LED Street Lights in Napa California (USA)

Change to LED street lights a money saver    

Thursday June 23, 2011

According to the web-site of the City of Napa (California-USA), the regional utility company (PG&E) has completed phase two of a project converting many of Napa's street lights to light emitting diode (LED) lamps. 131 lights on Trancas, Soscol and Jefferson have been changed in phase two. The new lights will reduce the City’s annual energy costs by approximately $11,000 and reduce long term maintenance and replacement since LEDs last more than twice as long as regular lights. Combined with the phase one LED project, a total of 279 LED lights have been installed generating an annual energy savings of approximately $22,000.  The savings equals more than 7% of the City's $300,000 budget for street lights energy.

European Market Forecast – LED-Based Lamps

According to ElectroniCast, PAR and General Service/Decorative lamps share the lead in market share versus other lamp-types in Europe in 2011

Upper Lake, CA (USA) – June 29, 2011  -- ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market & technology forecast consultancy, today announced their 5-year market forecast of the European consumption of light emitting diode (LED) lamps in solid-state lighting (SSL) General Lighting applications. 

According to the ElectroniCast study  – In 2011, the Parabolic Aluminized Reflector (PAR) LED lamps and General service/Decorative consumer-level bulbs (lamps), are co-leaders of the relative market share of LED-based lamps consumed in Europe. The third-place position is held be Multifaceted reflector (MR) Compatible lamps, followed by street lighting and finally the linear/tube lamp product category.

This market forecast of European consumption is also segmented by three major end-user categories: Government, Commercial/Industrial and Residential/Non-Specific.  “The Commercial/Industrial user category is forecast to lead in terms of market share during the 2010-2015 timeline; however, both the Government and the Residential/Non-Specific sectors are forecast for faster annual growth,” said Stephen Montgomery, president – International Business at ElectroniCast Consultants.

ElectroniCast forecasts that Western Europe will maintain the leadership role in relative market share throughout the forecast period (2010-2015). The consumption value of LED lamps, which are used in SSL General Lighting, in Western Europe reached nearly 46% percent market share in 2010.  LED consumption (value) in Western Europe is forecast to increase at an average annual growth rate of 34.5 percent (2010-2015).

“We forecast that LED Lamp consumption in SSL general lighting in Northern Europe will increase at a slightly faster pace (36%) versus Western Europe.  Both Southern Europe and Eastern Europe are forecast to trail the market leaders; however, Eastern Europe is forecast to grow more than twice as fast as Southern region, pushed along by aggressive projected take-rates, especially in Russia,” Montgomery added.

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This 593-page market forecast report is available immediately from ElectroniCast Consultants (fee $4,200). For detailed information on this or other services provided by ElectroniCast, please contact Theresa Hosking, Marketing/Sales; thosking@electronicastconsultants.com  

ElectroniCast Consultants – www.electronicast.com specializes in forecasting trends in technology forecasting, markets and applications forecasting, strategic planning and consulting. ElectroniCast Consultants, as a technology-based independent forecasting firm, serves industrial companies, trade associations, government agencies, communication and data network companies and the financial community.  Reduction of the risk of major investment decisions is the main benefit provided.  ElectroniCast Consultants’ goal is to understand the challenges and opportunities facing clients and to provide timely, accurate information for strategic planning.

LED lighting has recently received increasing attention

International Energy Agency              According to the International Energy Agency, improving lighting efficiency by 20 percent can reduce total power consumption by 3.8 percent and cut total CO2 emissions by 0.8 percent.  LED lighting has recently received increasing attention due to the phasing out of inefficient lighting and reduction in LED lighting prices. Countries around the world will also be banning the use of traditional lighting sources.

The aim is to encourage use of more energy efficient lighting alternatives, such as compact fluorescent lamp (CFLs) and LED lamps. Brazil and Venezuela started to phase the incandescent out in 2005 and other nations are planning scheduled phase-outs: Australia, Ireland and Switzerland in 2009; Argentina, Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom by 2011; Canada in 2012; the European Union by September 2012, and the United States of America between 2012 and 2014.

Energy consumed by lighting in the UK by an average household takes up 35 percent of their yearly electricity bill. Traditional light bulbs, such as the GLS tungsten, produces 8000 times more green house gases than that of the newest energy efficient lamps.

