Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, today announced revenue of US $427.7 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2015, ended September 28, 2014. This represents a 9% increase compared to revenue of $391.0 million reported for the first quarter of fiscal 2014. GAAP net income for the first quarter was $11.1 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, a decrease of 64% year-over-year compared to GAAP net income of $30.5 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2014. 

Scientists have created a drug for type 2 diabetes that is switched on by blue light, which they hope will improve treatment of the disease.

Joining the acclaimed LUXEON CoB group, Philips Lumileds introduces LUXEON CoB 1202s. LUXEON CoB 1202s has unsurpassed light quality with a compact array that delivers industry-leading center beam candle power (CBCP). With the same performance as the LUXEON CoB 1202, LUXEON CoB 1202s contains a smaller LES and footprint than most competitors with similar performance parts. 

Norwegian design studio Drap og Design has developed a color-changing LED jacket inspired by squids color-morphing ability to blend in with its surroundings.

ForceField Energy Completes Acquisition of ESCO Energy Services, a Leader in Energy Efficiency Upgrades and Lighting Retrofit Projects ForceField Energy Inc. ("ForceField" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:FNRG), a designer, seller and distributor of energy products and solutions, today announced that it completed the acquisition of ESCO Energy Services Company ("ESCO"). Based in Lenox, Massachusetts, ESCO is a leader in energy efficiency upgrades and lighting retrofit projects with strong utility company relationships and long-standing master agreements with global engineering firms.

Acuity Brands, Inc. announced it will build a world-class engineering and technology center at a site it owns in Decatur, Georgia, and will invest in facility upgrades at its complex in Conyers Georgia, as part of a plan to enhance a workplace that will drive  innovation and technology advances.

The seal on confidential documents signed between Apple and sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) is expected to be gradually lifted in its bankruptcy case, according to a Bloomberg report.

Puducherry, an Indian Union Territory, recently completed distributing low cost LED bulbs to every household, according to a Deccan Chronicle report.

Lumia   Oxford   Series   proudly   represents   the   highest   standards available in the market for T8 Tube Lights. With lockable rotatable end caps, long life time of 50,000 hours (L70) and high colour rendering, Oxford Series assures stable performance for years to come. 

Absen Optoelectronics, a global manufacturer of LED displays, announced the appointment of Christopher Backhaus, former Sales Director of Barco NV and Daktronics Inc. as its Regional Sales Director for the German Speaking Market with effect 1 October 2014. His experience in closely related businesses will be a valuable asset to Absen for the further expansion of the business.

Key developments this week: GTAT wind-down approved by U.S. court, company slashes 890 jobs. Indian Energy Ministry actively promotes LED bulbs, and plans to sell them for less than US $1 each in rural areas. Lextar board approves Cree NT $83 million (US $2.73 million) investment in company, company stocks to be sold at NT$ 30 per share. Nichia announces first global spokesperson to be based in Taipei, an interesting development for a company mostly involved in B2B operations.

Global LED market prices have been disrupted by heavily subsidized Chinese manufacturers, to stay relevant Taiwanese manufacturers need to work on strengthening patent portfolios, said Katsuyuki Akutagawa, Chief Legal and IP Officer Board Director for Nichia at a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lextar has approved leading U.S. LED manufacturer Cree’s NT $83 million investment in the company during a recent shareholder meeting, according to several Taiwanese media reports.

DOE's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium (MSSLC) has released the results of a voluntary web-based inventory survey of public street and area lighting across the U.S., conducted during the latter half of 2013 and intended to improve understanding of the role of public outdoor lighting in national energy use.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a solid-state lighting (SSL) R&D funding opportunity on October 14, 2014. Under this funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001171, “Solid-State Lighting Advanced Technology R&D – 2015”), a total of up to $10 million in funding is directed toward all three existing DOE SSL R&D program areas:

The phase-out of traditional incandescent bulbs in the U.S. and elsewhere, as well as a growing interest in energy efficiency, has given LED lighting a sales boost. However, that trend could be short-lived as key materials known as rare earth elements become more expensive. Scientists have now designed new materials for making household LED bulbs without using these ingredients. They report their development in ACS’Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Today is the first day of the deodorant revolution, as ClickStick launches on Kickstarter. ClickStick (www.getclickstick.com) is the world's first smart electric deodorant applicator, equipped with push-button delivery, adjustable amounts, LED indicators and a free mobile app.

Restructures in the LED industry this year have shaken the market, whether it has been Philips decision to spin off its traditional lighting business, or the sudden bankruptcy of sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technology. But the worse is to come in 2015, when Chinese LED manufacturers technology matures, said a Nichia spokesperson.

After Shuji Nakamura was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics last Tuesday, the lawsuit the Japanese scientist brought against former employer Nichia in 2001 over patent compensation received renewed media attention. The Japanese LED manufacturer insisted it compensated Nakamura fairly for his work at a press conference in Taipei on Thursday. 

Experts at Osram Opto Semiconductors will be taking the opportunity offered by the Vision Congress in Paris (October 14 and 15, 2014) to showcase an LED for car headlights which has a luminance three times that of existing versions. This means that a single LED can be used to provide a complete low beam. Several LED chips have always been needed in the past depending on the design and the type of LEDs used. The tremendous brightness is the result of a combination of UX:3 chip technology, ceramic conversion technology and high-current technology used in projection applications. In future it will be possible to design much smaller headlights – with every lighting function smaller than a box of matches.

With effect as of October 13, 2014 Osram has successfully completed the acquisition of Clay Paky, a leading provider of entertainment lighting for shows and events. All necessary approvals from the respective authorities have been granted regarding the acquisition. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in entertainment lighting. 

Ford Motor Company and NextEnergy, one of the nation’s leading accelerators of advanced energy technologies, have teamed up on a technology innovation challenge for industry suppliers to help advance state-of-the-art automotive lighting.

Even as the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics has enshrined light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the single most significant and disruptive energy-efficient lighting solution of today, scientists around the world continue unabated to search for the even-better-bulbs of tomorrow. Enter carbon electronics.

Universal Display Corporation, enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with itsUniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, announced today that the company has been named to the Barron's 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. The Index is based on companies that perform exceptionally in 24 fundamental areas of fundamental performance.

In support of energy reduction initiatives underway at the Naval Support Activity Annapolis and the US Naval Academy, Ephesus Lighting Inc., the industry leader in LED lighting for sports facilities, has been selected under two contracts to install energy efficient and high-quality LED lighting at seven outdoor sports complexes, three indoor sports arenas and five additional outdoor locations on Naval Support Activity Annapolis. The announcement was made by Amy Casper, CEO of Ephesus Lighting, and Lieutenant Commander Cristopher Neish, Energy Officer, Public Works Department Annapolis.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was shared between three Japanese blue LED inventors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura. The three inventors were recognized for their achievements in the highly energy efficient blue LED, which led to the emergence of white light.

Chinese LED manufacturers IPO applications remain a lengthy tedious procedure.

Duke University researchers have made fluorescent molecules emit photons of light 1,000 times faster than normal—setting a speed record and making an important step toward realizing superfast light emitting diodes (LEDs) and quantum cryptography.

A new wearable medical device can quickly alert a person if they are having cardiovascular trouble or if it’s simply time to put on some skin moisturizer, reports a Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study.

Since U.S.-based sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technology’s abrupt bankruptcy announcement last Monday, several law firms have asked investors to step forward.