Currently, new LED markets such as for LED light bulbs, which are replacing incandescent lamps, and the backlight units of notebook PCs and LCD TVs are rapidly expanding. Recently, Sharp Corp has announced that it released two types of white LEDs (nine products) for lighting equipment. One of the two types is an LED used in the backlight units of Sharp's LCD TVs.

Neo-Neon Holdings Ltd. is stepping up presences in mainland China, which is touted as the world`s biggest market for LED lighting, in hope of influencing the mainland`s drafting of industrial standards for the new lighting technology.

Sunovia® Energy Technologies, Inc. today announced the successful installation of their EvoLuciaTM -brand LED lighting fixtures at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota.

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP15 – continues into its second week, Philips is to show world leaders gathering in Copenhagen just how innovation in lighting technologies can help mayors and municipal leaders significantly improve energy efficiency in their cities.

Faced with issues such as energy shortage and global warming, governments across the globe have implemented various incentives and subsidies for energy-saving products. At the LEDforum 2009 Panel Discussion, LED industry heavyweights shared their points of view on the competition and development in the industry. The panel discussion “New energy policies world-wide promote the development of LED lighting industry”, was hosted Dr Yi-Jen Chan, Vice President & EOL General Director, ITRI. Panelists include (from left to right, in the photo below):

A new report on the life-cycle energy usage of energy-efficient lighting by Cree, Inc. shows that LED lighting products are now more efficient than traditional lighting products when compared across the high-volume applications of recessed downlighting and display spotlighting. Evaluating light fixtures and applications, the white paper’s energy comparisons demonstrate that LEDs offer clear advantages in terms of energy costs and environmental impact over traditional lighting such as incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs.

The Cree Cup Launches in China with Nearly 1,000 Students Submitting More than 100 Designs The first Cree Cup - Creative LED Lighting Design Contest for China University Students jointly organized by the China Association of Lighting Industry (CALI) and Cree, Inc. has successfully completed its preliminary round. After evaluation by the Contest Review Committee, 50 design projects have been selected for the final round.

Philips LED floodlights already create extraordinary visual impact on some of the world's tallest buildings, including the CN Tower in Toronto, the Sky Tower in Auckland, and the EuroMast in Rotterdam. Today, Philips Electronics added Boston's Prudential Tower to the impressive list of landmark skyscrapers that use its LED lighting fixtures to dynamically transform their facades. Philips Invigorates Boston's Prudential Tower .

Boosting advantages such as high efficiency and long lifespan, LEDs are playing an increasingly important role in today’s lighting industry. In the future, with the  packaging and chip technologies keep evolving, the production cost of LEDs will be lowered and the luminous efficiency enhanced, which will help the new light source find its place in even wider applications, said Huang Zhaonian, the Vice President of Taiwan’s Epistar Corporation, at the LEDforum 2009.

Philips Lighting in China has launched two digital campaigns using augmented reality and interactive components. Tribal DDB Shanghai is behind the campaign with two virtual platforms to let consumers experience Philips.

At LEDforum 2009, which took place on November 25, 2009, LEDinside Research Director Roger Chu proposed his viewpoint on the LED industry trend in 2010. He pointed out that high brightness LEDs, used in large-size backlights and lightings, will be the key growth driver of the LED market – with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of large-size backlight reaching 73%, and that of lighting market up by approximately 32%.

The CAO Group, Inc. announces that its Dynasty® LED lamp is the driving force behind the dazzling display on the new Louis Vuitton store at the Crystals City Center in Las Vegas. The display was unveiled December 3rd as the centerpiece and crown jewel of the new Daniel Libeskind-designed Crystals shopping complex at the City Center on the Las Vegas Blvd, "The Strip".

Philips Electronics announces that the 2009-2010 holiday season marks the company’s 10th anniversary as the official Lighting Partner to the world-famous Times Square Ball. And for the first time, Philips has converted the companion Times Square Ball Numerals (2-0-1-0) to all LED technology.

Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, announced EasyWhite™ bins, an LED innovation that both simplifies LED system design and improves LED-to-LED color consistency. EasyWhite bins are offered in 3500 K, 3000 K and 2700 K color temperatures and are 75 percent smaller than the ANSI C78.377 standard color regions.

The LED technology from Enfis Ltd. enabled realisation of iconic structure in Abu Dhabi, the Yas Hotel. The hotel is unique as the only one in the world with a race track running through its centre. Of architectural and engineering significance is the main feature of the project design, a 217-meter expanse of sweeping, curvilinear forms constructed of steel and over 5,300 pivoting diamond-shaped glass panels which are illuminated via a sophisticated LED lighting system from Enfis Group Plc.

