light express

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4 | March-April 2015 | lightexpress

Delight is a new generation modularlighting fixture designed for streetlighting. The system is designed forME, ME2 and ME3 road classes. Themodular system is designed andoptimized to achieve best lightingdistribution on the street. Only withincreasing the number of modulesused on the fixtures, the require-ments for different type of roads canbe met. It also provides superiorthermal management and lightingresults with Milestone® which ispatented LED module of Heper.

Delight is a product family and thisfamily consist of five versions withthe numbers of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8Milestone®. The LED moduleMilestone® has an optic system

DELIGHT: AWARD WINNER LIGHTINGSOLUTION OF THE STREETS

which designed for asymmetric lightdistribution for illuminating streets inaccordance with DIN EN 13201. Thesystem has excellent glare reductionand homogeneity due to the usageof specially designed reflectortechnology by Heper engineers. LEDmodules also enable easy mainte-nance of the product by a separateintervention in case of a breakdown.Furthermore, both fixture of Delightand LED module Milestone® havethe ingress protection with IP66.

Milestone® has a corrosion resistantdie-cast aluminum housingproviding an optimized thermalmanagement system. The uniqueform of the LED module acts as aheat sink that can resist high

temperature up to 50°C and hard weather conditions.

Delight with the patented Milestone® LED module performs superior lightingquality. These unique features of the product have brought Good DesignAward in Design Turkey Industrial Design Awards 2014.Product catalog can be downloaded from the website:

http://www.heper.eu/en/downloads

HEPERwww.heper.euwww.hepergroup.com


“I wanted to create a functional product that was part sculpture, that wastruly beautiful even with the lights off, that would allow beguiling combina-tions capable of creating a fantastic panorama of lights and shapes”. KarimRashid

Fluid, liquid, emphatic, glamorous.

This collection that recalls a row of trumpets lined like bunting stems fromKarim Rashid's brilliant imagination. Organic shapes that create a fantasticpanorama of lights and shapes.

Nafir touches upon the sculptural theme: available stand-alone or in groupsof threes (a textured and flowing osmosis of 3 lampshades) and illuminatedby LED technology, it is just as enchanting with the lights off.The designer sketched them while thinking of light as a complement tomusic, imagining a fluid surface pulled upwards in several places: the three-dimensional handling of the surface, little by little, took shape and began itstransformation into an object that resembles a trumpet.

Nafir's fluid and dynamic shape is intended to be the expression of lightitself, as if the casing wanted to become/appear an integral part of what itcontains, while also expressing the idea that light, like music, is pureemotion. Its name is also a tribute to music: Indeed, the term Nafir is used toindicate a small North African trumpet, without pistons, used to obtainespecially acute sounds.

Nafir is designed to allow the creation and customisation of an endlessnumber of compositions suitable both for residential and contract use. Atriumph of vitality and an unmistakable sign for a fabulous collection of lampsthat remains the crux of the purest refinement.

Nafir is made of white injection moulded plastic and is available in threedifferent colours: chrome exterior/white interior, white exterior/gold interiorand white exterior/white interior. The canopies are made of the same materialas the lamp and with the same colours and finishes. Dimensions: singleversion Ø20 cm x H. trumpet 30 cm / total suspension height 180 cm –triple version - overall dimension of approximately 50 cm in Ø x H. trumpets30 cm / total suspension height 180 cm.

From 2013 Nafir is available also in the ceiling (one or three lights) and in therecessed downlight (three lights) versions.

The light source is GU10 LED which guarantees excellent performance levelsin terms of energy savings and is readily available in shops.

Nafir – Pure imaginationDesign Karim Rashid


The worlds of design,technology, controls andsystems integration converge

in an incomparable presentation ofinnovation and education—all in theglobal celebration of lightingadvancement that is LIGHTFAIR®International (LFI®) 2015 May 3-7 inNew York’s Javits Center.

The 26th staging of the world’slargest annual architectural andcommercial lighting trade show andconference will see an expandedtrade show floor showcasing morethan 500 exhibiting companiespresenting the industry’s newestand most advanced products andtechnologies to an expansiveattendee population of lightingdesigners, specifiers, architects,consultants and engineers fromaround the world. LFI 2015 categoryexpansions include alternativeenergy, solar power, software,

exterior and roadway, digitalsignage, healthcare and hospitality.

Augmenting the trade showexperience is the LFI 2015 Confer-ence, which will feature more than140 speakers, the new LFI Controls& Connectivity Forum and theinauguration of shorter, 30- and 60-minute course options to comple-ment its seminars, workshops,Forum and Lunch & Learn sessions.

The LFI Conference continues to bethe global stage for innovativeknowledge and ideas of the future,with experts from around the worldleading courses on the mostcutting-edge topics in lighting,technology and design. There are 78course offerings in 2015, allconnected to the central theme ofintegrated design. The focus areas/tracks are inspiration, applicationsresearch, technology & tools and

LIGHTFAIR® International 2015 StagesGlobal Connection for Integrated Design

methodology.

Preceding and setting the stage forthe trade show opening, theprestigious LFI Innovation Awards®will highlight the industry’s mostinnovative products and designsintroduced during the last 12months. The presentation takesplace on May 5 beginning at 8:30a.m., and the LFI trade show floorwill open at 10 a.m. A full scheduleof events will take place from May 3-7 including keynotes, an impactspeaker series, networking events,giveaways, industry updates andexhibitor presentations.

The Pre-Conference LIGHTFAIRInstitute® and LIGHTFAIR Conferenceprogram includes 11 Institutecourses, 15 Institute workshops, 29seminars, two Conference work-shops, five Forum seminars, 12 60-minute sessions, two 30-minute

Power Lunches and two Lunch &Learn seminars – totaling more than210 hours with accreditation.

Visit http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/index.cvn?id=10266 for coursedetails, speaker bios and additionalinformation about the LIGHTFAIRInternational 2015 Conference.For LIGHTFAIR International 2015, thePre-Conference program will takeplace from Sunday, May 3 –Monday, May 4, 2015 and the LFITrade Show and Conference will runfrom Tuesday, May 5 – Thursday,May 7, 2015. For more informationabout LIGHTFAIR International, pleasevisit LIGHTFAIR.COM.

LIGHTFAIR® International is theworld’s largest annual architecturaland commercial lighting trade showand conference and is sponsoredby the Illuminating EngineeringSociety (IES) and the InternationalAssociation of Lighting Designers(IALD). The event is produced andmanaged by AMC, Inc.


Energy efficiency saved US$743billion in 2011, with investments inthe sector worth between US$310-360 billion in 2012. These findingscome from the just released EnergyEfficiency Market Report 2014, bythe International Energy Agency(IEA).

From energy-saving LED lights tosmarter homes, appliances and cars,energy efficiency is a boomingmarket.

The IEA calculates that in 2012,investments in this sector wereworth at least US$310 billion, upfrom the US$300 billion estimatedfor the previous year. In the 11countries scrutinized in IEA’ssecond annual report on thesubject, energy efficiency spendingtotaled more than US$38 billion in2012.

LED lights in particular are one of themost promising markets that makeup the emerging sector. In Japan,LED sales reached US$5.2 billion lastyear, representing almost one thirdof all bulbs sold in the country,while India is forecast to have acumulative total of almost 34 millionLED bulbs by the end of this year.

IEA states the growth in the energyefficiency market is partly due toinvestments through public finance,especially in Germany, as well asdevelopment aid programs. Thesegment is also benefiting fromspecific instruments such as climatebonds and energy service compa-nies, the latter of which totaledUS$12 billion in China last year.

ENERGY SAVINGSThe report also calculates that the

energy savings of the 11 countriesfrom the 1970s to 2011 was 1,337million tons of oil-equivalent (Mtoe).This figure is more than half (59%) ofthe total final consumption (TFC) ofall fuel sources in all 11 countries.

In fact, the total avoided energy useis higher than the TFC of any singlefuel source. In the same time span,these countries consumed 1,202Mtoe of oil, 552 Mtoe of electricityand 509 Mtoe of natural gas.

From a regional point of view, theenergy efficiency savings were largerthan the TFC of the European Unionor Asia, excluding China. Energyefficiency was 80% of TFC in China,and 87% in the US.

Maria van der Hoeven, ExecutiveDirector, IEA, explained energyefficiency is now becoming anestablished market, at the launch ofthe report in Italy this week: “Energyefficiency is the invisible power-house in IEA countries and beyond,working behind the scenes toimprove our energy security, lowerour energy bills and move us closerto reaching our climate goals,”

FUEL PRICE RISES

The report also analyzes energydemand in 18 IEA countries, whichtogether make up one third ofglobal TFC. From 2001 to 2011, theTFC of these 18 countries wasreduced by 5% largely due toenergy efficiency, saving 1,731 Mtoein just 10 years. On the contrary,without energy efficiency the TFCwould have increased by more than11%.

In the residential sector in particular,

despite a fast-growing globalpopulation, efficiency helped cutenergy demand 5% over 10 yearsthrough measures like improvingspace heating and better lighting.On top of curbing problems relatingto surging energy demand, theenergy saving potential of efficiencyis also crucial at a time when fuelprices are rising around the world,with costs jumping as high as 52%from 2001-2011 in the US.However, expanding the research

THE WORLD’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY MARKET ISAN “INVISIBLE POWERHOUSE” WORTH UP TO$360 BILLION

ing to the study, the rules will savebetween 3.9 liters to 6.7 liters ofgasoline equivalent per 100kilometers, and save betweenUS$40 billion and US$189 billionannually by 2020.

The large gap between minimumand maximum projected figures isdue to uncertainty about futurepolicies, which underlines again theimportance of governments indesigning the future framework of a

beyond the 18 countries evaluatedcan give a clearer identification ofintervention areas - which can helpgovernments to frame betterpolicies and investors to unveil newmarkets.