With a disappearance of traditional light sources we need to find new ways to be eco-friendly in our lighting, while trying to achieve the same types and quality of light for lighting designs. Fluorescents and LED’s have greatly advanced in technology and become superior to the traditional light sources due to the low energy consumption, long lamp life and soft warm light they can create.

Production of Large Diameter Sapphire Wafers

BENSENVILLE, Ill., Jun 23, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN), a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, Semiconductor, and Optical industries, announced two critical milestones that enable its new state-of-the-art facility in Penang, Malaysia to move into volume production of six- and eight-inch polished sapphire wafers.

Rubicon's new Malaysia facility recently completed qualification of its six-inch wafers by a key customer, and also successfully completed an ISO certification audit. Both of these milestones enable the Malaysia facility to move into volume production of six-inch polished wafers, which are in high demand as LED (light emitting diodes) chip manufacturers continue to migrate to larger diameter substrates to realize greater efficiencies. The facility also is capable of processing and polishing eight-inch wafers that Rubicon provides to customers in R&D volumes.

Rubicon's customers demand exceptional quality -- consistently delivered -- and often require vendors to achieve and maintain globally recognized quality standards, such as those set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Rubicon's Malaysia facility recently passed the rigorous audit by ISO inspectors with zero findings and has been recommended for ISO 9001:2008 certification, which is expected to be formally issued upon final review by the registrar.

Most companies in the semi-conductor industry also require vendors to re-qualify products when a new manufacturing facility is opened. Rubicon has been in the re-qualification process with a number of existing customers who have previously purchased six-inch wafers produced in Rubicon's U.S. facility. The Malaysian facility now has qualified with a major customer. The qualification process involves successful production of LED chips on Rubicon six-inch sapphire wafers and rigorous testing of those chips in various applications.

Rubicon's custom equipment and manufacturing processes position the company as the leading provider of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers to manufacturers of LEDs worldwide. Rubicon's Malaysia facility, combined with its new crystal growth facility in Batavia, IL - both leveraging large-diameter sapphire -- were established to deliver the sapphire capacity necessary to support the growing demand for LEDs in the consumer electronics and general lighting industries.

"Our facility in Malaysia further increases our ability to deliver large diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes to customers worldwide," said Raja Parvez, Rubicon President and CEO. "I am very pleased with the progress we have made in the establishing this state-of-the-art facility and am proud of the work our team has done in implementing the same world class systems we maintain in our U.S. operations."

Mr. Parvez continued, "The ability of our new Malaysia operation to fabricate larger diameter high quality, polished wafers perfectly complements our existing large diameter crystal growth capability and makes Rubicon the world's leading vertically integrated provider of large diameter sapphire substrates. The location and capabilities of our manufacturing facilities around the globe minimizes the risk of business interruption while lowering cost and providing proximity to our valued Asian customers."

Rubicon's expansion into Asia demonstrates the company's leadership role in the production of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers. Rubicon currently has the capability to produce polished sapphire wafers up to twelve inches in diameter. The transition to large diameter wafers in LED production has started with several tier one LED companies announcing a move to producing chips on six-inch polished wafers.

About Rubicon Technology Inc.

Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN) is an advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Rubicon is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes, which the Company employs to convert the bulk crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to support next-generation LED, RFIC and optical window applications.

Further information is available at www.rubicon-es2.com

SOURCE: Rubicon Technology

Germany: OLED panels (organic light emitting diodes)

BERLIN and SEOUL, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- German lighting manufacturer OSRAM last week reported new efficiency levels for OLED panels (organic light emitting diodes). A result of German federal R&D funding, OSRAM received a portion of the EUR 100 million made available by 2015. This type of public-private cooperation has helped make Germany the most attractive location in Europe for manufacturers of energy efficient lighting. In fact Royal Philips Electronics announced last month a EUR 40 million investment to increase its production capacity of OLED lighting in Germany. Germany Trade & Invest will have experts at this year's Kintex International LED Expo and OLED Expo 2011 to share the latest opportunities in Germany.

