In just one year, the Cree® LED Bulb has become the best-selling LED bulb in America, enabling more than US$1 billion* in lifetime energy savings for consumers. Cree and The Home Depot®are continuing the successful formula of delivering innovative products at a price that gives consumers more reasons to replace their energy-wasting incandescent bulbs by lowering the prices of the Cree LED Bulb product line by as much as 23 percent. 

As more cities try to save energy and reduce carbon footprint with LED traffic lights, those located in colder climate might need to consider installing additional heating devices to avoid car accidents during heavy snow.

Barbados, an island country located in the Caribbean is a place most LED manufacturers overlook as a potential market, but not for Caribbean LED lighting (CLL).

Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the sixth edition of the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair – Spring Edition will run from 6-9 April 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. With record-breaking participation, the fair will assemble more than 1,000 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions, who will display diverse and creative lighting products with trend-setting elements or innovative design, catering to both the consumer and the commercial markets.

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, announced it is illuminating the interior of Notre-Dame de Paris with LEDs that will show off the cathedral’s gothic features as never seen before. Philips is placing LED technology at the service of 850 years of history, paying tribute to the architecture of this Gothic masterpiece. A total of more than 400 luminaires were used, with an installed capacity of just 30 kW, compared with almost 140 kW previously – reducing energy consumption by 80 percent.

Quantum Materials Corp. announced it has placed purchase orders for the proprietary equipment necessary to  commence increased production of inorganic quantum dots. The equipment is scheduled for delivery and deployment, on or before the end of the third quarter of 2014. In recent news, QMC announced obtaining equipment funding and reporting that the Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) Thick-Shell technology will be integrated with a variety of QMC's composite tetrapod quantum dots to develop a line of advanced high performance quantum dots.  

Lighting and technology manufacturer, GlacialTech, will be exhibiting its latest energy efficient GlacialLight LED luminaries and GlacialPower LED drivers at the biennial Light+Building fair at Messe Frankfurt in Germany from 30 March to 04 April 2014. GlacialTech will be in Hall 10.1, booth #C10J in the Technical Lighting and Lamps area.

LEDtronics, Inc. announces the newest member to its series of high-brightness, energy-efficient LED replacement bulbs. The dimmable LED R40/BR40 bulb-style floodlight is ideal for indoor use in architectural/décor lighting, commercial applications, facilities, plants, hotels and resorts.

The Leizhou peninsula loop highway will be getting a makeover thanks to a RMB 150 million (US $24.4 million) agreement between Electricity Facilities Guangri Company (subsidiary of Guangzhou Iron and Steel Co.) and Nanhai Zhong Dong Group. 

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Taiwan has recently signed an agreement with Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp (TNSC) for use of TNSC’s AP (atmospheric pressure) MOCVD to develop UVA LEDs on GaN substrate. 

UL announced the introduction of the Type TL Program, which offers a set of certification guidelines designed to create a more efficient path for manufacturers in developing new LED luminaire products. Through the flexibility of the UL Recognized Component program, LED drivers, an electrical device which regulates power to an LED or string of LEDs, are often designed with varying constructions and are tested in a variety of ways. This approach helps ensure LED drivers are interchangeable in most cases without the need for additional testing. 

Today Philips Lumileds launched a mid-power LED, the LUXEON 3535 HV, which allows lighting manufacturers to design in high voltage drivers that are diminutive in size compared to standard drivers, enabling simplified design and lower total cost of the overall lighting solution. The company’s high voltage mid-power portfolio is available in industry leading 24V and 48V parts.

The Lexington Art League unveiled a new interactive LED sculpture in Triangle Park in the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky on Feb. 21st. New Moon, a moon shaped lighting sculpture, was designed by Canadian artist-in-residence Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett as an ode to the celestial bodies above us. 

A young South African designer Michael Suttner has launched a new solar LED light aimed at improving the lives of those in the developing world, according to a recent Gizmag article. The product is targeting low income families in particular.

Lighting on a cruise ship calls for something striking, elegant, and luxurious, yet at the same time robust and energy-efficient. With the help of OSRAM‘s energy efficient LED technology, two of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)’s newest ships – “Getaway” and the award-winning “Breakaway” – are able to achieve the design vision, while reducing ship operators’ energy costs by up to 18 percent. 

