Ecology Trend Revolutionizes the Lighting Technologies Market

Technology developers have received a huge boost with the rising thrust given to eco-friendly technologies and regulations introduced by governments throughout the world to ban inefficient light sources such as incandescent lamps. Many countries are encouraging the adoption of energy-saving lighting solutions such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) and are appealing to citizens to use more environment-friendly lighting technologies. By 2012, energy-inefficient light bulbs such as incandescent lamps are likely to be withdrawn from the markets in many countries, which will open new opportunities for CFL, halogen, and LED solutions. “Moreover, encouraged by the continuous interest in electric vehicles (EVs) as well as improvements in lithium-ion battery technology, EVs’ infrastructure is likely to improve with higher numbers of charging stations and more solutions for the recycling of batteries,” says the analyst of this research. “EV will stimulate the integration of compact and energy efficient lighting technologies, thus creating a large market for LED light bulbs.”

However, to increase the uptake of cutting-edge technologies, developers will have to concentrate on technology improvements to decrease the cost and make the solution more competitive than other energy-efficient lighting technologies such as CFL or halogen. In the LED area, demand currently outstrips supplies, which places additional pressure on pricing. To deal with this situation, facilities can either expand their capacities or raise prices. The latter solution, in turn, could possibly lead to suppliers keeping prices artificially high.

Technology developers have not yet explored all the design options to make their lighting technology more efficient and suitable for specific end-user requirements. They also have limited knowledge about various control system solutions that could work together with the lighting. Apart from the cost and awareness issues, the other significant challenges in the development of new technologies are lighting efficacy, thermal management, color rendering index (CRI), dimming possibility, uniformity of colors (mainly in case of architectural and commercial applications), and color stability. Other hindrances include limited range of lighting system components and a lack of knowledge about lighting technologies.

To accelerate adoption rates, lighting developers must resolve technology issues, starting from the chip to additional lighting components such as luminaries, dimmers, lenses, and drivers. Meanwhile, major companies are looking to plug the gap in demand and supply by building new facilities in low-cost regions such as China. The lamp providers also need to educate customers on all the ways that lighting can be made more efficient and make them aware of the impact of proper lighting system on the employees’ efficiency (circadian rhythm). Better knowledge on the circadian rhythm creates a need for a particular type of the light source with higher CRI.

As pro-ecological solutions become increasingly relevant, lighting technology companies are developing lighting control systems for various application areas including buildings, streets, and many others. Such a trend could influence the wider adoption of the LED sources with higher energy efficiency and features such as instant switching on/off or dimmability. “Another trend observed in the lighting industry are bio-dynamic lighting systems,” notes the analyst. “Such systems not only need suitable light sources, but also more advanced control systems to achieve the dynamic modifications in lighting.”


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary
  Executive Summary
       Research Overview
       Methodology
  Key Research Findings
       Summary of Major Findings
       Analysis by Key Applications

Technology and Applications Viewpoint
  Technology Primer (Overview and Definitions)
       Lighting Technologies--Overview 
       Lighting System Components - Overview
       Circadian Rhythm
  Application Viewpoint
       Residential Lighting
       Public Lighting
       Commercial Lighting 
       Industrial Lighting 
       Automotive Lighting
       Display and Digital Signage Lighting
       Signaling

Technology and Market Influence Factors
  Technology Factors
       Technology Drivers 
       Technology Challenges and Restraints
  Market Factors
       Market Drivers
       Market Challenges and Restraints

Technology and Market Analysis
  Technology Foresight 
       Technology Trends
       Technology Roadmap
     Stakeholder and Market Analysis 
          Market Analysis
          Stakeholder Analysis 

Assessment of Research and Innovations
     North America
          Single Semiconductor Material-Based White Light Emission
          LED-Based Lighting System for Automotive Sector 
          Improved OLEDs for Display and General Lighting Area 
          Lighting Systems for Hazardous Areas
          High-Brightness LED-Based Illuminator for Architectural Lighting
          Lighting Control Systems Lead to Energy Savings
          Wireless Mesh Networks for More Efficient Lighting Systems in Buildings 
          LED Module for Easy LED Lighting Adoption
     Europe
          White Light Emission Based on Hybrid Approach
          Correction of Non-linearity for Large Video Displays 
          Analyzing the Spectral Power Distribution of Lighting
          Healthy Lighting Systems
          Intelligent LED Modules for Flexible LED Light System Design
          Improving the OLED Technology
          Computer Visualization for Lighting System Design
          Polycarbonate Optics for LED
     Asia Pacific
          Light Emitting Diode Operating Directly from the AC Power
          Lower Cost Fabrication of Phosphorescent Polymer Organic Light Emitting Diodes
          Color-Tunable LED-Based Light Source 

Patents and Key Contacts
     Overview of Key Patents
          Recent US Patents Assigned to US and European Companies 
          Recent US Patents Assigned to APAC Companies
     Key Participants
          Corporates
          Research Labs

Critical Reference Tables
     Decision Support Database Tables 
          Electricity Consumption--Commercial--World (2004 to 2014)
       Electricity Consumption--Residential--World (2004 to 2014)
       Total Light Vehicles Sales--World (2005 to 2015)
       Number of Educational Facilities--North America (2005 to 2015)