EFFICIENCY IN TRANSPORT

The biggest and most promisingmarket in the energy efficiencysector is small cars, known as‘passenger light duty vehicles’. Sofar, it accounts for over 60% of allincremental investments, at US$80billion per year.Within this segment, most invest-ments are directed towardimplementing new standards toreduce fuel consumption. Accord-

low carbon, energy efficienteconomy.

FINANCING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Thankfully, several countries arebacking the energy efficiencymarket, says IEA. In particular Italyhas implemented a 55% taxreduction for energy savingsinvestments - increased to 65% insome cases from next year -leveraging more than US$29 billioninvestments between 2007 and2013.

In China, owing to the Five-Year Planof 2006 to 2010, these investmentsexceeded US$100 billion and areforecast to grow US$200-270 billionbetween 2011 and 2015.


lightexpress | March-April 2015 | 13

Working in collaboration withTom Dixon DesignResearch Studio, Chelsom

created a dramatic custom lightingscheme for the guestrooms andlobby area of the first ever Mondrianbranded boutique hotel outside theUnited States.

Seductive and striking, MondrianLondon at Sea Containers perfectlyblends the style and sophisticationof the famed boutique brand withSouthbank’s eclectic vibe. Underthe direction of renowned Britishdesigner Tom Dixon, DRS havesucceeded in creating an interiorscheme that captures the essenceof the original building, exuding1920s cruise ship glamour integratedwith the contemporary twists andurbane design for which theMondrian brand is known.

This unique interior concept isechoed throughout the 335guestrooms and suites. Chelsomwere challenged with creating adistinctive custom-designed lightingscheme with post-modernismreferences, fusing cutting-edgedesign, functionality and energyefficiency. Matt black fittings withbrass features accentuate the boldcolour palette. Fixed to the

headboard, wall lights featureoversized brass rotary dimmerswitches and multi-directionalteardrop heads with retrofit LED lightsources housed behind a frostedglass lens to offer both reading andmood lighting in a soft whiteambient tone. The desk lampsfeature an oversized tubular headand statement brass rotary dimmerswitch while the conical spun metalshades of the floor lamps arefinished in brass and lined in whiteto provide a bold contrast whilstoptimising light reflection.

To the specification of DRS, Chelsomcreated a trio of triple tieredpendants in matt black and copperfor the entrance lobby. At 3.5meach in diameter, these circularfittings are suspended from theceiling by metal support rods tocreate the illusion that the sculpturalpieces are floating in mid-air. As partof a wider sound reducing conceptfor the lobby area, these fittings areclad in acoustic foam and incorpo-rate state of the art LED downlightersand uplighters for optimum lightoutput and efficiency. Chelsom alsorefurbished a series of more than 30original Cliff Tribe wall lights datingback to the 1950s including doublelights and triple pendants. The

Chelsom create custom lighting scheme forthe iconic Mondrian London

original Sea Containers fittings weretaken off site and refurbished by ateam of restoration experts atChelsom’s factory where they werecleaned, refinished and rewired toincorporate retrofit LED light sourcesmaking them compatible with theexacting energy requirementsoutlined in the brief.

Managing Director Robert Chelsomsaid, “To have been commissionedby Maison Objet’s Designer of theYear 2014, Tom Dixon, to be part ofsuch a fantastic high profile projectas the iconic Mondrian- possiblyLondon’s ultimate destination hotel,is a real honour and testimony toChelsom’s reputation within theindustry. This was not just anotherorder, it was a step into boutiquedesign of the highest calibre and the

way forward for modern hotellighting and for Chelsom. Obviouslya project of this scale and staturewas not without its challenges butthe opportunity to work with such afantastic team on one of the bestlighting schemes we have everproduced meant this was a reallabour of love from start to finishand one we are all very proud to bepart of.”

E [email protected] 01253 831406W Chelsom.co.uk


With immediate effect, thepolycarbonate-basedALCOM LDM (Light

Diffusion Matt) from ALBIS PLASTICwill be used in the R. CARBONATEALCOM LED production line atRöber Kunststoffe. This specialist forextruded and transparent plastics,located in Kroppach in the GermanWesterwald, is now expanding itsproduct line of glazing materials forthe lighting sector.

Michael Sowinski, Sales Manager forExport/Project Development atRöber Kunststoffe describes thecooperation with ALBIS PLASTIC asfollows: "ALBIS PLASTIC is acompetent partner for us indevelopment as well as marketing ofthe product R.CARBONAT ALCOMLED. Many years of experience aswell as optimum product andphotometric support from ALBIShelp us to work effectively andefficiently. This cooperation has verypositive aspects including the highflexibility in provision of the rawmaterials. These combined efforts

have already received positiveresonance in the market.

Extruded, frosted polycarbonatewith a satin finish provides uniquelight diffusion properties formaximum, uniform, opal translu-cency while simultaneously avoidinghot spots. R.CARBONAT ALCOMLED is therefore ideal for designingnew LED light fixtures or conversionto LEDs.

These polycarbonate panels offerhigher impact resistance than glassor acrylic materials and are resistantto temperature within a wide rangefrom -40°C to 120°C. Furthermore,the panels can be processed easilyand offer good thermoformingproperties.

R. CARBONAT ALCOM LED issuitable for a highly varying range ofapplications in the lamp and lightfixture segment, for exampleresidential, ambient, working andemergency lighting as well asilluminated signs or light boxes.

ALBIS PLASTIC and Röber Kunststoffecollaborate in lighting segment

Joachim Bernhard, Director GlobalMarketing E&E at ALBIS PLASTIC,commented as follows: "Thecooperation with Röber Kunststoffewill make it possible for us toguarantee the high quality levelassociated with the name ALCOM.Our partner's excellent marketingstructure ensures that R. CARBONATALCOM LED will reach all marketsegments. This will allow us to reachall customers in the lighting segmentfrom B2B right down to final, privateconsumers.”

About Röber KunststoffeRöber Kunststoffe manufacturesacrylic glass, polycarbonate and PETpanels in highly varying formats andcolors. The company belongs to theRöber Corporate Group, has fiveextrusion machines and employs astaff of 40. Röber Kunststoffesupplies in particular, wholesalers,home improvement and furniturestores and display manufacturersthroughout Europe. Furtherinformation is available on http://www.roeber-kunststoffe.de.

About ALBIS PLASTIC

ALBIS PLASTIC is one of the globaloperating companies in thedistribution and compounding oftechnical thermoplastics. In additionto the product portfolio of well-known plastic manufacturers, ALBISoffers the plastic processing industrya diverse product range of highperformance plastics, compoundsolutions and masterbatches. In the2013 business year, the ALBISGroup, which has approximately1030 employees, achieved sales of810 million euros. With 17 subsidiar-ies, the Hamburg-based company isrepresented in many Europeancountries as well as in North Africa,the Far East and North America.ALBIS manufactures plastic com-pounds and masterbatches at threelocations in Europe – Hamburg(Germany), Zülpich (Germany) andManchester (United Kingdom), aswell as in the new production site atChangshu, China. For moreinformation, please visit http://www.albis.com.


Styron, the global materialscompany and manufacturerof plastics, latex and rubber,

showcased its plastics for the LEDLighting industry at Strategies in LightEurope 2014 in Booth A14 at theM.O.C. Event Center in Munich,Germany from October 21 – 23,2014.

Styron also launched its EMERGE™8830 Advanced Resins, aninnovative material that balancestransparency, flame retardancy andthickness – three key performanceproperties necessary as the marketcontinues to move toward thinnergauge applications. The material is UL94 rated V-0 at 1.0mm and 5VA at2.5mm and is the next generationadvancement in Styron’s EMERGE™

8000 series.

Styron offers a broad portfolio forLED Lighting Applications under theCALIBRE™ Polycarbonate Resins andEMERGE™ Advanced Resins brands.This includes transparent, lightdiffusion and ignition resistantgrades used in lenses, optics,diffusers, reflectors and housings.

During the show, Styron’s GlobalDirector of Research & Developmentfrom North America, Tony Samurkas,discussed Materials for LED LightingApplication.

“Styron’s global footprint is truly anadvantage in the LED Lightingmarket,” said Global BusinessDirector, Philippe Belot. “We have

Styron Showcased its Plastics Products’ atStrategies in Light Europe 2014COMPANY LAUNCHES NEW ADVANCED RESINS FOR LED LIGHTING THINNERGAUGE APPLICATIONS

technical and production resourcesthat allow us to coordinateapplication development, productavailability and technical supportworldwide and this is especiallycritical since applications are oftenspecified in one region andmanufactured in another.”

Styron previously announced plansto change the name of all Styronaffiliated companies to Trinseo,NYSE: TSE. Some, but not all, of theStyron companies have completedthe name change process and arecurrently known as Trinseo; Styroncompanies that have not completedthis process will continue to dobusiness as Styron until theirrespective name changes arecomplete. Styron's operating

companies also continue to dobusiness as Styron at this time.

About Styron

Styron is a leading global materialscompany and manufacturer ofplastics, latex and rubber, dedicatedto collaborating with customers todeliver innovative and sustainablesolutions. Styron’s technology isused by customers in industriessuch as home appliances, automo-tive, building & construction, carpet,consumer electronics, consumergoods, electrical & lighting, medical,packaging, paper & paperboard,rubber goods and tires. Styron hadapproximately $5.3 billion in revenuein 2013, with 19 manufacturing sitesaround the world, and approxi-mately 2,100 employees. Moreinformation can be found atwww.styron.com

PlasticsinLighting


The final list of speakers andtopics has been selected frommore than 260 submissions

and the PLDC organisers are proudto present a high-class,futureoriented and innovativeconference with speakers from 25different countries!

The conference programme forPLDC 2015 was released on 23.February, 2015 and is available atwww.pld-c.com.

