturally become the focus of society since the day it was made and continues to be appraised. LED advantages and its groundbreaking technological progress has earned it the honorable title of “the fourth revolution in human lighting history.”

Lawrence Lin: The LED lighting era might be similar to a saying from the “Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin”—“After Qin Dynasty collapsed everyone came fighting over the kingdom. However, only the most talented and fastest won the kingdom.” It can be foreseen that the LED industry will be able to quickly replace Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) in the near future.

Lawrence Lin,Marketing and Sales General  Manager at MLS speaking on the "China's  Postive Energy" TV show, the hostess listens attentively as he explains the questions. Roger  Chu, Director of LEDinside straightens his tie as the MLS manager speaks. Front left:  Xinhuanet TV host. Front right: Lawrence Lin, Marketing and Sales General  Manager at  MLS. Back left: Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside. (LEDinside)

TV Host: However, conceptual, innovative, or R&D waves in the LED industry have failed to introduce the technology to ordinary homes.

Lawrence Lin: The global LED lighting market penetration rate is less than 10 percent, which means the industry still has 90 percent of room for growth.

TV Host: What challenges and changes will the LED industry face when it enters the lighting market? Compared to traditional lighting, what are some of its incomparable advantages? 

Roger Chu, Director of LEDinside at the TV show interview. (LEDinside)

Roger Chu: Consumers have only heard about LED lights, but do not really understand its benefits. Aside from energy saving benefits, the lights also have exceptionally long lifetime.

TV Host: Over a long 16 year period, the LED world of large enterprises was built on top of dreams, defeats, and silent reflections. How should these enterprises deal with the industry low tide pragmatically, and find innovative development opportunities?

Lawrence Lin: Government policy support is one option, the other is urbanization projects in China. Objectively, there are massive numbers of urbanization projects in the country. On its own, these offer a huge momentum for lighting demands. 

We are confident that in the next two to three years, we will be able to build a LED lighting enterprise worth millions of Renminbi.

Roger Chu: Our long term goal is to lead Chinese enterprises out of China and introduce them to the world.

TI Floating Switch Architecture Transforms Offline LED Drive Design

Texas Instruments introduced the industry's first floating switch architecture that simplifies the offline linear drive of LEDs in lamps, downlights and fixtures. The AC switched matrix technique features TI's TPS92411 floating MOSFET switch and is an innovative approach to producing low-ripple LED drive current without magnetic components. The architecture provides excellent compatibility with legacy wall dimmers and delivers high power factor and low total harmonic distortion (THD). For more information, samples and evaluation modules, visit www.ti.com/tps92411-pr.

Texas Instruments (TI) new floating switch architecture. (LEDinside/ Texas Instruments)

Flyback, buck and boost converters are common switch-mode power supply (SMPS) topologies in LED lamps today. These circuits operate at high frequencies and require inductive components to turn mains AC current into the constant DC current necessary to drive LEDs. Selection of inductors and transformers for power transfer is complicated, often requiring expensive custom components. In addition, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter consisting of four to ten passive components is required to prevent the SMPS circuit from harming other electronic equipment. If phase dimming is required, multiple design iterations may be necessary to optimize dimmer compatibility and prevent LED flicker.

The floating switch architecture with TI's TPS92411 overcomes these challenges. It requires no inductive components for power transfer, eliminating cost and bulk and simplifying design. 

Key features and benefits of TPS92411:

• 100-V, 2-Ohm floating MOSFET switch with 350 mA of current capability
• LED drive performance is comparable to traditional flyback, buck and boost converters:
• Greater than 0.95 power factor.
• Less than 15 percent of total harmonic distortion.
• Low LED current ripple results in efficient LED utilization as compared with "tapped linear" drivers.
• Low-frequency, slew-rate controlled switch action produces very little EMI noise.
• Unlike designs using traditional converters, the very low-cost floating switch architecture requires no inductive components.
• Works well with both TRIAC and reverse phase wall dimmers.
• Supports lighting designs up to 70 W.
• Availability, packaging and pricing 
• Available now in volume from TI and its authorized distributors, the TPS92411 is offered in a 5-pin SOT-23 package priced at US$0.23 each in 1,000-unit quantities. An evaluation module is offered at $75.00. The TPS92411 in an 8-pin PowerPad™ SOIC package will be available in the first quarter of 2014.

