Highlights this week:

• There has been quite some activity in the Middle East and African lighting markets lately. One of Middle East’s largest LED installation projects has been rolled out by Dubai this week, and under the government project 160,000 LED light bulbs will be installed in 2,000 new houses. In Africa, the Zambian government’s decision to phase out incandescent bulbs has encouraged local LED manufacturer The Zambia Electrometer to scale up annual LED bulb production by four times to 2 million LED bulbs.
• Moving to Europe, the EU Commission Photonics Public Private Partnership (PPP) is investing EUR 35 million in pilot photonic production lines that includes OLED, while the U.S. DOE has released a latest flicker meter report to be used as guidelines for new lighting regulations.
• On an end note, a couple of U.S. manufacturers made some interesting announcements week. Nobel Laureate in Physics Shuji Nakamura has launched a new laser company SoraaLaser, a spin-off from Soraa. The laser products developed by the company are based on GaN diodes that Nakamura been developing. Cree also announced on Friday afternoon Taipei time that they are starting a new brand Essentia that has a focus on color rendering performance. How this new branding strategy will work for Cree will be worth observing.

Editor recommendations

1. Dubai to Install 160,000 LED Light Bulbs and Solar Panels for New Housing Project
2. Tridonic and Panasonic Sign LED Light Source Patent License Agreement
3. Zambian Government Incandescent Bulb Phase Out Spurs Local Manufacturer to Raise LED Bulb Production
4. EU Commission Photonics Public Private Partnership Invests EUR 35M in Three Advanced Photonic Production Lines
5. Village in New York State Secures US $250K Funding for LED Streetlight Upgrade
6. Residents in North Carolina Capital Request Dimmer and Warmer Colored LED Lights
7. PSCo Becomes Samsung’s LED Solution Distributor in UK
8. Shuji Nakamura Co-founded Company SoraaLaser to Launch Laser Light Source for Specialty Lighting
9. DOE Releases Newest Findings on Flicker Meters Performance
10. Cree Launches New Brand Essentia with Focus on Color Rendering Performance

Government projects

• NEMA Business Conditions Indexes Downed in February
• Scientists Improves Graphene Electronic Properties with Common Glass
• DOE's Proposed Light Bulb Energy Efficiency Standards to Save Consumers an Annual US$12.5 Billion

Industry news

1. Tridonic Reaches Settlement with AOC International on Silicate-based White LED Patent Lawsuit
2. Kent’s Newly Installed LED Streetlights Attract Harsh Criticism from Residents
3. Veeco Reports Loss in 4Q15
4. Quantum Material Partners with GTG in US$20 M Quantum Dot Production Joint Venture in China
5. Technavio Projects Global Automotive OLED Market to Reach 7.74 Million Units by 2019
6. Russian Physicists Make Breakthrough in Applying Copper Nanophotonic Components in Photonic Devices

New products

1. Epson Launches New OLED Binocular See-Through Smart Glasses
2. Lumileds Launches Next-Gen LUXEON CoB Core Range with Breakthrough in Efficacy
3. Cree Announces New LED Bulb with CRI 90 for Artwork and Delicate Illumination
4. Cree Achieves LED Efficacy Breakthrough with 25% Lumens per Watt Increase
5. Cree Launches New Brand Essentia by Cree with 90+ CRI Products
6. InVisage Releases the World's First HD Near-infrared Camera Sensor for IoT Application
7. pureLiFi to Unveil LiFi Dongle at Mobile World Congress 2016
8. CORIAL Releases a Platform for 6” Patterned Sapphire Substrates
9. Sonavation Introduces Fingerprint Imaging Through Smartphone OLED Display
10. GlacialLight Releases 150W LED Floodlight with Over 16,000lm for Outdoor Illumination
11. Lumenpulse Introduces New Dimming Control Across Products Portfolio
12. Griplock Systems Launches New LED Pendant Range without Power Cord
13. NTL Lemnis Adds Scoop Spot Light to Product Portfolio
14. Ford's Automotive Lamps Improves Efficiency and Enhances Aesthetics
15. Media Facades Worldwide Shine Digital and Envrionment Friendly Light with LEDs
16. Elemental LED Forges Partnership with Lighting Consulting Agency to Provide Diode LED Products
17. Tracer Launches Leak Detection Kit with UV LED Flashlight
18. Columbia Lighting Releases New LED Troffer For Restricted Plenum Spaces
19. Xicato Adds Five New Modules and Core Arrays to its Product Portfolio

Lighting projects

1. Osram Upgrades Munich-based Medical Board with Intelligent Lighting Control and LED Luminaires
2. See-through Installations Using OLED Technology from Planar Won Clear Concept Awards
3. Designer Jef Montes Dazzles London Fashion Week with LED Lighting Enhanced Reflective Fabric
4. Miami Heat Lights up Xfinity East Plaza with LED Displays
5. Simon and Acuity Brands Kicks off Pilot Smart Parking Lot Lighting Projects in Atlanta and Florida
6. Avid Solutions Selects Cree's Smart Lighting System for its New Office