As in previous years, PLDC will bebuilt around a four-track conference.Traditionally, the first three tracks willcover Lighting Application CaseStudies, Lighting ApplicationResearch and Professional PracticeIssues.

The fourth track varies fromconvention to convention and isdedicated to a topic that is currently

key to lighting design developmentsworldwide. For PLDC 2015 in Rome,the Steering Committee has selecteda topic in response to on-goingmarket developments and studies:“Light and Culture”. The track willfeature presentations on recentlycompleted projects, indicate howlighting has changed in culturalspaces (museums, art galleries,cultural heritage sites, etc.), howdifferent cultures perceive light andconsequently how this influenceslightingdesign. The impact of newtechnologies on the culture of light,and how their application is shapingdesign or lighting strategies, will alsobe addressed in this track.

Austrian media-artist, director,choreographer and composer KlausObermaier has been announced asthe first Keynote Speaker. Hisinteractive installations offer great

inspiration for lighting designers,architects and all related profes-sions!

Supporting programme

As in previous PLDC editions, theconference will be accompanied byan informative, inspiring andinnovative supporting programme.

The manufacturers’ exhibition fromthe partners in the industry isdeveloping at a fast pace – to datealmost 75% of the exhibition isalready sold out!!

The pre-convention meeting day isshaping up to be a full additionalconference day: The Cities’ Forumwill be inviting lighting designers,architects and city planners to gatherand learn about latest develop-ments. Partner Cities of PLDC will bepresenting their ongoing and

planned activities and will be joiningin the Face2Face talks to networkwith lighting specialists and discusscutting-edge topics in city planningand lighting in the public realm.

The first excursions have beenannounced and more will followshortly. Visit www.pld-c.com Forthe excursion to the Sistine Chapel,Osram will be inviting the first 300independent lighting designers,architects, researchers, educatorsand students! Make sure you registernow and apply for a free ticket!

Based on the evaluations providedby the Paper Reviewing Committee,15 authors of self-running posterpresentations have been selectedby the Steering Committee to addadditional value to the conferenceprogramme. The poster presenta-tions are also classified according tothe four conference tracks Profes-sional Practice Issues, LightingApplication Case Studies, LightingApplication Research and Light +Culture.

PLDC 2015 will offer a new compo-nent: Experience Rooms. Thesespaces are designed to allowattendees to become activelyinvolved in specific activities,experience light and darkness, orplay a part in ongoing researchstudies.

The grand final of The Challenge willbe held on Saturday, 31. October as

PLDC CONFERENCE PROGRAMME RELEASEDThe Professional Lighting Design Convention, PLDC 2015 will beheld in Rome from 28. – 31. October, 2015


an official part of the PLDCprogramme. The finalists wereselected during Round III of TheChallenge at a mini-conference inEdinburgh at the beginning ofFebruary.

Participants of The Challenge areyoung talents, some still students atrenowned universities around theworld, some newly qualifiedprofessionals who recently startedworking for established professionallighting design practices in the USAand Europe.

As Iain Ruxton, lighting designer atSpeirs and Major/UK summed upafter the event in Edinburgh/UK: “Thestandard of the papers has beenvery high and it leaves me thinkingthe future of the profession is ingood shape!”

The following talents will becompeting against each otherin Rome:

Team Brendan: Pernille Krieger/DKand Eik Lykke Nielsen/DK

Team Emrah: Roslyn Leslie/UKTeam Florence: Isabel Sanchez/E/USA

Team Iain: Stephanie Denholm/UKTeam Tapio: Mahdis Aliasgari/IR/S

CIBSE credits for PLDC attendanceContinuing Professional Develop-ment is of utmost importance foryoung designers and establishedprofessionals and a long termcommitment! CIBSE (CharteredInstitution of Building ServicesEngineers) will be granting onecredit per attended paper at PLDCthis year.

MORE WARM-UP EVENTSCONFIRMED – SAVE THE DATES!

Evening reception in Milan/I: April2015: in preparation

Get-together in New York/USA, 5.May 2015, partnered by iGuzziniUSA

Casino night in London/UK: 14. May,2015 partnered by iGuzzini UK

Evening event in Paris/F: 25. June,

2015 partnered by iGuzzini FranceEvening reception in Barcelona/E,September 2015, partnered byiGuzzini Spain

More information and updates onthe programme, as well as reportson past warm-up events can befound at www.pld-c.com

An educated decision – the mottofor PLDC 2015 is a clear announce-ment and appeal for more design tobe evidence-based and to addressand incorporate current researchfindings. Education in the field ofarchitectural lighting design is the keyto quality designs. Lighting design isan independent profession, and thescope of work of a lighting designer,plus the added value of workingwith a lighting designer, needs to becommunicated to related profes-sions, clients and end-users.However, new technologies and thescope they offer, as well as the latestresearch findings, demonstrate theneed for more education on thepart of the lighting designer him/herself to ensure clients’ needs andforthcoming standards can be met.PLDC 2015 will address educationon all these levels, taking the lightingdesign community’s efforts a stepfurther and contributing towards allinvolved being able to make aneducated decision in future!

PLDC 2015 will mark a further step inthe pursuit to officially establish thearchitectural lighting designprofession. The chosen location for

this event is Rome, a city rich withculture, architecture, art. Culture,architecture and art will be the maintopics for the conference and willoffer a broad variety of focuses forpresentations and discussions!

About PLDCPLDC is organised by VIA Events, theEducational Events Division of VIA-Verlag, publisher of the ProfessionalLighting Design magazine. Profes-sional lighting associations anduniversities from around the worldwith Lighting Design programmes willbe invited to partner the event. Thishigh-quality network guarantees tospread the word further and toreach newcomers and professionalsfrom related fields of practice.

Based on the proven success of thePLDC concept, the convention willagain be built around a three-dayprofessional conference offeringapproximately 70 presentationsgiven by high-profile speakers fromthe world of lighting design,architecture, research, city planning,daylight design and many otherrelated professions. The conventionwill also include invited KeynoteSpeakers, a manufacturers’exhibition, excursions, ExperienceRooms, pre-convention meetingsincluding a Cities’ Forum, socialevents, self-running electronicposter presentations, the final roundof The Challenge, a student speakercompetition conceived for the PLDCevent, and a Gala Dinner duringwhich the Professional Lighting

Design Recognition Awards will begiven for outstanding achievementsin Architectural Lighting Design.PLDC offers further and continuingeducation in the field of lightingdesign and the presentation ofcutting-edge technologies. PLDC2015 will comprise the next chapterin a history of successful conven-tions.

Bringing together the ProfessionalLighting Design community PLDC2015 is again expected to attractaround 1500 attendees from all overthe world.

Professionals from different fields ofpractice and research will becoming together to discuss andexchange ideas, approaches andconcepts. This international andinterdisciplinary understanding oflighting design supports thecontinuing process to gainrecognition for this specialistdiscipline and for the profession asa whole.

For more information, pleasecontact:

Jessika SingendonkVIA-Verlag Joachim Ritter e.K.Marienfelder Str. 1833330 GüterslohGermanyTel. +49 - 5241 - 307 26 - 12Fax. +49 - 5241 - 307 26 - [email protected]


As a part of this plan, theSaudi Arabian companylaunches a range of plastic

compounds for LED application atthe recently held Light Indiaexhibition

LED manufacturing costs downSaudi Arabian petrochemical majorSaudi Basic Industries Corporation(SABIC) is reportedly eyeing to tapthe Indian lighting industry with itsinnovative materials which can meetthe needs of electric appliancemanufacturers and their customers.

Lighting manufacturers are inconstant pursuit of innovativematerials and designs that reducecosts while maintaining design andperformance integrity. “SABIC iscatalysing these efforts with anexpanded portfolio of materials forcost-efficient hybrid heat sinks, acomponent that is critical to thelongevity of light-emitting diode(LED) lights,” said a SABIC press

release.

With the addition of two newgrades of Konduit compound,SABIC is bringing the solution thatcan enhance thermal managementfor customers at a cost that helpsthem maintain a competitive edge.Konduit PX13012 and PX11311Ucompounds, SABIC’s nextgeneration of thermal conductivematerials have inherent electricalisolation properties and excellentflame resistance. Innovative solutionsusing these new materials, as well asother technologies for the commer-cial, residential and outdoor lightingmarkets, were displayed at the LightIndia exhibition, held in New Delhifrom September 18-21, 2014.

The company claims that cost-efficient Konduit PX13012 andPX11311U compound gradesdeliver improved mechanicalproperties while keeping manufac-turing costs down.

SABIC plans to tap Indian lighting industrywith innovative polymers

“SABIC’s new Konduit compoundgrades will help our customersdesign light bulbs that can competeon design, useful life, and bright-ness, as well as cost. Unlike otherappliance and electronics catego-ries, in which consumers and end-users are willing to pay a premiumfor a better product, purchasingdecisions in the lighting category arehighly price-driven. As materialmanufacturers, we have animportant role to play in buildinglight bulbs that meet the demandsof our customers, and our custom-ers’ customers,” said VenugopalKoka, Director of Electrical andLighting Marketing for SABIC’sInnovative Plastics business.

On display at Light India was alsoChromaLit Linear, a state-of-the-artLED offering developed by SABIC’sInnovative Plastics business incollaboration with IntematixCorporation, a US-based manufac-turer of phosphor solutions for LED

lighting. By using Intematix’s remotephosphor technology and SABIC’sLexan Lux resins, lighting customerscan now achieve the energyefficiency and reliability benefits ofLEDs, while also experiencingincreased optical efficiency andbetter light uniformity - a criticalfactor for commercial environments.

“SABIC is excited to have workedwith Intematix to design a solutionthat successfully addresses a historicchallenge with LED lighting used incommercial applications. In additionto being more efficient, the new LEDsystem can be both extruded andinjection moulded.

