Lightfair Briefing: Philips, Cree, Switch, Marvell

by | May 19, 2011

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Here’s a roundup of news from Lightfair International, the trade show and conference winding up today in Philadelphia.

Philips has unveiled what it says is the world’s first LED replacement for the 75-watt light bulb. The Philips EnduraLED A21 (pictured) is a 17-watt model that cuts energy consumption by 80 percent compared to a traditional 75-watt bulb, and lasts 25 times longer. It emits a soft white light, fits into existing fixtures and works with standard dimmers.

The LED bulb delivers 1100 lumens with a color temperature of 2700k and a color rendering index of 80. It will be available during Q4 2011 at an expected retail price of $40 to $45.

Philips has also announced that it is investing €40 million ($57 million) to expand production capacity for OLED lighting panels at its factory in Aachen, Germany. The company expects to complete the expansion next year. Philips’ OLED products include Lumiblade, O’Leaf and Edge.

Meanwhile, Switch Lighting has announced what it calls the first LED light equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent. The bulb uses a self-cooling internal environment to allow maximum brightness with fewer LEDs.

The A19 lamp produces 1700 lumens in neutral white, the same color as halogen track lighting. “Nobody [else] in the LED space can produce this incandescent-quality light,” Switch CEO Boris Lipkin said. A warm white version will be launched in mid- to late-2012.

Switch said its bulb designs are inspired by Cradle to Cradle principles, and all components can be reused, recycled or reclaimed. “When the bulbs are returned, they could become part of a bicycle, or could be returned to the biosphere to become fertilizer,” Cradle-to-Cradle co-author Bill McDonough said.

Cree has recorded an efficacy record of 231 lumens per watt for a white power LED, in what the company calls an industry first. The R&D result uses advanced versions of the same technology used in Cree XLamp white LEDs, the company says.

“It wasn’t long ago when 200 lumens per watt was considered the theoretical maximum efficiency for a lighting-class LED. We broke that barrier in 2010, and have now achieved 231 lumens per watt,” said John Edmond, Cree co-founder and director of advanced optoelectronics.

Marvell has announced a dual-string LED lighting controller family. The 88EM8801 uses a single 4×4 millimeter chip for functionality that previously would have required multiple driver chips, a micro-controller and various discrete components, Marvell says.

Lighting Science Group has rolled out an expanded line of Definity LED bulbs. The line now includes LED flood and spot lights as well as vanity lights and 60- and 40-watt equivalent omnidirectional bulbs in a variety of colors. Lighting Science says the bulbs are dimmable, “instant on” and 75-80 percent more efficient than traditional bulbs.

Hubbell Lighting has unveiled its wiHUBB Wireless Distributed Lighting Control System. The company is factory-installing the technology into smart lighting fixtures that eliminate the need for field installation.

The system is a peer-to-peer, self-organizing and self-healing network of fixtures, occupancy/vacancy sensors, daylight harvesting sensors and switch stations that works in indoor and outdoor lighting applications, the company says. These devices can be controlled via iPad, smart phone or any Internet-enabled device.

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