In an effort to reach the goal of saving 1 billion kilowatt-hour of electrical power a year, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology has recently revised a bold plan to expand the LED streetlight installation project in 21 cities to two million units in 50 cities throughout the country, according to an article on Taiwan Economic News.

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).

ViewSonic® Corp. Monday expanded its green product line with two new Energy Star® 5.0 compliant monitors -- the VX1932wm-LED and VA705b.

Avago Technologies, a supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, announced an innovative ultra-thin, high brightness, light guide film (LGF) technology for backlighting mobile applications such as cell phones, handheld games and GPS applications. According to the company, the new light guide technology will help designers reduce the number of LEDs needed to illuminate backlit keypad applications without compromising brightness and light uniformity.

Mitsubishi Electric announces that it will reveal LED option for its Seventy Series range of cube displays at ISE 2010. The new LED cube engine is fully compatible with the existing Seventy Series cube chassis and hardware, offering users an easy upgrade path from conventional to solid-state lighting.

Taiwan’s Delta Electronics Inc. plans to close its cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) operations from March 1, 2010, due to the growing use of LED for backlights in applications such as LCD TVs, according to an article on Taiwan Economic News.

Instrument Systems GmbH introduces its new calibration LEDs to its ACS-530 Series. The special feature of the new products is their temperature-stabilized high-power LED, according to the company. The new calibration LEDs enable customers to check their instruments easily and reliably. It also means that the photometric value can be recalibrated by customers in conformity with the CIE International Commission on Illumination.

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.

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.

Philips Electronics Japan announced that the company will sponsor the “Stardust Illumination” lighting event, which starts Dec.1 at the Yokohama Marine Tower (Yokohama City, Kanagawa prefecture).

Intematix Corp., an innovator in phosphors, LED components and solid state lighting modules, announced the introduction of its proprietary, patent pending, custom signage product and service offerings. Intematix claimed it has combined the advantages of LED-based lighting systems with the company's phosphor expertise to create a next-generation retail signage solution that delivers the low maintenance and energy savings of LEDs while improving on the visual qualities of high resolution film approaches.

Philips announced that it is to enable people with little or no access to electricity to enjoy playing or watching sport long into the night with the world’s first dedicated solar-powered LED floodlighting (intense beams of light) solution.

NEC Display announced Tuesday its first ever LED-backlit desktop monitor for business, education, government and healthcare markets, the 22-inch MultiSync® EA222WMe.

Royal Philips Electronics announced that the Philips’ LED candle, from the Novallure series, has been recognized by the Hong Kong Designers Association with the silver HKDA Asia Design Award 09. According to Philips, advantages of the LED candle include reduced energy consumption, reduced carbon pollution, bright sparkle and similar ambient light effect at significant lower power wattage.

Siemens announced the completion of the unique and pioneering technological project together with Munich multimedia artist Michael Pendry. The lighting installation consists of 9,000 Siemens Osram light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are as bright as around 20,000 Christmas candles. Yet the entire installation uses only as much electricity as a hair dryer or a water kettle. In good weather, the art object can be seen for 30 kilometers.

Airfield lighting technology provider ADB Airfield Solutions, LLC and solar technology provider Carmanah Technologies have teamed up to provide a line of solar-based LED airfield lighting for ADB. The arrangement will augment ADB’s line of airfield lighting products with a range of solar-powered LED lighting alternatives. Formerly part of Siemens AG, ADB Airfield Solutions is widely recognized as a market leader in airfield visual guidance and ground lighting systems.

Cree, Inc. and Ningbo Liaoyuan Lighting Co., hosted the 2009 LED Lighting Fixture Promotion Conference last week in Guangzhou, China. The conference featured government officials and leaders from city street lamp management offices.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in safety testing and certification services, Monday announced the publication of ANSI/UL 8750, Safety Standard for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Equipment for Use in Lighting Products. The first edition standard creates a global platform of safety requirements for LED lighting equipment as well as the entire supply chain of components used in lighting products employing LED technology.

Infineon Technologies AG introduced the new BCR320 and BCR420 LED driver families to address the burgeoning market for LED lighting solutions. According to the company, the new products are specifically designed for driving 0.5W LEDs with a typical current of 150mA to 200mA, and feature a negative thermal coefficient contributing to a long lifetime of LEDs and a digital interface for a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for dimming.

Right on time for the first of Advent, the big Christmas tree in front of Copenhagen's City Hall sparkles in the glow of 800 LED lamps supplied by OSRAM. With this move, the company is taking a stand on energy-saving lighting on the occasion of the UN climate summit to be held in the Danish capital from 7 to 18 December 2009. The energy required is intermittently generated by 15 muscle-driven cycles which are in daily operation at set times. All in all, this saves 9 tonnes of CO2.

When the switch is flipped the day after Thanksgiving, hundreds of thousands of lights will illuminate Temple Square and some of them will be energy-conserving LED lights. Within the next three to five years, all of the trees and greenery on Temple Square will be lit with LED lights. The LED lights are low energy, according to Eldon Cannon, group manager for Temple Square’s Ground Services. “They do not use nearly as much electricity, and as a result we will be saving energy and saving costs.”

Continuing its “green” city initiatives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the City of Boston is updating its streetlights with LED technology on Boston Common. The City recently installed LED lights along the “Mayor’s Walk” as part of an effort to showcase the technology and solicit community input. The temporary installation features “acorn” style streetlamps from six different manufacturers. The City has also joined the national LED City program, an international initiative to deploy and promote energy-efficient LED lighting.

OKI Digital Imaging Corporation, a subsidiary of OKI Data Corporation, a subsidiary that develops, manufactures, and markets LEDs, today announced it has succeeded in developing a 1.1 inch QVGA LED display while reducing power consumption to one-tenth that of conventional LCDs.

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has introduced the first OLED light source for functional lighting. Orbeos, the new energy-efficient surface-emitting panel, is especially suited to applications for architecture, hotels and catering, offices, private homes and shops. The Orbeos OLED panel has a round lamp surface of 80mm diameter, is only 2.1mm thick and weighs 24g. These limited dimensions ensure plenty of different usage options. With an efficiency of 25lm/W, the panel beats that of conventional halogen lamps.

Larson Electronics’ magnalight.com unveiled their latest LED light, the LED10W-10R. The 9000 lumen, 100 watt LED light offers spot and flood beam patterns and is available in black or white aluminum housings. Measuring 20 inches long and less than 3 inches tall, the sleek LED10W-10R LED light contains 10 individual 10 watt LEDs, each producing 900 lumens, for a total of 9000 lumen output.

GlacialLight, a division of GlacialTech, has launched a series of LED grow light products — the GL-SP15, GL-SP27 and GL-BR8W. Each product uses 15W, 27W and 8W of power respectively, and can be used to supplement plant growth in hydroponic agriculture, Green-house lighting, Herb gardens, home gardens and any situation where plants don't get enough light in which to thrive.

In a breakthrough that could lead to accelerated adoption of LEDs in demanding applications such as LCD display backlights and pico-projectors, scientists at 3M have developed technology that doubles the efficiency of green LEDs.

iWatt, Inc., a provider of digital power IC systems products and technology, recently announced the release of the iW3610 Digital Controller for dimmable LED lighting applications. It is the industry’s first digital LED driver IC with primary side regulation which eliminates the need for an opto-coupler thereby reducing bill-of-material costs, and increasing the mean time between failure (MTBF). The iW3610 eliminates flicker and improves efficiency and reliability for dimmable LED lights of 25W or lower wattage.