Our collaboration and combinedexpertise in both material and LEDtechnology has enabled thedevelopment of this solution thatbrings uniform lighting and potentialsystem cost savings to an expandedset of LED applications,” said Koka.


The gradual spread of LEDsources and their rapidevolutionary development have

pushed the ALMECO GROUP tomake a catalogue of customisablesegmented reflectors available to themarket, made with vegaLED98 highreflectance aluminium at the serviceof highest energy efficiency.Additionally, the client can choosethe ideal set of components from awide range of defined combinationsfor a reflector that is tailored made totheir specific needs.

Starting from the selected lightsource, one proceeds to choosethe surface base. Then, the finishand the surface colour is selected,along with the type of ring and thesize of the reflector to be obtained.Finally the shape and geometry ofthe light beam is chosen. Ready-made solutions for differentenvironments, and for the mostpopular LED and holders on themarket can be found in the

catalogue of in stock products.Furthermore, customisation is alwayspossible, even in limited batches.

Main advantages:

TOTAL COMPATIBILITY

The reflect+A team system iscompatible with all major LEDsources on the market and with themost common LED-holders on sale.Tailored solutions for chipsdeveloped by the customer or newholders are feasible.

THE HIGHEST REFLECTANCEreflect+A team reflectors areavailable in several finishes from thevegaLED98.

THE WIDEST RANGE OF FINISHESThe choice of finishes and coloursmade available in the catalogue areespecially broad.

In fact, beyond the entire vega

reflect+A team: a revolutionary idea forLED reflectorsreflect+A team is an infinite range of reflectors for LED sources that are “ready to fit, easy to use.”

range, the bandoxaldecor collectionof coloured surfaces is available forspecial needs.

PRODUCTION WITHOUTMOULDS

The reflect+A team reflectorcomponents are made by lasercutting, therefore not having todepend on special moulds. Thisallows the maintenance of anextremely low number of pieces foreach batch order.

SIMPLE TO ASSEMBLE

The various components of thereflector may also be suppliedunassembled, with advantages interms of logistics and storage.Extremely easy to mountThe reflect+A team reflectors arevery easy to mount and replace:they are quickly sealed withoutscrews and the need for tools,allowing for perfect placement ofeach type of LED. They are alsocompatible with the most popularLED holders on the market.

PRODUCTION WITHOUTMOULDS

The reflect+A team reflectorcomponents are made by lasercutting, therefore not having to

depend on special moulds. Thisallows the maintenance of anextremely low number of pieces foreach batch order.

FAST SHIPPING

In-stock products are available forimmediate international delivery.

Silvia PezzanaGroup Marketing Manageremail:[email protected]://www.almecogroup.com


LED-Warrior11 by Code Mercenaries is a low cost option to supply power to a DALI bus. Only a 24 V DC supply is required for LED-Warrior11 to generate thecurrent limited bus power for a DALI system. In many LED installations 24 V DC is already available.

LED-Warrior11 provides DALI bus power at a fraction of the cost of common DALI power supplies. Versions for mounting on a DIN rail or as a flat PCB module areavailable.

Technical data• DALI bus power supply• 24 V ±10% DC input, 300 mA• Output: typ. 17 V, current limited at typ. 230 mA, max. 250 mA• LED for bus power indication and bus traffic indication• Size (DIN rail module LW11-DR): 36 x 90 x 58 mm• Size (PCB module LW11-MOD): 47 x 38 x 6.5 mm

For More information, please contact:Code MercenariesHard- und Software GmbHKarl-Marx-Str. 147a12529 SchönefeldOT GroßziethenGermanyTel: +49-3379-20 50 9 20Fax:+49-3379-20 50 9 30Web: www.codemercs.comMail: [email protected]

DALI is a registered trademark of ZVEI

Code Mercenaries is a supplier for the industrial input devices and peripheral manufacturers since 1998. In 2008 Code Mercenaries started to develop andmanufacture products for LED lighting applications. Our design philosophy for LED lighting drivers is to deliver maximum efficiency and maximum life cycle toenable the potential of modern LED technology. The keyboard and combined keyboard/mouse controller family KeyWarrior, and the mouse controller familyMouseWarrior serve as basis for a large number of industrial input devices. A small but vital customer base are the manufacturers of products for the disabilitymarket and other speciality input devices.

The joystick controller family JoyWarrior serves a broad range of customers from industrial machine/vision control, professional and semiprofessional simulatorcontrol, to hobby and model building. A good option for front panel design are the joystick/mouse hybrid controllers MW24J8 and MW24H8 which areswitch selectable to work as a mouse or joystick allowing both cursor control and data input via a joystick.

JoyWarrior24F8 is a low cost three axis acceleration sensor. With its small size and simple connection via a USB interface it opens a lot of new applicationoptions. The MouseWarrior24F8 variant of this sensor is a mouse replacement that needs no surface for operation. Applications for the IO-Warrior universalUSB I/O controllers are very diverse. Basically only the number of pins and the data rate limits the use of IO-Warrior. It is used in laboratory setups, testequipment as well as in hobby projects or full scale device production either as the core of a device or "just" the interface to USB. IO-Warrior chips controlrobots and telescopes, do quality control on production lines, take measurements in labs, control switches and displays in front panels or simulatorcockpits, or work as the USB interface in many kinds of products.

SpinWarrior is a family of rotary encoder controllers with USB interface. Various models allow from 3 to 6 encoders to be connected to the USB and aresuitable for motion control, measurement or human interfacing applications.

DALI Bus Power Supply


ewo works tenaciously on connecting first-class lighting technologywith high quality creations; this is our second collaboration with theSwiss designer Jörg Boner. After UN, ewo is now introducing the GO

luminaire. „We are broadening our portfolio with GO to include anotherinteresting product with a diverse range of uses, which is state of the art andable to meet formal requirements”, emphasizes ewo’s head of marketing,Hannes Wohlgemuth.

GO is conceptualized as a family of products. Available as standing lampsand wall lamps, they are suitable for residential streets, parks and buildingsbuilt close to one another. Jörg Boner, „We translated as many contexts andusage requirements into one simple and clear language. The language of thedesign of GO is restrained, yet simultaneously strong enough that it marksthe luminaires with a recognizable personality.

The South Tyrolean company ewo develops high quality luminaires for publicplaces with the objective of being a leader in technology, functionality andsustainability. That has meant the ability to see light in a holistic way for morethan 20 years now. ewo is active on an international scale and offers itscustomers modular, flexible and individual solutions to the directing,distribution and restriction of light. ewo approaches all of its technologicaland formal challenges in an open and creative way, setting the bar extremelyhigh for itself every single day.

GO will be presented on 19 March as part of the Smart City BelysningConference in Copenhagen.

ewo presents the new GO luminaire

For more information, please contact Susanne Barta: [email protected]://www.conferencemanager.dk/ledconf/info-til-udstillere.html


US researchers say they havedeveloped a new type of lightingthat could replace fluorescentbulbs. The new source is madefrom layers of plastic and is said tobe more efficient while producing abetter quality of flicker-free light.

What we've found is a way ofcreating light rather than heat”

The new light source is called field-induced polymer electrolumines-cent (Fipel) technology. It is madefrom three layers of light-emittingpolymers, each containing a smallvolume of nanomaterials that glowwhen electric current is passedthrough them.

The inventor of the device is DrDavid Carroll, professor of physics atWake Forest University in NorthCarolina. He says the new plasticlighting source can be made intoany shape, and it produces a betterquality of light than compactfluorescent bulbs which havebecome very popular in recentyears.

Wake university researcher with lightThe new light source is said to betwice as efficient as fluorescentbulbs.

"They have a bluish, harsh tint tothem, " he told BBC News, "it is notreally accommodating to the humaneye; people complain of headachesand the reason is the spectralcontent of that light doesn't matchthe Sun - our device can match thesolar spectrum perfectly.

"I'm saying we are brighter than oneof these curlicue bulbs and I cangive you any tint to that white lightthat you want."

Lighting accounts for around 19% ofglobal electricity use

A worldwide switch to low-energy

bulbs could save the output ofaround 600 power plants

There have been several attempts todevelop new light-bulbs in recentyears - Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)have come a long way since theywere best known for being indicatorlights in electronic devices. Over thepast decade, they have becomemuch more widely used as a lightsource as they are both bright andefficient. They are now often usedon large buildings.

Light not heatAnother step forward has beenorganic LEDs (OLEDs) which alsopromise greater efficiency and betterlight than older, incandescent bulbs.Their big advantage over LEDs is thatthey can be transformed into manydifferent shapes including thescreens for high-definition televi-sions.

But Prof Carroll believes OLED lightshaven't lived up to the hype.

"They don't last very long and they'renot very bright," he said. "There's alimit to how much brightness youcan get out of them. If you run toomuch current through them theymelt."

The Fipel bulb, he says, overcomesall these problems.

"What we've found is a way ofcreating light rather than heat. Ourdevices contain no mercury, theycontain no caustic chemicals andthey don't break as they are notmade of glass."

Prof Carroll says his new bulb ischeap to make and he has a"corporate partner" interested inmanufacturing the device. Hebelieves the first production runs willtake place in 2013.

He also has great faith in the ability ofthe new bulbs to last. He says he

has one in his lab that has beenworking for about a decade.

Plastic bulb developmentpromises better quality light


The demand for light emitting diode(LED) lighting in India is expected togrow by about 40 percent perannum over the next five years,lighting solutions manufacturer NTLLemnis said Wednesday.

"I personally feel the LED market (inIndia) would grow by about 40percent year-on-year basis at leastfor the next five year," global chiefexecutive officer of NTL Lemnis ArunGupta told IANS in an interview.

The size of the current lightingmarket in India stands at aroundRs.96 billion and the LED lightingindustry's share is around Rs.10billion, he added.

