Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS) 2014 was bigger than ever this year, held jointly with LED Taiwan for the first time. Organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, MOEA, TILS 2014 was held at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei from March 20-23. It showcased over 333 manufacturers and attracted around 16,000 visitors from around the world during the four day show. 

TILS 2014 openned on March 20th at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

As LED bulbs become more commonplace in the lighting market, manufacturers will need to turn to other capabilities and functions for LED lighting in order to maintain a sustainable business. Many manufacturers used TILS 2014 as a platform to introduce their new LED lighting development direction. Several developments stood out as possible future trends, including smart lighting, OLED, horticultural lighting, and street lighting. 

Emerging smart lighting applications

Smart lighting was a buzzword at TILS this year. From lighting forum presentations to the exhibition floor, everyone was talking about smart lighting. As LEDs overtake other forms of energy efficient lighting, new capabilities and functions are necessary to keep the market sustainable, according to Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center Director Robert Karlicek, Jr. 

Encelium Technologies has taken this notion to heart. The company exhibited their new Energy Management System (EMS). Already known to the U.S., European, and Canadian market, the EMS debuted in Taiwan at TILS this year. The system uses intelligent, integrated lighting control, and energy management solutions to control lighting fixtures through the room. Other exhibitors showcased smart lighting systems including parking lot lights, Bluetooth controllable smart bulbs, and color tunable lighting. 

Encelium's Energy Management System (EMS) made its Taiwan debut this year at TILS.

Budding OLED technology 

In addition to smart lighting, OLED was another star this year. During the Solid State Lighting Forum during day two of the show, many manufacturers boasted OLED as the up and coming competition for LED. Currently costing 20 times more than LEDs, OLED has had a slow start but manufacturers are optimistic that it will soon shed its niche market status and become more common. 

Research Director for Panasonic Takuya Komoda believes that OLED will become the new retrofit trend for office lighting this year and break into households by 2019. Merck Global OLED lighting Marketing Director Manfred Weigand had a similar outlook. He believes 20 to 30 percent market share is completely within reach and that OLED will be the norm by 2018. Cost reduction is the key to making OLED competitive in the future and manufacturers have been eagerly developing new methods to cut costs. 

Hot LED grow lights 

Horticultural lighting was a surprising trend this year. Walking through the exhibition floor, one could not help but notice the brightly lit gardens flourishing in many of the booths. NuPolar-Lights stood out of the group. The booth buzzed with activity as visitors admired the smart lighting growth cabinets filled with various types of plants. NuPolar-Lights has integrated its hybrid COB LED technology into the grow lights to achieve precise spectral energy wavelength ratios conducive to plant growth. 

Horticultural lights allow for year round harvesting and larger yield.

Rainbow Light Optical also showcased their LED grow lights which provide a fully automatic light control and constant light solution, ideal for use in the home or in plant factories. Although, still a niche market the industry has picked up speed and is expanding.

Streetlights make it big

The trend in LED street lighting was also hard to miss. Over the past few years, an increasing number of cities around the global have switched to energy efficient LED street lights or have plans to in the future. “There are still a lot of countries that have not tried LED street lights and are very eager to,” said Michael Ng, Vice Chairperson of International Affairs Committee. “I believe that there will be a lot of market potential there.”

Amko Solara was among many manufacturers who showcased their LED street light luminaires.

Manufacturers are eager to jump onto the LED street light bandwagon. TILS 2014 was abound with manufactures showcasing their new LED street light luminaires. Also, in order to stay competitive on the market, most street lights exhibited included smart capabilities such as surveillance and wireless controllers. 

The show was a huge success, drawing the largest number of international visitors and exhibitors yet. As the LED market matures, the future direction of SSL becomes increasingly important. Manufacturers are branching out to remain competitive by developing different technologies. “There is so much technological change still occurring in SSL that the lighting fixture will be undergoing constant transformation for the foreseeable future,” said Karlicek during the Taiwan Solid State Lighting Forum at TILS 2014.  

(Author:  Leah Allen, Editor/Translator, LEDinside)