In the outdoor lighting sector, manufacturers mostly emphasized luminous efficacy and light shape, due to advancements in LED technology and luminous efficacy at Light+Building 2014 that took place from March 31 to April 4, 2014 at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Center in Germany.

Rosa streetlights displayed at Light+Building 2014. (LEDinside)

Previously, LED streetlight manufacturers tended to emphasize heat dissipation and reliability. At this year’s show LED streetlight manufacturers focused on sustainable management concepts. Therefore, manufacturers were advocating the benefits of replaceable LED streetlight modules to reduce repair costs and extend LED streetlight lifetimes.

In addition, to prevent light from affecting homes or crops most LED streetlight manufacturers use reflectors to focus light beams onto the road. At the show, it can be observed that more LED manufacturers are using special optical lens shaped designs for this purpose.

LED streetlight products displayed at Light+Building 2014. (LEDinside)

Looking into design trends of large luminaire manufacturers, it can be noted renowned automotive luminaire manufacturer HELLA is emphasizing long term operation. In the automotive industry, automotive lighting manufacturers need to guarantee auto makers the same components will still be available after many years for purchase. HELLA also emphasized a similar concept with its streetlight products, by using standardized light source module designs. Once the streetlight passes the five year warranty, clients can still find the same luminous flux and color temperature LED luminaire modules. The only difference will be rising luminous efficacy will create products with lower power consumption. 

Top and center: HELLA LED streetlights. Bottom: A graph displaying the luminaires luminous efficacy. (LEDinside)

Cree also showcased its technology at the show, and underscored its luminaires can reach 303 lm/W under laboratory conditions. In addition, Edge series outdoor LED luminaires can reach high luminous flux, and are 831W streetlight products.  

Top: Cree's 300 lm/W LED luminaires. Center: Cree LED streetlights. Bottom: Cree LED streetlight specs. (LEDinside)

In general, many traditional luminaire manufacturers still place more importance on exterior design. These manufacturers are more concerned about merging luminaire’s appearance with the surrounding environment, which remains a core value for conventional luminaire makers. As technology advances, smart control concepts also emerged, especially integrating street controls and other functions. In the future, streetlight manufacturers will be facing the issue of fusing technology with traditional designs. 

Top and bottom: Schreder's LED streetlights displayed at Light+Building 2014. (LEDinside)   (Author: Roger Chu, Director, LEDinsidehttp://Translator: Judy Lin, Chief Editor, LEDinside)