According to the Association ofElectrical Lighting Manufacturers inIndia (ELCOMA), the lighting industryin the country has been growing atnearly 17-18 percent annually overthe past two-three years.

Although the overall lighting marketgrowth is going to be slower, theLED lighting market offers very highgrowth opportunity, Gupta said.

The LED Industry is expected totouch around $500 million by 2015in India. Within the segment, thedemand for LED street lights and LEDsolar lights is expected to growrapidly in coming years, Gupta said.

Set up in 2012, NTL Lemnis is a jointventure company between NTLElectronics India and Lemnis Lighting,the Netherlands.

NTL Electronics India Ltd. isconsidered as one of the largestmanufacturers of lighting electronicsin the world outside China. It has an

annual turnover of Rs.675 crore (2012-2013).

Although households still prefer compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), the demand for LED lighting is increasingly rising inthe commercial segment.

The mining industry is expected to contribute to the growth of LED lighting in the coming years, according to the NTLLemnis global CEO.

The Indian LED lighting industry is likely to grow in the range of Rs.8,000-12,000 crore in the next five years, and NTLLemnis is eyeing to capture a five percent market share, he said.

According to a report by global consulting firm McKinsey, 70 percent of lighting in the world would be LED basedby 2020.

Currently, the number of LED buyers in the general lighting segment is low owing to high costs of such systems butthe situation is changing rapidly, Gupta said.

'India's LED lighting demand to rise by 40 percent'


Feeling For | AnEco-Lightbulb thatLooks Better NakedOld-fashioned filament bulbs may cast a warm, flattering light, but theircentury-old technology leaves a substantial carbon footprint. What’s more,they’re in trouble with the law. A federal regulation passed in 2007 calls forthe production of energy-wasting incandescents to effectively cease as ofJan. 1 of this year — though existing bulbs will remain on store shelves, andambience-minded interior designers aware of the regulation have for severalyears been furtively stockpiling them. Last week, Congressional Republicans— apparently not fans themselves of the ghoulish glow of energy-efficientcompact fluorescent (C.F.L.) bulbs — attached a provision to the newspending bill that eliminates funding for the law’s enforcement.

Regardless of the fate of Edison bulbs, the British design studio Plumen iscommitted to reinventing the C.F.L. — which consumes 75 percent lesselectricity than a standard bulb — to please environmentalists and aesthetesalike. Its first bulb, a tangle of curvilinear tubes released in 2010, made it intothe permanent collections of MoMA and the Cooper-Hewitt NationalDesign Museum. Now, the company has released the Plumen 002 — asolid, sculptural form, inspired by the sculptures of Henry Moore andBarbara Hepworth — for pre-order on Kickstarter.

Plumen’s creative director Nicolas Roope worked with the Texas-basedneon artist Tony Greer to devise the mold-blown silhouette, the first of itskind in the energy-efficient category. The unique shape generates varyingintensities of light throughout its contours for a nuanced, eye-pleasingeffect. “Light is not like bread or beans; it’s magical, ethereal, there and notthere,” Roope says. “We wanted to tease out that enigma, so you can neverreally grasp what’s happening under the skin.”

And because the only thing worse than standard C.F.L.s’ clenched-spiraldesign is their grim, bluish cast, the 002’s glass has been tinted to a muchmore agreeable spot on the Kelvin scale. The result is a bulb that laststhrough eight years of normal use without having to stay hidden behind ashade.

City to Fit All StreetlightsWith Energy-Saving LEDBulbsThe amber glow of the New York City streetlight is going away. In an energy-saving effort, the city plans to replace all of its 250,000 streetlights withbrighter, whiter, energy-saving, light-emitting diode fixtures in one of thenation’s largest retrofitting projects, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and thetransportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, said in a news conferenceon Thursday.Enlarge This Image

The phasing out is part of the administration’s long-term plan to reduce itsgreenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2017. Mayor Bloombergdescribed the switch as a “large and necessary feat” that will save taxpayersmoney and move the city closer to its sustainability goals. The project is alsopart of the Transportation Department’s plan for more environment-friendlyoperations, Ms. Sadik-Khan said.

The news conference was on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, where lights havealready been replaced, expecting to save more than $70,000 and nearly248,000 kilowatt-hours a year in energy. Unlike standard lights, which last sixyears, LED bulbs can burn for 20 years before they need to be replaced, theadministration said, and the project is expected to save $14 million a year inenergy and maintenance costs.

The project, which began as a pilot program in 2009, will be completed inthree phases. The full removal will start in Brooklyn with 80,000 “cobra-headed” streetlights, with their sodium high-pressured bulbs, then move onto Queens and, eventually, the rest of the city.

The city has already replaced some 3,625 lights along Franklin D. RooseveltDrive in Manhattan; Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, between Grand Army Plazaand Ralph Avenue; and along pedestrian paths in Central Park, where, Ms.Sadik-Khan said, passers-by noticed the change.

“People tend to like them,” she said. “It’s clear. It’s bright. It really does agood job in providing fresher light.” The project is estimated to cost $76.5million.

The project is the first to receive financing through the AcceleratedConservation and Efficiency initiative or “ACE,” the administration said, a $100million competitive program that the Department of Citywide AdministrativeServices created to expedite such sustainability projects.

Lights along the city bridges will be financed by the Transportation Depart-ment, Ms. Sadik-Khan said

Mayor Michael R. Bloombergand Janette Sadik-Khan, thetransportation commissioner, inBrooklyn


Sparkling and romantic fairy dustof light complements the Fairycollection, comprising

enchantingly charming indoor lamps,“magical” objects that look as if theyhave been taken straight out of afairy tale.The glass diffuser is distinguished bya multitude of facets, to createenchanting games of light, evenwhen the lamp is turned off;multiplied in creative linear or circularsuspensions, featuring differentheights and widths, and severallights. The result is a charmingwaterfall of crystalline reflections, just

We would like to present to you the latest news by Axo Light. Twovery successful collections, both on the commercial andcommunication level, Muse and Spillray have been proposed in

2012 in new models and colours.

A palette of fun, bright colours characterizes Muse, one of the mostsuccessful Axo Light collections, which now presents itself with newdécors and models.

The collection has now been extended with two new decorated fabrics(“Fiore” and “Sticks”, available for the round wall lights/ceiling lamps) andwith different new models: two new square wall lights/ceiling lamps (60X60cm and 120X120 cm, available in white only), two new sparkling suspensionlamps (with a diameter of 25 cm and 60 cm), and two fun table lamps (33cm x 13 cm x H. 30 cm or 60 cm x 18 cm x H. 54 cm), also available inwhite only.

Incandescent and fluorescent light source.Spillray was presented for the first time in autumn 2010, and now sees theaddition of new chandelier lamps distinguished by classic elements restyledwith a modern look. The ceiling lamps are available either round or rectangu-lar and with 20, 26 or 30 lights. The range of colours includes versions inclear, orange, red and grey.

Light source: halogen light bulbs.

Fairy, magical drops of lightAxo Light LineDesign: Manuel Vivian

like a kaleidoscope of colours that creates dreamy atmospheres with a strong personality, perfect for any room in thehome.

Fairy has a chromed aluminium frame and a glass diffuser available in various finishes: transparent, amber and smokegrey.

The collection is LED powered and it comprises the suspension version (single or multiple, linear or circular, the latterwith an optional kit comprising 2 rings that extend the scope of action of the diffusers to create a broad and airycomposition), the ceiling lamp (also in the recessed version) and a recessed spotlight. The wall lamp has a degreeof protection of 44 so the model can even be fitted in a bathroom in optimal conditions.

Muse and Spillray: the new 2012 versions of twogreat successes by Axo Light


Blue light-emitting diodes helpcreate the glowing screens ofmobile phones, computers and TVsand promises to revolutionise theway the world lights its homes andoffices.

That bluish-white light glowing fromthe screens of most new televisions,smartphones, laptops and tabletcomputers?

It comes from light-emitting diodes,better known as LEDs. Manybusinesses light their work spaceswith LEDs. More and more, LEDslight up outdoor street signs andtraffic lights.

Some homeowners have begunturning to this new form of lightingto illuminate their rooms. And mostcars and trucks now use these sameLEDs in their tail lights.

Three scientists have now won the2014 Nobel Prize in physics fordeveloping the technology that hasmade this lighting possible.

On Tuesday, October 7 2014, threeJapan-born scientists -- IsamuAkasaki, Hiroshi Amano and ShujiNakamura -- won the Nobel Prize inphysics for the invention of bluelight-emitting diodes -- a newenergy-efficient and environmentallyfriendly light source.

According to the Royal SwedishAcademy of Sciences, thecommittee that bestows the honour,which includes a prize money of 8million kronor (Rs 6.8 crore/Rs 68million), when Nakamura, Akasakiand Amono 'produced bright bluelight beams from their semiconduc-tors in the early 1990s, they triggereda fundamental transformation oflighting technology.'

Explaining further, the committee

said, 'The LED lamp holds greatpromise for increasing the quality oflife for over 1.5 billion peoplearound the world who lack accessto electricity grids.'

The question now that arises is cansemiconductor chips, which haverevolutionised the way we live, giveus light? The answer today is, it can.

Such chips for lighting are not madeof silicon, which is used inelectronics but more complexsemiconductors, made of alloys ofgallium, indium, arsenic, nitrogen,aluminum, phosphorous.

It has been known since the turn ofthe century that some semiconduc-tors emit light when a current ispassed through them. However, ithas taken almost a hundred years fortechnology to do it efficiently andinexpensively.

The discovery and perfection ofdirect conversion of electricity intolight has also led to the reverse thatis the development of more efficientsolar panels to convert light intoelectricity.