"Germany is Europe's most important market for energy efficient lighting technologies. At the same time, German scientists are already finding solutions to tomorrow's problems. This makes Germany a very attractive location for companies looking to enter this growing industry," said Oliver Seiler, lighting technology expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

German research institutes have earned a global reputation in this field. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), the Institute of Applied Photophysics (IAPP) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) are investing heavily in OLED research. This promising technology is highly efficient, lightweight, flexible and thin, with the ability to emit light in a wide range of colors. Currently the biggest challenges being addressed by researchers are to increase the life cycle of diodes in OLED lighting and to reduce production costs.

OLED lighting is set to change the way we light our homes and workspaces. The flexibility of this technology makes application possibilities virtually endless. OLEDs can be integrated into walls, ceilings, and even windows, as they can be transparent when turned off. And in contrast to the much criticized compact fluorescent bulbs, this type of lighting is more pleasant and does not require time to "warm up", making it an attractive, energy efficient solution for the future.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

       

        Germany Trade & Invest

        Andreas Bilfinger

        Email: andreas.bilfinger@gtai.com

        T: +49(0)30-200099-173

        F: +49(0)30-200099-111

Strategic Partnership: Hella and Hubbell Lighting

PLYMOUTH, Mich., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hella, a global automotive supplier of electronics and lighting, is partnering with Hubbell Lighting to develop and market a non-automotive application of its LED lighting technology in North America.

The strategic partnership between the two companies is defined as a traditional cross-branding relationship in which Hella designs, develops and manufactures the light module or "engine", while Hubbell Lighting markets and distributes the lighting fixture into municipal markets.

The commercial LED light engine is designed for installation into existing cobra head style roadway fixtures. The LED light engine will be manufactured at Hella's facilities in Flora, Illinois.

The Hella LED module will be integrated into Hubbell's RM series roadway fixture at the company's plant in Christiansburg, Va., and also will be marketed as a retrofit kit for existing roadway luminaires. The product is an ideal entrant into the LED roadway market and is intended to replace 150-Watt high-pressure sodium and 175-Watt mercury lamps and fixtures. Hubbell Lighting will manage product marketing and distribution through its global sales network. The companies expect to introduce the new LED product line during the third quarter of 2011.

"We see tremendous growth opportunities for LED lighting in North America," said Steve Lietaert, vice president of program management for Hella Electronics Corporation who announced the partnership during a media briefing at Pine Lake Country Club in suburban Detroit. "LED technology offers an energy-efficient, low maintenance alternative to conventional lighting."

According to Richard Abernethy, vice president of Hubbell Outdoor, Industrial and Emergency Lighting, "The opportunity to retrofit existing street lighting provides municipalities a simple, cost-effective, sustainable solution for the growing need to conserve energy and control maintenance costs."

It is estimated there is an installed base of 34 million streetlights in place in the US. 

Known as an innovator in lighting technology, Hubbell Lighting leads the industry with the first LEED® Silver certified corporate headquarters in the lighting industry, which they located in Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Millennium Campus in Greenville, South Carolina.

About Hella:  Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. develops and manufactures lighting and electronics components and systems for the automotive industry. Its joint venture companies also produce complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems and vehicle electric systems. In addition, Hella has one of the largest automotive aftermarket organizations in the world, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries.

Hella Group sales were $4.98 billion in fiscal year 2009-2010. Hella is one of the top 50 automotive parts suppliers in the world and one of the 100 largest industrial companies in Germany. Nearly 23,000 people work at 70 locations in more than 30 countries, including more than 3,500 research and development engineers and technicians. Additional information is available at www.hella.com.

About Hubbell Lighting:  An industry leader in lighting technology since 1888, Hubbell Lighting, www.hubbelllighting.com is one of the largest lighting fixture manufacturers in North America. The company provides a full range of indoor and outdoor lighting fixture products that serve the commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential markets. Hubbell Lighting brands include Alera Lighting. Architectural Area Lighting, Beacon Products, Columbia Lighting, Compass Products, Devine Lighting, Dual-Lite, HomeStyle Lighting, Hubbell Building Automation, Hubbell Industrial Lighting, Hubbell Outdoor Lighting, Kim Lighting, Kurt Versen, Prescolite, Progress Lighting, Security Lighting, Spaulding Lighting, Sportsliter Solutions, Sterner Lighting Systems, Thomasville Lighting and Whiteway.

