LED Lighting Will Become The Main LED Application in 2014

LED lighting will become the main LED application in 2014, according to David Su, chairman of Taiwan-based LED firm Lextar. Su indicated in a speech given during Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition 2012 that penetration of LED-backlit applications in 2011 was around 45%. The figure will increase to 65-75% in 2012 and stimulate rapid growth of LED lighting applications, said Su. In 2014, the number of chips produced for LED lighting will exceed the number of chips for LED-backlit applications in 2014, added Su. LED will switch its role from "lighting components" to "lighting services" to fit the three major trends in the industry: quality of light, cost, and control. Su noted that the cost of replacement LED light bulbs and tubes is still 10 times more expensive than the cost of traditional lighting, and in particular, the cost of chips and packaging account for less than 10% of total costs. Hence, while increasing brightness efficiency, the industry needs to integrate heat-dissipation technologies to invent suitable lighting fixtures to effectively lower costs. As for light quality, Su believes firms can achieve even brightness through adopting chip on board (COB) designs. In addition, future designs of LED lighting fixtures need to integrate other features such as smart metering to actually help the environment and decrease carbon emissions, said Su. Source: DIGITIMES