The first bright LEDs to be inventedwere emitting red, then orange andyellow light. However, attempts atproducing green and blue LEDswere not very successful till aJapanese scientist Shuji Nakamurainvented a bright blue LED and laterwhite LED in the mid-1990s.

Nakamura's work brightened up thewhole field and intense activityensued leading to fast growth. Heworked hard with very little fundingand repeated disillusionment forseveral years to come up with blueLEDs.

The company he worked for at thattime, Nichia is today one of theworld leaders in blue and whiteLEDs and lasers. A few years ago, hemoved out of Nichia and today, is afaculty member at the University ofCalifornia at Santa Barbara.

LEDs for lighting purposes havemany advantages. They convertelectricity much more efficiently intolight than say incandescent bulbs orfluorescent lamps. In fact, 90 percent of energy in incandescentbulbs is wasted as heat.

LEDs also last much longer -- up to1,00,000 hours -- that is more than12 years of continuous operation.Whereas in the case of incandes-cent lamps, they last for 1,000 hourswhile fluorescent lamps last for10,000 hours.

LEDs also consume less electricity,which is why batteries in a LEDflashlight, for example, seem to goon forever. These make LEDs ideal ifyou are in a remote area on yourown, camping or even in times ofnatural disaster.

However, LEDs do, like with alltechnology, have some flaws andweaknesses.

One the brightness of LEDs -- that ismeasured in Lumens per Watt ofelectrical power -- is still nowherenear the standard required for highbrightness lighting. Secondly, theproducts are still expensive andlastly, the light is extremely bright inone direction hence, a LED lightdirected towards your work benchor a flashlight works well but if youtry to light up your room with it thenyou end up using too many LEDs.

Why blue LEDs are worth a Nobel Prize


SELF-SUFFICIENT RFTRANSMISSION OFSWITCH SIGNALSWITHOUT BATTERYAND WIRES

An energy harvesting switchwhich reacts to its environment without a need for

energy. This solution developed byCHERRY is based on the principle ofEnergy Harvesting and does notrequire any wires. Energy Harvestingcan be described as an ‘operationwithout any auxiliary energy’. Insteadof generating auxiliary energythrough an integrated energy sourceor adding it via an external energysupply, energy that is available in thesurrounding environment or that isacting on the system is converted.Therefore an Energy Harvestergenerally speaking is an energyconverter.

The wireless RF switch system fromCHERRY based on an energyharvester transforms the mechanicalinput energy of the actuation into

electrical energy, which thentransmits, for example, a switchingsignal to a wireless receiver via RFelectronics. The advantages of thesystem are that the switch can beplaced anywhere without the needfor any wires. Over its whole lifecycle it will fulfill its functioncompletely maintenance free andwithout any need to replace abattery. The RF switch is fed withdifferent input parameters and iscapable of reacting to itsenvironment.CHERRY IndustrialSolutions presents an energyharvesting wireless switch modulefor KNX-RF. In recent years the KNX-standard has developed from acable-based twisted-pair approachand radio technology to a fullyintegrated radio technology with ETSconfiguration. The wireless switchmodule now even adds the energyharvesting aspect.

The ready-to-assemble KNX-RFwireless switch module fromCHERRY can directly be integratedinto switches with customizedcontrol units or design-parts andrequires no wires or batteries. It isdesigned for all switch series with a

standard inner frame of 55x55mm.The actuation of the switching unitproduces enough electrical energyto transmit a complete KNX-RF readyprotocol in S-mode directly to anyKNX-receiver. There is no need for agateway and the configuration isdone via ETS as standard. Thetransmitter has a range of 30m in the868 MHz band. The radio electron-ics can also be used in the 915 MHzband.

The maintenance-free module hasbeen optimized for a low actuationforce and a low operation noise.Variants with a double rocker andtwo channels including a completedimming function are currently beingdeveloped.

SOME OF THE KEY FEATURES OFWIRELESS SWITCH:

Energy harvesting wireless systemconsisting of a generatorand a receiver. Small size, with high energyefficiency Wireless data transfer via RF-technology– Reduction of connection systems

TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP FOR KNX-NETWORKS!

CHERRY presents new energy harvestingKNX-RF wireless switch module

– Flexibility for inaccessible locations– No complex wire assembly “Energy Harvesting” / batteryless –the required RF-energyis created by the mechanicalactuation of the switch Several frequency bands allowglobal use within differentapplications Network-compatible Maintenance-free – no batteriesneed to be changed Long mechanical life Flexible “Pairing” allows theoperation of several receiverswith one switch (and vice versa)Unique ID excludes a mutualinterference between differentRF-switches

RECEIVER Integrated (in existing customercontrol system) or as a separateunit (in a housing / as plugin receiverPCB) Antenna integrated or external Available interfaces: Voltage,current, bus interfaces, USB,RS232, relay output.

CHERRY is a registered brand of ZFFriedrichshafen AG. Under theCHERRY product brand, theElectronic Systems business unitdevelops and produces compo-nents for industrial and householdapplications, as well as computerinput devices.

ZF is a worldwide leading automo-tive supplier for drive line andchassis technology with 121production sites in 27 countries.With roughly 75,000 employees, thegroup expects sales amounting to€17.4 billion in 2012. ZF is amongthe 10 largest automotive suppliersworldwide.

Generator with RF Circuit Board

Light Switch

Snap SwitchRocker Switch


Green-tech start-up partnerswith local distributer to shedlight on how LED lighting

technology can also become alifestyle appeal

When it comes to interior design,lighting has commonly beenperceived as a piece of functionalhardware, a category that hasgenerally placed its focus ontechnological innovation. And whilelighting technology has come a longway over the years, from incandes-cent to fluorescent, to the latest inlighting innovation, LEDs, thecategory has never really challengedconvention outside the boundariesof efficiency. Nanoleaf, a creativegreen technology start-up, haspartnered up with local distributer,Stanjo, making its way into India toshowcase some of their creativelighting products, ones that takeefficient lighting beyond technology.

“We are first and foremost a greentechnology company, and we makeproducts that challenge thestandards in energy efficiency.However, in order to make animpact on our environment, weunderstand that technology alonewouldn’t cut it. To make a differ-ence, we need to get that technol-ogy into more hands.” ExplainedNanoleaf co-founder and COO,Christian Yan, “That is why when itcomes to design, we put peoplefirst.”

So far, Nanoleaf has released twoultra-unique looking LED bulbscalled the Nanoleaf One and

Nanoleaf Bloom, with a third, theNanoleaf Gem, on the way; all ofwhich are extremely energy efficientin nature, but were also designedwith the tasteful consumers in mind.

“We want to inspire people toadopt more energy efficienttechnology.” Says co-founder andCEO, Gimmy Chu. "The best way todo that is by making products thatare not only better in functionality,but also more aesthetically desir-able.”

The BrandNanoleaf has a fun eccentric andrefreshing personality. The brandrepresents thinking outside of thebox, a desire to do good for theworld, and looking good whiledoing it. Nanoleaf’s brand personal-ity puts a face on an otherwisefaceless industry, and befriends theconsumers in a genuine way.

The TechnologyThe Nanoleaf One and the NanoleafBloom are a pair of technologicalmarvels. With their custom LEDpackages, the pair boasts 133lumens/ watt and 120 lumens/ wattrespectively. Beyond pushing theboundaries on energy efficiency,they also offer quality light with a CRI(Color Rendering Index) rating over80. Paired with their efficacy, theyoffer the best quality to efficiencyratio that you can find in thecategory.

The LooksWho said light bulbs can’t also be apart of the home decor? The

Nanoleaf One and Nanoleaf Bloombulbs have an edgy, abstract feel totheir instantly memorable appear-ances. The bulbs are producedthrough an origami-like processwhere cut outs of PCB board with allthe circuitry in place are folded intothe final dodecahedron shape. Forthose who prefer something a bitmore conventional, the NanoleafGem adds a more elegant touch tothe dodecahedron shape with afrosted glass exterior, making it anexceptional blend of style andscience.

The UtilityNanoleaf light bulbs emit high qualitylight that is also romantic in nature.Fluorescent lighting has been thelighting of choice in most citiesaround the world in the past fewyears because of they are moreenergy efficient than traditionalincandescent bulbs. However, theirlight quality is dreadfully undesirable,and makes any room feels likehospital. Nanoleaf bulbs on theother hand produces a warm lightcolour that helps rejuvenate thestressed minds and injects somesense of comfort and happiness inits place.

The Nanoleaf Bloom is also the firstdimmable light bulb that does notrequire a dimmer switch. It uses acustom controller chip to translateregular light switch motions intodimming commands, and brings theconvenience of dimming to everyON/OFF light switch. This newlyadded flexibility to dimming allowspeople to have it bright when they

Nanoleaf partners with Stanjo to light up India -Taking green from technology to lifestyle

need, and dim it down to a cozierbrightness when they want. TheNanoleaf Bloom not only cuts downsignificantly on energy consumption,but also allows people to enjoydifferent ambience of light for all oftheir life’s moments.

Do good. Look good. Feel good.Lighting may have traditionally beenconsidered a purely functional pieceof hardware, but with impendingarrival of Nanoleaf and its plans tobring manufacturing to Hyderabad,it’s undeniable that interior designersand homeowners in India will nowhave one more thing to play aroundwith.

About Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf is a green technology start-

up with a mission to create a more

sustainable future. Founded in 2012

by University of Toronto graduates

Tom Rodinger, Gimmy Chu, and

Christian Yan, Nanoleaf is a family of

fun, creative, and passionate geeks

committed to developing energy

efficient products that promote and

encourage a more sustainable

lifestyle. Green at heart, with people

in mind, Nanoleaf combines planet-

friendly technology with people-

friendly designs to offer greener

products that don’t compromise on

personal benefit, products that

ultimately lead to a better and

brighter world.