LED Lighting: Public Transportation Vehicles Market Forecast (2010-2017)

 

LED-based lamps/devices in public transportation vehicles reached 17.0 million units worldwide in 2010 (a 22% increase over 2009)

 ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market/technology consultancy, announced the release of a new market research study of the global consumption of light emitting diode-lighting lamps/devices used in Public Transportation/Mass-Transit Vehicles.  According to the ElectroniCast report, the global consumption quantity (unit volume) of LED-based lamps/devices in public transportation vehicles reached 17.0 million units worldwide in 2010 (a 22% increase over 2009).

For the purposes of this study, ElectroniCast defines public transportation (public-transit / mass-transit) as a shared passenger transportation service, which is available for use by the general public. Public transportation vehicles, included in this study, are listed below.  Note: aircraft and taxis are not included in this analysis. The LED lighting public transportation vehicles global market is segmented into the following vehicle (type) categories:

• Bus
• Rail and Rapid Transit Vehicles
• Light-Rail, Tram/Trolley/Streetcar
• Rapid Transit/Metro and Subway/Underground
• High-Speed, Commuter/Intercity and Long-Distance
• Ferries/Watercraft

The market forecast is also segmented into the following product-type:

• LED Linear Lamps (Tubes)
• LED-based Back Light Unit (BLU) Bars for LCD Display Screens
• LED Signage/Destination Sign Board Modules
• Other/Miscellaneous LED Lamps and Luminaries                  

 “Market analysis and technology forecasting are complex tasks. Any predictions of the shape and trends of technology and economic movement start from the notion that the germ of what will be important tomorrow is present, although smaller or larger or in a different form, in our environment today. However, taking as a basis for a prediction the assumptions of current, conventional belief creates a set of preconceived notions that can lead to serious mistakes. ElectroniCast, instead, looks to the basic driving forces,” said Jeff D. Montgomery, chairman and founder of ElectroniCast Consultants.

“ElectroniCast then considers customer expectations of near term growth in their application, plus forecasted economic payback of investment, technology trends and changes in government regulations and funding/tax-break legislation/rules in each geographical region, to derive estimated growth rates of quantity and price of each product subset in each application. These forecasted growth rates are combined with the estimated baseline data to obtain the long-range forecasts at the lowest detailed level of each product and application. In this ElectroniCast report, we have covered these issues, by providing information on technology, product supplies, overviews of modes of public transportation, economic and government actions, and so on,” Montgomery added.

According to Electronicast, in 2010 the quantity (volume) of LED-based lamps/devices used in public transportation vehicles reached 17.0 million units.  During the 2010-2017 timeline, ElectroniCast forecasts the quantity consumption will grow at an average annual rate of 28.5 percent, reaching 92.2 million units in 2017 (see Figure).  The market forecast data in the ElectroniCast report refers to consumption for a particular calendar year; therefore, this data is not cumulative data.  

The Asia Pacific region (APAC) American region is forecast to maintain the lead in relative market share throughout the forecast period; however growing at a slightly slower pace than the EMEA region.  In general, the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa countries) has been a bit slower to embrace some of the LED lighting solutions versus other regions; however, the trend is changing and the EMEA consumption is set to increase at a steady pace. 

The America region, especially the United States, loves the automobile with one occupant per car during the commuting process.  However, pushed by many ecological concerns, economical pressures and other factors, the call for public transportation is considered an option for some commuters.  The America region has a relatively high LED product take-rate per vehicle, especially in the United States and Canada.  The America region is forecast to maintain strong growth, especially with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy green-tech stimulus funding and other programs that are supportive of LED-based lighting solutions.  Also, Latin America, with an emerging modernization of public transit in the bus category, will provide new opportunities for LED producers throughout the forecast period.

This 559-page market forecast report is available immediately from ElectroniCast Consultants. For detailed information on this or other services provided by ElectroniCast, please contact Theresa Hosking, Marketing/Sales; thosking@electronicastconsultants.com 

(Telephone/USA: 707/275-9397)

ElectroniCast Consultants – www.electronicast.com specializes in forecasting trends in technology forecasting, markets and applications forecasting, strategic planning and consulting. ElectroniCast Consultants, as a technology-based independent forecasting firm, serves industrial companies, trade associations, government agencies, communications and manufacturing companies, as well as the investment/financial community.  Reduction of the risk of major investment decisions is the main benefit provided.  ElectroniCast Consultants’ goal is to understand the challenges and opportunities facing clients and to provide timely, accurate information for strategic planning.