With only one day left, the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) 2014 is still going strong with thousands of visitors pouring into the show grounds to view and explore the booths spread out among the two halls.

After surveying many booths and vendors over the past three days of the show, several design and technology trends stood out the most.

Streetlights

The streetlight retrofit movement has gained momentum over the past few years, with more cities swapping traditional light bulbs for LED street lamps. The sea of manufacturers showcasing streetlight models this year at GILE 2014 clearly showed optimistic outlooks of future market opportunities in this sector.

Unlike the Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS) earlier this year, manufacturers are not only focusing on energy saving aspects in streetlight designs, but also the luminaires appearances. Street light designs ranged from traditional copper head lamps to modern classical design, and even futuristic space age appearances.

Daheng Lighting showed off their LED street lamps in the front of their booth. These tall street lights have a more traditional design with a slight modern twist. (All photo credits belong to LEDinside)

Chinese manufacturer Weipai Lamp added delicate designs to their street lamps to give them a unique appearance which stood out compared to other traditional lamp designs.

Several manufactures, including Yolo Lighting, took a completely new approach their street lamp design giving them a more futuristic feel.

Elegant LED chandeliers

With incandescent bulbs being slowly phased out and the push towards more energy saving LEDs increases, it is no surprise that lighting design companies are beginning to incorporate LEDs into chandelier and other hanging luminaire designs.

Belong Lighting’s LED chandeliers had exquisite and delicate designs target high end and luxury market.

Round LED chandeliers were the most common design seen at the show. Many manufacturers showcased modernized luminaire designs that have taken advantage of LEDs unique flexible design characteristics.

Spanish manufacturer Simon Electric showcased a series of circular LED chandeliers in various shapes and sizes.

Juneng Hi-Tech Optoelectronics & Lighting’s entire booth was illuminated by beautiful silver circular LED chandeliers. Commercial Lighting

Manufacturers strive for commercial lighting market shares

LED’s market penetration rate has been the fastest in the commercial market. Many retailers are switching to LEDs in an effort to save electricity costs and reduce energy consumption. At GILE 2014, many manufacturers showcased commercial lighting solutions including downlights, track lights, spot lights, and ceiling lights.

Philips Lighting X-R Accent spotlights for commercial lighting.

The type of lighting is very important in retail shops as it has the ability to transform a shopper’s experience. LED lighting can enhance prominence, attractiveness, and clarity of merchandise displayed in retail shops.

Chinese manufacturer CGD Lights displayed LED commercial lighting solutions, such as their LED track light shown here.

Similarly with merchandise displayed in retail shops, LED lighting can also bring out colors in produce at grocery stores to make food look more appetizing.

Longo Lighting from China showcased lighting solutions for supermarkets and shopping malls. The lights shown make produce colors more vibrant in supermarket displays.

COBs shine brilliantly at GILE 2014

Many large manufacturers released new COB products before GILE 2014, including Taiwanese manufactures Lextar, Everlight, and Edison Opto, as well as Japanese manufacturer Citizen Electronics, and U.S. manufacturer Cree. 

Cree’s decorated booth exterior with COB series displays.

Manufacturers have been focusing on expanding production lines and improving performance for COB products, according to LEDinside. Lextar debuted their Nimbus COB series, which ranges from 4 Watt to 75 Watt, which is applied in bulbs, spot lights, downlights, and bay lights. Japan based Citizen Electronics displayed expanded CITILED COB series, which includes 4 package shapes and eleven types of high-wattage LEDs for lighting.

Lextar’s 13W and 18W COB series

Citizen’s CITILED COB Series

Smart lighting is still the “cool kid on the block”

Smart lighting trends was seen throughout the exhibition, a common observation shared with TILS and Light+Building this year. More manufacturers are including smart lighting applications and control systems to lighting solutions to keep a competitive edge.

One of the first color tunable bulbs to hit the market, Philips Hue also makes an appearance at GILS 2014.

NXP’s LED driver ICs for general lighting can be used in connected lighting for dimmable fixtures.

Chinese manufacturer Zengge’s smart home system enables users to control lighting through options such as wifi Bluetooth, and Zigbee.

A new comer to the smart lighting scene was Taiwanese manufacturer Adata. The company displayed new smart light control system (SLCS) which can be used in comprehensive smart home solutions. The SLCS can be integrated with additional systems such as security systems including access control systems, video intercoms, and integrated video systems. The system can be accessed through a smartphone to adjust lighting features.

Adata’s booth at the exhibition attracted a large a large number of visitors interested in the company’s latest products, especially in smart lighting.

As LED penetration and adoption rate increases annually, the adoption of LEDs in the commercial, residential, industry, outdoor, and other application markets is sure to increase. People’s interest in the LED industry is evident in the 13 percent increase in manufacturers participating in this year’s exhibition. Next year is sure to see further growth as LED prices drop and application fields expand.

(author: Leah Allen http:// Editor LEDinside)