The European LED lighting market is growing rapidly due to energy-saving awareness and,in particular,the high electricity prices in Europe,according to TrendForce's'2011-2015 European LED Lighting Market Report'by its LED research division LEDinside.For example,if a 7W LED light bulb(a replacement for 40W incandescent light bulbs)is used for 8 hours per day for a month(31 days),it can save 8kWh compared to using an 40W incandescent bulb.With electricity prices in the EU-27(the 27 member states of the European Union),$2 can be saved each month by adopting an LED light bulb instead of an incandescent bulb.
Given the global anti-nuclear trend and lack of scope for electricity prices to dip,energy-saving demands will only climb,reckons LEDinside.The market research firm predicts that LED prices will see a dramatic drop,starting from 2012,and it expects the European LED commercial lighting market to grow seven-fold from 2011 to$1.9bn by 2015.
LEDinside notes that more money can be saved by adopting LED lights in outdoor and commercial lighting due to the high electricity consumption in those sectors.An LED light bulb's lower wattage and higher thermal dissipation efficiency result in better energy-saving efficiency,adds the firm.The high price of electricity is hence one of the most important factors spurring the surge in growth in the European LED lighting market.
As for indoor lighting,the European lighting market is dominated mainly by Philips,Osram and GE.In particular,Philips and Osram dominate trends in the European LED lighting market;they continue to put effort into the traditional lighting market and channels,but in the meantime they have been developing their LED products.European LED lighting firms take a more scientific stance on manufacturing LED products,reckons the market research firm,with an emphasis on an LED component's color temperature,brightness and beam angle.
In terms of the color temperature for indoor lighting,Europeans prefer warm white,yellow light(2500-2700K),while for commercial lighting they prefer about 3000K with a color rendering index(CRI)above 80,says LEDinside.
It is easy to buy 10W(and lower)LED light bulbs and candle lights at convenience stores and supermarkets in Europe.However,the LED still has a long way to go before it achieves wide adoption in the household lighting market,the firm notes;currently,LED lighting has been adopted mainly just for new buildings and luxury houses.Prices for LED lighting fixtures are still much higher than those of traditional lighting products.Also,existing LED light bulbs cannot replace traditional bulbs in terms of beam angle.For this reason,regular consumers are still conservative about using LED lights in their households,LEDinside concludes.
