Tony Blair and Jet Li have launched the 1,000-Village Solar LED Initiative in Guiyang, China. The five-year project, which is a joint initiative between The Climate Group and the Jet Li One Foundation, will engage 400 villages in China in the first two years, and 600 villages in China, India and African countries on the second stage.

Future Lighting Solutions today announced new capabilities to support LED design engineers in building high Color Rendering Index (CRI) tunable white applications that are optimized for light output and efficacy. The company has developed patent-pending intellectual property, now available for customer licensing, that provides the knowledge, tools and technologies to optimally select three or more LEDs, as well as their respective drive current and dimming ratios, to meet high CRI design specifications.

Philips Lumileds today announced that its LUXEON Rebel LEDs are recognized by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and have become the first high power DC LEDs to earn UL Recognized certification. The recognition will speed time to market by making it possible to obtain UL Listed status for new luminaires built with LUXEON Rebel without requiring a full insystem LED component investigation.

Enfis Group Plc today announced the introduction of a new line of ultra-bright white LED arrays that offer fixture manufacturers and lighting designers rapid design and integration opportunities.

Dwayne Hillman, president of AC Electronics, announced today that AC Electronics and SLI Lighting products, the North American division of a Havells Sylvania, have entered into an exclusive lighting distribution agreement.

Nora Lighting introduces a new slim-line LED LightBar system that utilizes only 3.3 watts per foot, one of the most energy efficient linear fixtures available for home or commercial use. The fixtures are CA Title 24 compliant and Nora LED technology ensures a 10-year+ performance life. With an ultra-low profile (3/4 x 1/2 inch deep) and a range of cable and mounting options, the Nora LightBar offers optimal illumination in space-restricted areas and a variety of installation angles to meet every need. Popular applications include: under kitchen cabinets, cov...

One of California’s largest state utilities, Southern California Edison (SCE), is lighting up the night with solar technology at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). To illuminate its main employee parking areas, Edison is equipping the site with solar-powered LED lights from Carmanah Technologies (TSX: CMH).

OSRAM Opto today announces that its new reception building at Semiconductors’ head office in Regensburg (Germany) is lit by LEDs for all the lighting functions – workspace, general room, effects and outdoor lighting. Compared with conventional lights, LEDs make completely innovative lighting designs possible while saving energy too – for example, 35 percent alone in the case of white light illumination, according to OSRAM.

Recently, LED-backlit LCD monitors are more frequently showing up in the market, indicating the increasing application of LED backlight in monitor field — the slowest growing section among the three major LED backlight application fields. According to LEDinside, the specialized market research house, LED backlight penetration rate in monitors will be no more than 1% in 2H09, while is expected to rise to 35% by 2012. Vendors are promoting LED monitors; are consumers ready to buy?

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Monday announced four research programs to be funded under a $6.4 million program to fund solid-state lighting research. Three national laboraties and an Army lab will receive funds under the program for LED and organic LED research.  

United Microelectronics Corporation(UMC), the world’s second largest silicon wafer foundry, at its 2nd Board of Directors meeting yesterday, approved the establishment of New Business Development Center and its 100% owned subsidiary, UMC New Business Investment Corporation.

Nexxus Lighting Monday announced that Margaritas Mexican Restaurant has now placed orders to relight additional locations with new Array™ Lighting LED Lamps as part of a company wide energy saving and environmental responsibility initiative.  Based on the utility audited energy savings at their Exeter, New Hampshire location, the growing restaurant chain has expanded their deployment of Array LED lamps to additional locations.

LG Display (LGD) and AmTRAN Technology recently jointly invested in Formosa Epitaxy Inc., a Taiwan-based LED chipmaker, according to an article on Taiwan Economic News. LG Display and AmTRAN have co-invested NT$2 billion (US$62 million at US$1:NT$33) in the LED chipmaker by acquiring 18-19% stake in Formosa, industry watchers said.

