Holiday lighting is expected to add 750-800 megawatts (MW) to the level of electricity used by New Yorkers this season, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) reports.

Brighton and Hove Council in UK is set to save more than GBP 200,000 (US $ 251,720) a year and slash its energy and carbon footprint by introducing new LED street lighting.

The finale of Aixtron’s sale to Grand Chip Investment ended with the Chinese investor dropping the deal after U.S. President Barack Obama prohibited the German equipment maker from transferring key U.S. patents and assets to the acquisitor, due to national security concerns. In brief, Aixtron’s equipment can be used to make GaN wafers that are used in U.S. military applications including Patriot missiles. The German equipment maker is currently considering to sell parts of its business off instead, after the deal with the Chinese investor failed.

The LED industry was volatile throughout 2016, but started to rebound during first half of the year following soaring upstream chip prices. Despite positive growth in the industry, companies were still shutting down or exiting the market, while more were paying attention to industry developments. Under current market situations, leading manufacturers’ development strategy also come under the lime light.

Chinese equipment manufacturer Jiangsu Huasheng Tianlong Photoelectric sealed a large monocrystalline silicon growth furnace order from equipment manufacturer SuperBrain valuing RMB 186 million (US $29.95 million).

Idemitsu Kosan (headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & Chief Executive Officer: Takashi Tsukioka; hereinafter, “Idemitsu” or the “Company”) announces its decision to expand production capacity of the OLED materials at its 100% subsidiary Idemitsu Electronic Materials Korea Co., Ltd. (location: Paju, Gyeon-do, South Korea; president: Kazuki Maeda) to respond to the expected increase in demand for OLED materials due to increased penetration of OLED displays as well as to install additional evaluation equipment in order to strengthen technological customer support capabilities.

China’s capital Beijing has installed 28 streetlights enhanced with advanced graphene material technology in Tongzhou District, which can slash energy consumption by 20% to 30% compared to current lamps on the market, reported China Daily.

Leviton announced the acquisition of ConTech Lighting, a leading, Chicago-based manufacturer of high-performance and sustainable lighting solutions and fixtures. Through this acquisition, Leviton continues its strategic growth in lighting and expands its product offerings and solutions with ConTech Lighting’s high-quality, innovative designs.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has recently released a free, open-access circadian stimulus (CS) calculator to help lighting professionals select light sources and light levels that will increase the potential for circadian-effective light exposure in architectural spaces, utilizing the CS metric. Developed by LRC researchers, the CS metric is a new way to quantify light’s impact on acute melatonin suppression, a marker of circadian system activation.

Chinese LED manufacturer Lianovation filed a suit against Hanen Digital Interconnect Culture (Hanen Digital) for not returning earnest money after the two organizations canceled an acquisition deal, reported Chinese-language media Sinai.

Sharp has developed green laser diodes, and are running pilot projects of the lasers in its facilities in Mihara, Japan, reported Nikkei.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, to promote local manufacturing of LED bulbs fell flat when suppliers could not keep up with the large volume of demands, reported The Quint.

The chances of Chinese investor Grand Chip Investment (GCI) acquiring Aixtron are looking rather slim, following U.S. President Barack Obama recent order that bans the business transaction, reported Bloomberg.

Jufei Opto announced recently in a statement that it signed a red phosphor license agreement with leading U.S. manufacturer GE Lighting.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced it is close to concluding Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which would reduce tariffs for eco-friendly products including LED lights, bikes, and recycled paper products.

Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Panasonic is in talks with Austrian headlight maker ZKW Group, a Bloomberg report quoted person familiar with the matter saying.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science published the Fiscal Year 2017 Phase I, Release 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on November 28, 2016, for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Under DE-FOA-0001619, whose complete listing of technical topics was released on October 31, DOE seeks applicants for grants directed toward FY17 Phase I, Release 2 projects. Topics for this funding opportunity can be found at //science.energy.gov/sbir/funding-opportunities and include LED and OLED lighting (see topic 10b).

Early in May, Luxlite, Epistar's sole distributor in China, has sent out an announcement of price adjustment, listing a number of reasons for price increase, including continuingly increased raw materials and manpower costs.  （Official announcements from Luxlite, Smalit and Rishang regarding the rise of LED package price） Chinese LED chips manufacturers San’an Opto and HC Semitek followed suit Epistar’s lead in raising LED chip prices, which was considered as an early sign of recovery from the heated price war since 2014. Major...

According to AIXTRON SE's press release, Japanese group Toyoda Gosei has acquired an enhanced 5x4-inch CRIUS Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) system to manufacture Blue and Ultra Violet (UV) LEDs. The tool is scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2017.

Monocrystal, a global leader in synthetic sapphire growing and processing, shipped its 5 millionth four-inch equivalent (FIE) sapphire wafer. Large diameter wafers have recently become a mainstream product, driven by LED makers’ immediate benefit from a 30% increase in MOCVD reactor throughput and higher binning yields. At the same time, sapphire wafer shape and cleanness are crucial in achieving high epitaxial yields and getting the benefits of using large diameters.

Facing a severe operation crisis Korean conglomerate Samsung Electronic is considering to take the advice of hedge fund management firm Elliott Management Corporation to spin-off into two independent legal entities, The Seoul Economic Daily cited sources familiar with the matter.

China’s LED lighting market value will surpass RMB 500 billion (US $72.45 billion) by 2016, said Ling Wu, the Secretary General of China’s International Solid State Alliance (ISA).

Surging investments made by Chinese firms in EU high-tech industries is fueling conflict between Beijing, Berlin and Brussels, reported The Politico.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s abrupt demonization policies launched on Nov. 8, 2016 and its ripple effect has left a dent for LED manufacturers relying heavily on cash transactions, reported The Hindu.

How many times has the lighting industry come together to discuss, criticize even try to find a solution for the poor quality, non-compliant products entering the UK market un-checked, creating confusion and unfair competition?

The II-VI Infrared Division of II-VI Incorporated, a company specializing in laser optics, announced that Dr. Ahmad Magad, Group Managing Director of the II-VI Infrared Optics Manufacturing Operations in Asia, was awarded the 2016 Walter L. Hurd Executive Medal by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO). Dr. Ahmad Magad will receive the award on Nov. 21, 2016 at the 22nd Asia Pacific Quality Conference in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Aixtron and Grand Chip Investment defy CFIUS objections to cancel the deal over U.S. national security concerns, and are appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the case in the next 15-days. The German Economic Ministry halted the acquisition business transaction, shortly after U.S. government representatives presented evidence suggesting Aixtron’s might pose a national security threat, which a Wall Street Journal reported mainly involves GaN epiwafer growing technology, a material that could be made to use improve military equipment such as radar.

Even though the decorative lighting industry performance was average in 2016, the industry remained upbeat about its market outlook next year, according to statistics compiled by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Taiwanese automotive LED module manufacturer Laster Tech will be listed on the local bourse in mid-December 2016, reported Now News.

New technology revolutions and industry evolutions are creating opportunities, developments in China and internationally are undergoing metamorphosis that are reshaping industry developments, said Jianlin Cao, a former Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).