S h o w | R e p o r t

Q. I’m replacing the lights in my home before putting it on the market. Is itbetter to install LED fixtures, if it’s true that incandescent bulbs are beingphased out?

A. From a sales perspective, high-efficiency LED lighting is a nice perk, saidRon Lense, an associate real estate broker at Douglas Elliman in Manhattan.But it may not significantly affect your selling price.

“Everybody loves going green,” he said. “They just don’t necessarily want topay a lot of extra money for it.”

LED lighting is becoming increasingly popular, he said, and if you install itnow, “you’ll be ahead of the curve.” Just be cautious about the fixtures youchoose, “because this is emerging technology that is quickly changing.”

If you buy fixtures with technology that is outdated by the time you sell yourhome, he said, “you’re spending money that might not come back.”

That’s one of the reasons that Doug Russell, a lighting designer who ownsthe Lighting Workshop in Brooklyn, usually recommends buying standardincandescent fixtures and adding LED bulbs as a retrofit.

“I feel better about putting today’s best LED technology into an incandes-cent downlight as a retrofit,” Mr. Russell said, “because I know that in threeyears it’s going to be obsolete and I can unscrew it and put in the latesttechnology. If I put in a downlight that’s an integrated LED, you’re stuck withit.”

And incandescent bulbs aren’t being phased out entirely, he said. Undernew legislation, “there are efficiency standards that lamps need to meet,” sosome types of traditional incandescent bulbs are disappearing, he said. “Butthere will always be replacements for them.” The qualities of traditional 100-watt incandescent bulbs, for example, are being emulated by 72-watthalogen bulbs, which are more energy efficient.

But when you are picking out LED bulbs, Mr. Russell has a recommendation:“There are a lot of really bad LED-retrofit household bulbs out there that willmake your home look terrible, because the color’s awful.”

Some of his preferred replacements are made by Philips, and the best onestend to be a little more expensive, he said. But they “have great color, arereally warm and flattering, and are dimmable.”

Which brings us to a potential complication of replacing an incandescentbulb with an LED model: you may not be able to control it with a standarddimmer, and you may have to replace your dimmer with one that is LED-compatible.

Mr. Russell said that there are a few exceptions to his advice about avoidingfixtures specifically designed for LEDs. Under-cabinet lighting is one.

“Under-cabinet lighting in kitchens is a great application for LEDs,” he said,“because you bring the light source close to the task and don’t increaseheat loads” — welcome news to anyone who has halogens that get so hotthey occasionally melt the contents of the cabinet above.

LED lighting - the future!


Shuji NakamuraIsamu AkasakiIsamu Akasaki

Three PhysicistsShare Nobel for

Work on LED Lights>>>


Three physicists have beenawarded the Nobel Prize forrevolutionizing the way the

world is lighted.

The 2014 physics award went toIsamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano ofJapan and Shuji Nakamura of theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara,for “the invention of efficient bluelight-emitting diodes, which hasenabled bright and energy-savingwhite light sources.”

The three scientists, workingtogether and separately, found away to produce blue light beamsfrom semiconductors in the early1990s. Others had produced redand green diodes, but without bluediodes, white light could not beproduced, the Royal SwedishAcademy of Sciences said onTuesday morning in its prize citation.

“They succeeded where everyoneelse had failed,” the academy said.

Their work has spurred the creationof a whole new industry. Thecommittee that chose the winnerssaid light-emitting diodes, or LEDs,would be the lighting source of the21st century, just as the incandes-cent bulb illuminated the 20th.

The three scientists will split a prizeof $1.1 million, awarded inStockholm on Dec. 10.

Dr. Akasaki, 85, of Meijo Universityand Nagoya University, and Dr.Amano, 54, of Nagoya University,are Japanese. Dr. Nakamura, 60, isAmerican. Awakened by a phonecall from the Swedish academy, hedescribed it in a news conferenceas “unbelievable.”

In its announcement, the academyrecalled Alfred Nobel’s desire thathis prize be awarded for somethingthat benefited humankind, notingthat one-fourth of the world’selectrical energy consumption goesto producing light. This, it said, was

a prize more for invention than fordiscovery.

Frances Saunders, president of theInstitute of Physics, a worldwidescientific organization based inLondon, agreed with thosesentiments. Noting in an emailstatement that 2015 is the Interna-tional Year of Light, she said, “This isphysics research that is having adirect impact on the grandest ofscales, helping protect ourenvironment, as well as turning up inour everyday electronic gadgets.”

In Africa, millions of diode lampsthat run on solar power have beenhanded out to replace pollutingkerosene lamps.

For the same amount of energyconsumption, LED bulbs producefour times the light of a fluorescentbulb and nearly 20 times the light ofan incandescent bulb.

LED bulbs are also more durable,lasting 10 times as long as afluorescent bulb and 100 times aslong as an incandescent bulb.

Light-emitting diodes are alreadyubiquitous — in pockets andpurses, in smartphones, as well as intelevisions, lasers and opticalstorage devices.

And their future is vaster still. “TheLED lamp holds great promise forincreasing the quality of life for over1.5 billion people around the worldwho lack access to electricity grids,”the Nobel committee said. “Due tolow power requirements, it can bepowered by cheap local solarpower.”

The work rewarded on Tuesday wasthe latest step in an evolution thatbegan with Thomas Edison’sburning out light-bulb candidates inhis Menlo Park laboratory in the late19th century.

Incandescent bulbs use electricity to

produce heat in a glowing filamentthat emits a comparatively smallamount of light; fluorescent lightsuse a gas. Light-emitting diodes arebased on the same quantum magicthat gave birth to computers,smartphones, transistor radios andall other electronic devices.

The diodes are no bigger than agrain of sand and consist ofsandwiches of semiconductingmaterials. When an electric field isapplied, negative and positivecharges meet in the middle layer andcombine to produce photons oflight. The color of the light pro-duced depends on the type ofsemiconductor.

Nick Holonyak Jr. of the University ofIllinois, who invented the first red-light diode in 1962, has called theLED the “ultimate lamp” because “thecurrent itself is the light.”

Red- and green-emitting diodeshave been around for a long time,but nobody knew how to make ablue one, which was needed forblending with the others to createwhite light. The amount of informa-tion that can be packed into a lightwave increases as its wavelengthshortens, making blue the color ofchoice for conveying information.

That is where the new laureates,working independently, came in.The key was to grow high-qualitycrystals of gallium nitride, a semicon-ductor for producing blue light — aprocess that had frustratedresearchers.

Dr. Akasaki first tried to grow thecrystals in the late 1960s as a youngresearch associate at MatsushitaResearch Institute in Tokyo.

It was not until 1986 that he and Dr.Amano, who was then his graduatestudent, succeeded in growinghigh-quality crystals on a layer ofsapphire coated with aluminumnitride, and found out their

properties were enhanced whenthey were scanned with an electronbeam.

The royalties from their worksubsequently funded the construc-tion of a whole new researchinstitute, the Nagoya UniversityAkasaki Institute.

Dr. Nakamura, then at the NichiaCorporation, a chemical engineeringand manufacturing company,succeeded in growing his owncrystals, improving on the other twoscientists’ method.

In 2006 he was awarded theMillennium Technology Prize of onemillion euros (about $1.3 million) forinventing the first efficient blue-lightlaser, opening the way for things likeBlu-ray players.

Dr. Nakamura left Nichia in 1999 tojoin the University of California, SantaBarbara. Two years later, in ashocking challenge to Japanesetraditions of subservience, he suedthe company for 20 billion yen,$193 million at the time, saying hedeserved a share of royalties for hisinventions. Nichia had given him anaward of 20,000 yen — about $200— for his contributions to thecompany.

A court awarded him the fullamount, but the company ap-pealed. In 2005 he and thecompany settled for a payment of843 million yen, or about $8.1million.

As is often the case with NobelPrizes, not everybody was happy onTuesday. The prize can be awardedto no more than three people, andDr. Holonyak expressed dismay thatvarious American scientists who hadlaid the framework were left out.

“We’re always tugging and pulling,”he said in a telephone interviewfrom Illinois. “Nobody is smartenough to know all this.”


Waiting the red light is undoubtedly a suffering thing, so there are many people run the redlight. Recently, the German company BBDO engages in a very interesting concept with Smartcompany jointly, this concept is called “The Dancing Traffic Light”. It makes the original rigid redvillain alive suddenly, and dancing in front of you constantly, when you watch the dancing, tensof seconds passed unknowingly.

Some people may ask: “If it is always the same dancing, everyone will look tired soon, right?”Actually not, the highlight of the concept is – in fact, the dancing is by real person.

There is motion capture room not far from this LED traffic light, anyone can go in and show theirdance in front of the sensor, the red light villain will reflect dancers’ movements, also dancerscan observe the audiences reactions through camera. The dancers won’t feel embarrassedbecause we can not see who is dancing.

It is said that this dance lights attracted more than 81% of the pedestrians successfully, andthey stopped and did not run the red light.

German company invented

The Dancing LED Traffic Light


Cellphone operators worldwide are struggling to keep pace withgrowing demand for mobile data.

As mobile devices with bigger, sharper screens becomepopular and more videos are available online, an increasingnumber of movies, TV shows and other clips are being

viewed on cellular networks, putting increased strain on carriers’networks. In the United States last year, the average mobile phone

Philips and Ericsson to Use Streetlights toExpand Cellphone Coverage

user consumed 1.2 gigabytes ofdata a month over cellular networks,nearly double the average amountused in 2012, Chetan Sharma, aconsultant for wireless carriers,estimated.

In response, operators like AT&Tand mobile network infrastructureproviders like Huawei of China arelooking for ways to bolstercellphone coverage.

The European technology compa-nies Ericsson and Philips unveiledtheir own solution to this problem, aproject that combines city streetlighting with mobile phoneinfrastructure. The companies willincorporate cellphone antennas intoenergy-efficient LED streetlights thatcan be placed in parts of citieswhere carriers want to increase theirnetwork coverage.

