Energy Department Secretary Steven Chu wants the U.S. to be the global leader in the emerging market for energy efficient LED and OLED lighting.
There is no guarantee. Big companies from around the world have the market in their sites, including consumer electrics giants Sharp, Toshiba and Philips.
On Friday, Chu hoped to put more wood behind his arrow by awarding stimulus act funding to 14 companies. It was the department’s third round of funding for solid-state lighting and the first to include manufacturing projects.
Departmetn Of Energy allocates another $37 million in stimulus funds to LED lighting
Still, the more than $37 million he allocated is a drop in the bucket. The $100 billion a year lighting market will bring much larger private investments from firms eager to secure places in such as lucrative business,
The Department of Energy money will go to 17 projects, with the majority ($23.5 million) slated for manufacturing efforts. Ten million dollars is to be used for product development and $4 million is earmarked for research. Private funds of $28.5 million are being invested alongside the government money.
Among the companies collecting money are GE, Applied Materials, KLA Tencor, Ultratech, Veeco, Cree, Osram Sylvania and Cambios. The University of Rochester also is to get a research grant.
Also on the list is Philips Lumileds, a division of the Dutch company Koninklijke Philips Electronics.
Chu said the stakes behind LED and OLED bulbs and lighting are high. Lighting consumes a quarter of the nation’s electricity and solid-state products could cut that use by one third.
But foreign competitors will be angling for a piece of the pie as well. Earlier this month, Sharp and Toshiba said they will begin shipping products into the U.S. this spring. Other well heeled companies (perhaps Samsung) are expected to enter the market as well.
In addition, many of the top LED chip producers are in Asia. In other words, the U.S. has its work cut out for itself.
Efficient lighting is needed for sustainable architecture. A 13 watt LED lamp produces 450 to 650 lumens . which is equivalent to a standard 40 watt incandescent bulb . A standard 40 W incandescent bulb has an expected lifespan of 1,000 hours while an LED can continue to operate with reduced efficiency for more than 50,000 hours, 50 times longer than the incandescent bulb.
I recommend to all my customers to use LED lighting.They give off a much more natural daylight colour and last alot longer. So in the long run your saving.