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EU Incandescent-Bulb Ban Opens LED Market Potential

May 17, 2010
Expect light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices to shine brighter in the general lighting market, including residential, retail display outdoor, and off-grid applications, over the next three years

London, England:  Expect light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices to shine brighter in the general lighting market, including residential, retail display outdoor, and off-grid applications, over the next three years. Such is the forecast delivered by analyst Frost & Sullivan (F&S) in a recent briefing held in London.

Despite the economic downturn, F&S believes these product markets are poised to exhibit strong growth primarily driven by the emergence of new applications from the automotive, medical, and military sectors. Increased penetration of solid-state lighting in many existing applications, such as backlighting and mobile displays, will continue to be important. Consequently, white LEDs are destined to become a more significant part of the market.

OLED devices are seen as the next generation of components for lighting and displays. Whilst challenges such as short life time, high costs, complexity of manufacturing of OLEDs, efficiency, and luminance still remain, the global market for OLEDs is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16% to 2015.

“After the decision in December 2008, the European Commission implemented a ban on the sale of 100W conventional incandescent light bulbs from September 1, 2009. All light bulbs of more than 75W will be banned in 2010, followed by 60W bulbs in 2011 and 40W bulbs in 2012,” says Santosh Kumar P, industry analyst for the R&S Electronic Devices group. “Over the coming years, about eight billion incandescent light bulbs will be replaced by energy-efficient solid-state alternatives such as LEDs and OLEDs, creating unmatched opportunities for companies in the value chain across all applications.”

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