Leading IP Storage, IP Networking, IP Security, and IP CCTV distributor Lan 1, is partnering with Raytec, the world leading manufacturer of LED lighting for CCTV and general area illumination. Raytec is the newest addition to the Lan 1 portfolio and is their sole lighting partner in Australia.

Xicato announced availability of its new XTM module. With more than 100 lumens per Watt at operating temperatures, XTM is a cost effective module that outperforms competitors by as much as 20% in its 1300, 2000 and 3000 lumen packages. The Zhaga compatible mechanical interface enables virtually any luminaire manufacturer to quickly and easily incorporate XTM into existing luminaires and for the first time offer Xicato’s renowned light quality and consistency to a broader portion of the professional lighting market without sacrificing system efficiency. 

As LED enters conventional peak season in March it will initiate the LED lighting cycle, with demands estimated to return to peak heights in 2010, according to latest research by Guotai Junan Securities. The Chinese financial institute projected sapphire substrate prices will continue its upward climb in 2014 and enter the big LED trend.

Leyard has become the global leading manufacturer for LED small pitch TV displays. The company currently has a market share of 80 percent for 2.5mm and below small pitch displays, according to a recent report by Everbright Securities. 

LED lighting remains the largest market for sapphire application. LED has become a huge competitor for traditional lighting despite of higher costs. High prices, however, are a temporary problem. At-Vac believes that continual advancement of epitaxial wafer technology and LED lighting equipment’s current price fall trend will help lower retail prices. 

Philips, the global leader in lighting, has once again revolutionized the 60-watt LED equivalent bulb by introducing SlimStyle, a brand new shape that offers the high quality, omni-directional light of an incandescent, while eliminating the bulky heat sink commonly found on current LED offerings. The new value-priced 60-watt bulb is now available for purchase in store at The Home Depot, a partner in innovation, for just US$ 9.97.

Lextar Electronics Corp. (“Lextar” or the “Company) reported consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013 of NT$ 3.32 billion (US$ 110 million) Consolidated gross margin was 10.1 percent, net profit for 4Q 2013 was NT$ 33 million. Consolidated revenue for full-year 2013 was NT$ 13.75 billion on year. Consolidated gross margin was 12.7 percent. Full-year net profit was NT$ 948 million. Earnings per share were NT$ 1.25.

U.S. cities are overhauling old lighting systems with energy efficient LED streetlights, as the energy efficient lights are much brighter than conventional lights, energy efficient and provide higher cost-saving capacity. However, blue-rich LED lights can disrupt the circardian rhythm of humans, animals, and even plants according to an article by Earth Island Journal.

European design team Utope has recently kicked off a fundraising project on Indiegogo for its smart LED cycling jacket Sporty Supaheroe Jacket 01 and other LED embedded accessories. The bright LED lights adds night time visibility for cyclists.

Designers at the production studio Fiction have designed a Close Encounters of the Third Kind inspired UFO with LED lights. Fiction designers attached LED strips to a DJI Phantom drone. They then shot photos with long exposure to capture streams of light as the drone flew by. In addition to a little Photoshop editing, the pictures create the eerie illusion of an alien spacecraft shooting across the sky. 

Pictures have been leaked recently for the HTC One M8 which will be available later this month. More pictures have emerge this week showing a unique LED application to the phone’s design. 

Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Value Lighting Inc. and certain affiliates (“Value Lighting”), a supplier of lighting solutions to the multifamily residential housing sector and new construction marketplace across the U.S.

Widely used in the manufacture of disposable medical devices, Master Bond LED403Med is a single component system that passes the plastics test for USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5 cytotoxicity requirements. This medical grade system withstands sterilization methods such as gamma radiation, EtO and various chemical sterilants.

The gradually maturing LED industry is also driving up light measurement demands. Taiwanese manufacturer UPRtek released its first popular portable spectrometer MK35ON in 2012. The company followed up on this success with the launch of a newer and more professional spectrometer, the MK350S Advanced in late 2013. 

Philips Hue has officially entered the Chinese market. Philips announced the arrival of Hue during an event at Shanghai Xintiandi on March 7th. It will be available for purchase at Apple Stores around China and online.