Sol Inc., a solar LED outdoor lighting supplier, donated two Greenway™ solar LED pathway lighting systems to the Boys & Girls Club of Martin County, Minnesota. The donation was recently featured in the Scripps Treasure Coast ‘Luminaries’ and the Treasure Coast Business Journal.

National Semiconductor Corp. today introduced the industry's smallest white light-emitting diode (LED) driver with dynamic display backlight control. The LM3530, a member of National's PowerWise energy-efficient product family, drives up to 11 high-current LEDs in series, illuminating larger displays in portable media devices such as smartphones. The LM3530 is offered in a 12-bump micro SMD package measuring just 1.615 mm x 1.215 mm x 0.425 mm.

Despite the economic downturn, consumers globally bought some 500,000 LED-lit Samsung TVs in the first 100 days of the mid-March launch, according to the company. In the high-end premium market, Samsung took a share of 83 percent in May, up from just 4 percent a year earlier. Samsung Digital Media divisions registered an operating profit of USD$870,100,436 up 657 percent increase year-on-year. Revenue reached USD $9,661,429,999, a 13.8 percent increase year-on-year.

A large power station in Australia recently finalized an agreement to be fitted out on a progressive basis for all future general area and lighting applications with Dialight’s SafeSite® and LEDPAK® industrial LED lighting fixtures.

Plextronics, Inc., a U.S.-based technology company focused on OLED and organic solar technology, announced last week that it has completed a $14 million Series B-1 financing round to commercialize its technology in the LED lighting and solar markets.

In light of the bright outlook of LED industry, Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) and Yulon Group, have recently financed Trend Lighting Corp, a LED lighting maker on the island, according to Taiwan Economic News.

ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of solid-state lighting technology, announced last week that it has granted a license for its LED fluorescent tube replacement patents to Light Emitting Designs of North Barrington, Ill.



LED Korea 2009 will be on September 10-11, 2009 in Korea.

CHINA SSL 2009 will be on Oct. 14 - 16, 2009 in Shenzhen, China

Universal Display Corporation announced that it has been awarded a $1.65 million, two-year contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate a thin, highly-efficient, white OLED lighting concept for under-cabinet applications.

Barco has just announced that it has signed a deal in Abu Dhabi for the delivery of 14 LED displays for the new Yas Marina Circuit. In total 452 square meter of LED will be installed around the track to optimize the fans' viewing experience. On 1 November 2009 this brand new race track will host the F1 season finale on the occasion of the first ever Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Philips Lumileds continues to advance its core LED technology and recent breakthroughs implemented in the latest LUXEON Rebel LEDs for illumination applications improve efficacy and light output performance at luminaire operating temperatures. Hot/Cold Factor compares the light output of the LED at 100°C Tj and at 25°C Tj—which is how LEDs are specified on a datasheet. LEDs in a luminaire are operated at very high junction temperatures, often between 80°C and 110°C.

(Photo by D. Stevenson and C. Conway, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois) Stretchable micro-LED display, consisting of an interconnected mesh of printed micro LEDs bonded to a rubber substrate.

Combining energy efficiency with stunning, unique decorative glass designs, Meyda Custom Lighting unveils LED Fused Glass wall sconces. Meyda Lighting is a division of Meyda Tiffany, the nation's leading manufacturer and designer of Tiffany lamps and stained glass lighting and accessories.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. has recently announced two new 128 x 32 LED graphics displays with drive electronics and a + 5-V HC CMOS-level video interface. The new displays come in bright red (LEE-128G032B) and neon orange (LEE-128G032-1), are designed as replacements for the popular APD-128G032 plasma display module.

To accommodate the booming demand of LED panels, leading panel maker, AU Optronics Corp, has decided to invest over $900 million to build four LED chip production plants under its subsidiary Lextar in Central Taiwan Science Park. The project is slated to begin in the fourth quarter this year, and it is expected to start production by the end of 2010. Lextar Chairman H.B. Chen indicated that going forward, Lextar’s role in supplying AUO’s LED chip demand will become increasingly important.