Simon Property Group Inc. announced that it has taken another step towards "greening" its malls in the Northeast region of the U.S. From New Jersey to New Hampshire, nearly 650 carts and kiosks in 29 malls have been retrofitted with 10,000 energy efficient SoL(TM) LED MR16 lamps from Lighting Science Group Corporation.

Aeon Lighting Technology Inc. (ALT), a manufacturer of high power LED lighting products, announced that one of its indoor lighting products, the Aurora MR16, has won the coveted iF Product Design Award 2010, known as the “Design Oscar.” Aurora MR16’s outstanding performance and excellent design was one of 2,489 entries from 39 countries, and one that stands out once more, following the recognition of M Technology Award received last month.

Larson Electronics’ magnalight.com announced the addition of the MRL-1000HPS-EB 1000 watt high pressure sodium (HPS) light with remote ballast. Equipped with remote ballast, this HPS saltwater certified light is much lighter than traditional high wattage fixtures. This high pressure sodium marine grade light is also easier to maintain as well, since the most critical components are secured in a separate NEMA enclosure.

In Regensburg, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and Siemens have demonstrated that energy-saving LEDs can provide authentic period-style lighting for a historical centre. The companies have developed a retrofit solution which meets the requirements of a modern lighting system while preserving the atmosphere of a world heritage site. The light sources being used are Golden Dragon Plus LEDs.

Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, announces the commercial availability of new, high-efficiency white XLamp® XP-E LEDs. These “outdoor white” LEDs provide the same flux and efficacy levels as Cree’s XLamp cool white LEDs with a neutral color that more closely matches existing high-intensity discharge (HID) installations (4000K – 5300K CCT).

To increase road safety, the European Commission has recently proposed the regulation on Daytime Running Light (DRL) for all new motor vehicles. The regulation, which is planned to go into effect from 2011, could bring immense growth opportunity for the market of LEDs for automotive lighting applications, said Huang Ziyuan, marketing manager of Osram’s Asia-Pacific Area at the LEDforum 2009.

The publication of relevant criteria for LED lighting will be of vital importance for the development of LED industry, said Lee Soo Ghee, Cree’s Vice President / General Manager Asia Pacific, at the LEDforum 2009. With the criteria set up, the quality of LED lighting will get controlled and standardized, which is expected to accelerate the promotion of LED lighting as well as more quickly realize the substantial drop in cost of energy saving, he said.

Carmanah Technologies and PTL Solar(TM) announced a manufacturing partnership that will bring leading-edge solar LED lighting technology to the Middle East and selected countries in Africa. PTL Solar and Carmanah have partnered to manufacture solar LED lighting solutions for outdoor lighting applications at a facility under ENPARK in Dubai.

After releasing three draft editions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the final ENERGY STAR Eligibility Criteria for integral LED lamps on December 4, 2009. The new Energy Star criteria will go into effect as of August 31, 2010.

3XN has designed an LED luminaire – GOTHAM, which uses solar energy for efficient street lighting. Seven lamps have been erected at Bella Center in Copenhagen in conjunction with the upcoming UN Climate Summit The street lamp is a result of a close co-operation between 3XN, Scotia Lighting, EWO and a number of other partners.  The goal was to create a sculptural and CO2-neutral street lighting solution.  The advanced technology results in the street lamps generating more energy than they use.

Luminus Devices Inc., developer and manufacturer of award-winning PhlatLight(R) LEDs, Thursday announced a partnership with Marubun Corporation, to distribute its award-winning, large-chip, PhlatLight LEDs to electronics companies in Japan selling projector systems in the home and commercial market.

Nexxus Lighting, Inc. Thursday announced that it has been issued three new design patents related to its Array™ Lighting LED replacement light bulb product line. US Design Patent No. D600,837 – LIGHT (Par 38); US Design Patent No. D601,276 – LIGHT (Par 30) and US Design Patent No.

At the Lighting Japan Special Seminar taking place on December 2 in Taipei, Mr. Sumio Shimode, Chairman of Planning & General Committee of Japan LED Association, pointed out that Japan’s CO2 emission was aimed to be reduced by 20% in the first phase (2008-2012) according to the Kyoto Protocol. However, the emission slightly rose by about 1.9% in 2008. As a result, saving energy and reducing carbon emission has been one of the policies most aggressively promoted by the government.

Neo-Neon Holdings Ltd, a China-based decorative lighting manufacturer, Wednesday said it planned to expand its LED wafer output seven-fold over the next three years, according to an article on Taipei Times.

One of the world’s most famous street in Paris, the Champs Elysees has been illuminated this year again with a stunning display of fuchsia festive lights thanks to GE Lighting, which has been a partner of this annual event since 2002.