Tools and support:

• Order the TPS92411 light engine evaluation module.
• Download the TPS92411 design calculator tools: 120V or 230V.

Rare earth prices soared weaken competitors, LED energy-saving lamps like LED Commercial Lighting took the opportunity to take off

The same as energy-saving light-emitting materials, the situation of earth fluorescent and LED is quite different-the latter sales rose, the former sharp contracted. The industry believes that the rare earth luminescent materials market's downturn provides an opportunity for expanding LED such as led down lighting fixture, led tube light fixture and led recessed ceiling panel lights.

Luminescent materials has gone through the incandescent lamp, energy saving lamp era, however, energy-saving lamps have halogen powder, rare earth fluorescent and LED lights like  retrofit led downlights, led light tube t8 and panel light led (also used rare earth, but only one thousandth of rare earth fluorescent). Rare earth fluorescent plays an important role in the alternative to traditional incandescent fluorescent, first-generation halogen powder energy-saving lamps. According to the data of Shanghai Illuminating Engineering Society, the current rare earth fluorescent lighting accounts for 70% market share in large cities.

However, this pattern is changing slowly. Reporters recently learned from Ganzhou Rare Earth  international forum and other channels that rare earth luminescent materials (more than 90% of rare earth fluorescent) sales of 4,500 tons in 2012, fell 43.8 percent as 8,000 tons in 2011;  first half of 2013, the sales of rare earth luminescent materials unchanged from last year.

According to market data shows that in 2012, the third generation of its competitors in energy-saving lamps LED total sales rose nearly 34%. The most noteworthy is that the LED (especially led down lighting fixture) in the less competitive civilian market erupted. 

At the first half of 2013, LED civilian market sales covering led down lighting fixture, led tube lamp and led light panel and sales grew more than 150% and 300%.

As a new generation of energy-saving light, the price of LED light such as led down lighting fixture is 6-10 times higher than the same lighting efficacy rare earth fluorescent, but LED lamp's energy-saving effect is better. it's much cost-effective to install led for large power consumption in public places.

In addition, the manufacture's quotation of rare earth fluorescent increases with the increasing rise fall with rare earth rare earth prices rocketed and rapid decline, however, the magnitude of price increases fast and frequent gradually shaken the confidence of customers, which resulting in orders plummeted.

Lighting Society director said, "Now the operating of rare earth fluorescent lamp industry is only four or five percent, businesses starting and stopping is the norm, very bad time. Now is the winter, the time the industry should hold together."

Rare CFL encounter crises nurturing a rare opportunity for rising of LED. Reporters learned that some manufacturers converting from rare earth fluorescent to LED. "Before 2011, the industry expected that the time to replace rare earth energy-saving lamps to LED light is 10 years, and now it seems do not need so long." Lighting Society said.

EarthTronics Offers Dimmable Floodlights For Precise Lighting Control And Energy Savings

EarthTronics introduces PAR20, PAR30 and PAR38 EarthBulb LED floodlights which offer more than 80 percent savings compared to standard floodlights.  EarthTronics dimming technology provides smooth dimming to less than 5 percent on standard controls.  EarthBulb LED PAR lamps are ideal for use in display lighting, track lighting and recessed lighting applications for hospitality, restaurant, long-term care and retail locations.

EarthBulb LED PAR20, PAR30 and PAR38 provide 300, 750, 1000 lumens respectively and replace 50 watt, 75 watt and 90 watt incandescent floodlights.  EarthBulb LED PAR lamps are designed with the same form factor as the PAR lamps that they are replacing. 

Each of the EarthBulb LED PAR floodlights offers:
•    3000K white light with high color rendering rating of greater than 80.
•    Single chip LED design is ascetically pleasing.
•    Medium screw base (E26) for easy installation.
•    40 degree and 25 degree light beam angles are available.
•    Advanced LED cooling system to ensure performance for up to 40,000 hours.
•    Three-year standard Energy Star warranty.