Global LED lighting demand has been growing fast due to continual drops in LED chip prices, and the demand in 2013 will hike 100-200% from 2012 while global LED lighting production value will see a CAGR of 30% over the next five years, according to chairman Lee Biing-jye for Taiwan-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar.
Prices for LED chips dropped about 35% in 2011 and 2012 and are expected to slip 15-20% in 2013, Lee indicated.
LED backlight and lighting account for 50% and 20%, respectively, of total LED production value currently, and the former proportion will decrease to 35% while the latter will increase to 35% in 2015-2016, Lee noted. LED penetration of all lighting products is expected to rise from below 10% in 2012 to 10% in 2013 and further to 70% in 2018, Lee said.
Retail prices for an LED light bulb to replace a 60W incandescent bulb have dropped from US$19.99 to US$12.99 currently and are expected to further slip to below US$10 in the third quarter of 2013, Lee indicated.
