According to Biing-Jye Lee, chairman of Taiwan-based LED chipmaker Epistar, global shipments of LED light bulbs in 2013 are likely to reach 600 million units compared to 200 million units in 2012, showing an on-year growth of 300%.
However, compared to the total shipments of 10 billion light bulbs per year, the figure fo rhe LED segment is still small, said Lee. But if the growth can be maintained at 300% in 2014, the global output of LED light bulbs is likely to reach two billion units, Lee stated.
In addition, the price gap between 40W retrofit LED light bulb and energy-saving light bulb continues to narrow in 2013.
Lee added that when global shipments of LED light bulbs reach 1.8-2 billion units, it will require 300 MOCVD equipment sets to cater for the output. Taking demand for LED tube and special lighting also into consideration, the global LED market may return to balance in second-half 2014 to 2015, said Lee. Currently, Lee disclosed, the global capacity is around 2,300-2,400 MOCVD equipment sets.
By observing the sales in the market, Lee added, the 40W retrofit LED light bulb market is the main battlefield for firms.
According to Lee, the ex-factory prices of 40W energy-saving light bulbs are around US$1.20-1.30/unit compared to the ex-factory prices of US$2.50/unit of LED light bulbs of the same grade. Although the price difference is big but compared to energy-saving light bulbs, the lifespan of LED light bulbs is 300% longer.
The story is different for the 60W retrofit LED light bulbs, said Lee. For LED lighting, costs increase significantly as firms increase lumens but the price gaps between energy-saving light bulbs of different wattage is only about 10%. This means the ex-factory price gap between energy-saving and LED light bulbs of the same grade may be 400-500%. Hence, many lighting brands have been shifting focus back to the 40W retrofit LED light bulbs, Lee noted.