By tapping into cities’ streetlights,operators will be able to expandtheir networks in urban areas whereit can be difficult to get zoningapproval for large and cumbersomeinfrastructure like cellphone basestations.

Philips and Ericsson say their planoffers cash-strapped city govern-ments a new source of income inthe form of payments from carriersthat want to rent out space on thestreetlights.

The two companies added that theLED streetlights offer cost savings ofabout 50 percent compared withtraditional lighting.

“This is the best way to strengthenmobile networks,” Hans Vestberg,Ericsson’s chief executive, said in aninterview. “We can’t get any big sitesfor mobile equipment anymore. Thisallows us to reuse existing infrastruc-ture.”

The two companies have beenworking with Verizon Wireless on a

pilot project in the United Statesover the past year. Ericsson andPhilips now want to roll the projectout globally and are in talks withcities in the United States andEurope about how to modify thestreetlights to meet local needs.They declined to say with whichcities they were in discussions.

“This is a concept that has reso-nance in all parts of the world,” saidFrans van Houten, Philips’s chiefexecutive. “You can’t have a singledesign for all cities. The look andfeel of the streetlights are veryimportant.”

As carriers like Deutsche Telekom ofGermany and China Mobile spendbillions of dollars to upgrade theirnetworks, analysts said, telecommu-nications companies have sought towork with other industries and localgovernments to find new locationsfor mobile phone infrastructure.

The partnerships, which proposeputting cellphone antennas in newplaces like bus stations or trashcans, offer a chance to reducecosts, as multiple companies wouldshare the price of installing high-speed mobile data equipment.

The deals would also give carriersthe ability to gather additionalinformation about customer habits,analysts said.

With expanded coverage throughcellphone equipment on streetlightsand in other city infrastructurelocated near customers, operatorscan get a better picture of howpeople use their networks.“Collaboration can lead to newbusiness models,” said SylvainFabre, a telecommunications analystat the research firm Gartner inLondon. “It offers carriers the chanceto get real-time data on consumers.If you can get close enough, youcan get real insights into users’activities.”


GUANGZHOU, China — A year ago, China’s light-emitting diode industryseemed like a case study of industrial policy gone awry. Hundreds offactories built all over eastern China, often with lavish clean energy subsidiesfrom state-owned banks and local governments, were operating at halfcapacity. The share prices of LED manufacturers were plunging.

Now demand is surging, and the Chinese manufacturers suddenly find theirfactories running at full tilt, churning out LEDs faster and cheaper than globalrivals. With a price war underway, the Chinese are taking share from topplayers in the United States, Europe and Japan, the industry pioneers thatmade crucial technological breakthroughs, and from Taiwan and SouthKorea, previously the leaders in low-priced LEDs. For some in the UnitedStates, the Chinese expansion has uncomfortable echoes of the solar paneland wind turbine industries, in which China went from a bit player to globalleader through a combination of extensive government subsidies and low-interest loans from state-owned banks.

“LED lighting could see itself become the next solar, wind or other futureopportunity that the U.S. will have given away by failing to address Chineseindustrial policies and unfairly traded products,” said Michael R. Wessel, amember of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, agovernment advisory panel.

Such industries have been at the center of increasing trade frictions betweenChina and the United States. SolarWorld, a solar panel maker that complainedto the American government about what it considered unfair advantages forChinese competitors, was later the victim of a cyberattack by Chinese militaryofficials, according to a recent indictment by the Justice Department.

Yet LEDs represent a far more complex story than simply another industry thatWestern companies created and then ceded to Chinese rivals — one reasonthe trade issues may not play out in the same way.

The industry, for instance, is highly segmented. Chinese manufacturers arestrongest in the low-wattage LEDs used for television and cellphonebacklights as well as for fairly dim lamps, equivalent to 40-watt incandescentbulbs. Western companies are retaining market share for brighter, higher-wattage equipment with bigger profits.

Many Chinese producers also have a poor and worsening reputation forquality, which may hurt them in the long term.

CHINACHINACHINACHINACHINA’S RISE REFLECTS THE INDUSTR’S RISE REFLECTS THE INDUSTR’S RISE REFLECTS THE INDUSTR’S RISE REFLECTS THE INDUSTR’S RISE REFLECTS THE INDUSTRYYYYY ’S CHANGING D’S CHANGING D’S CHANGING D’S CHANGING D’S CHANGING DYNAMICYNAMICYNAMICYNAMICYNAMICS.S.S.S.S.

In the last year, LEDs have finally begun to rapidly gain traction in the globallighting business. American, European and Chinese regulators have put ineffect energy-efficiency rules that phase out the use of incandescent bulbs.Big multinationals that make light bulbs like Philips, Osram and General Electric

AS LED INDUSTRYEVOLVES, CHINAELBOWS AHEAD


have responded by embracing light-emitting diodes, which use one-fifthof the electricity of incandescentbulbs and half the electricity offluorescent bulbs.

Environmentalists have applauded.Lighting accounts for about 6percent of the world’s emissions ofgreenhouse gases, and LEDs havethe potential to steeply reducethem.

For consumers, the shift has beengood. Prices have fallen by nearlyhalf in the last year for low-end, low-

wattage LEDs made in China, and by15 to 20 percent for the higher-wattage versions made elsewhere,buyers and manufacturing execu-tives said.With significant capacity, Chinesemanufacturers could quicklyincrease production to meet thedemand. Alice Tao, a lighting analystat IHS Technology, a globalconsulting firm, estimated that verylow prices had allowed Chinesecompanies to capture about 30percent of the global market. Thatgives them the biggest share aheadof Japan, South Korea, Germany,

Taiwan and the United States, whichshare the rest of the market in fairlyeven proportions.

But quality is a concern as Chinafloods the market. Instead of lastinga decade like well-made LEDs, thelow-priced LEDs occasionally burnout after less than a year, largebuyers warn. More commonly, theystart emitting strangely tinted lightthat may leave a room lookingslightly pink, a little bit green or evenwhat is known in the lighting industryas a “rainbow sherbet” palette ofcolors.

“What is going down is consistency— you just don’t know if you’regoing to get the life span that theypromise,” said Benjamin Carson, theowner of an Australian signcompany that uses LEDs to makeoutdoor business signs.

Mr. Carson said that American-brandLEDs typically cost a third more thanthe Chinese LEDs that he buys. Buthe is considering a switch toAmerican LEDs anyway because toomany signs with Chinese LEDsended up with burned-out or oddlycolored sections after less than a


year.

Other buyers are even morecautious. “We do not buy ChineseLEDs,” said Mike Pugh, the procure-ment director at Xicato in San Jose,Calif., a large provider of indoorlighting systems for retailers andhotels. “We just can’t take thatchance.” Xicato instead buys LEDsfrom multinationals like Cree ofDurham, N.C.; Philips Lumileds,based in San Jose, Calif.; and OsramOpto Semiconductors ofRegensburg, Germany.The Chinese industry, with heavy

water supplies.

Despite such issues, the LEDindustry is part of China’s broaderpush into clean energy. Three-quarters of China’s electricity stillcomes from burning coal, whichcontributes to severe air pollution aswell as global warming.

China’s clean energy efforts are amajor source of job creation. TheChinese LED industry has createdtens of thousands of well-paid jobsfor young community collegegraduates like Lin Lian Xing, who

works at the Guangzhou HongliOpto-Electronic Company, a state-controlled business here that istrying to produce higher-qualityLEDs.

Continue reading the mainstoryContinue reading the mainstoryContinue reading the main storyMs. Lin, a 26-year-old who wears awhite lab coat, face mask and hood,works over a microscope in aspecially ventilated clean room tocheck the quality of miniature diesthat are used to punch out tiny LEDcomponents from sheets of plastic

debts from an earlier spasm ofinvestment, is still largely relying onfactory equipment purchased from2009 to 2011. But with sales growingfast, Chinese companies startedordering considerable new equipmentfrom Western suppliers early this year,which could improve their reliability.

As with many fast-growing Chineseindustries, there have also beenenvironmental problems. Wang Wei, thesales director at Foshan GuoLi Opto-electronics Technology Company, saidin a recent interview that the companyhas struggled to limit acid runoff into


resin.

She earns $500 a month plus medical benefits and free foodand lodging in an air-conditioned dormitory where employ-ees sleep four to six in a room. “I like the recreation centerhere best,” she said, looking up from her microscope.

But hanging over the LED industry have been trade frictions inthe solar panel industry, which uses many similar technolo-gies. The United States and European Union have bothaccused the Chinese government of violating global traderules by providing export subsidies for solar panels, whichChina denies.

In the years after the global financial crisis in 2008, the solarand LED industries in China received huge loans at lowinterest rates from state-owned banks following directivesfrom Beijing to lend to green energy projects. “There aresubsidies — it’s on the bank loans,” said Meng Zhaochun,the general manager of Shenzhen APR Corporation, aShenzhen-based manufacturer of important LED compo-nents.

China is now following the Obama administration’s exampleby encouraging greater domestic demand for energy-efficientlighting and moving away from subsidies. If domesticdemand rises, it is harder for foreign governments tochallenge past subsidies as trade violations.

Many Chinese companies are struggling to make a profit. Ifstate-owned banks stop financing the Chinese industry withlow interest rates, consolidation may be inevitable.

“There are too many Chinese players in this market and theprice competition is very fierce,” Ms. Tao said. “Most of themcan’t make a profit and it’s difficult for them to survive.”

Even as Chinese manufacturers gain worldwide market share,their issues may only mount. The frenzied competition is stillprompting many of them to cut corners, said Li Junfeng, asenior Chinese energy policy planner.

“The problem,” he said, “is too many manufacturers with verylow quality.”


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