The introduction of solid-state lighting using light-emitting diode (LED) technology has ignited widespread interest in the ways that lighting can offer benefits to people, including improved visibility at night, enhanced perceptions of brightness and security, and spectral tuning for management of circadian rhythms. Yet, as illustrated in a recent report from the American Medical Association (AMA), the increasing popularity of LED lighting is also raising new questions and reviving older concerns about unwanted impacts of these light sources, such as light pollution, discomfort glare, circadian disruption, and retinal damage via a mechanism known as blue-light hazard.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new Snapshot report on LED outdoor area lighting. Based on DOE's LED Lighting Facts®database, the report focuses on outdoor area/roadway luminaires (including street lighting and wall packs), parking garage luminaires, and canopy luminaires (e.g., those used for gas station fuel pump areas). Retrofit kits and dedicated luminaires in these categories are not considered separately, as only in the area/roadway category did retrofit kits make up a notable percentage (8%) of the products listed in the category.

The next generation display technology Micro LED draws lots of attention, but Micro LED will take time to reach the mass production (MP) phase. Before that happens, mini LED with lower technical barrier will enter its MP phase first. Sources said, panel makers and LED die manufacturers already started their collaboration. Initially, mini LED will be used for two major categories: signage and TV panel backlight source. The cooperative effort will launch ultra-fine-pitch signage and super energy-saving, ultra-slim direct lit mini LED backlight TV panels.

German-based lighting behemoth Osram announced on October 10 a total investment of EUR 25.6 million (USD 30.1 million) in its first plant in Bulgaria. The company has made public its plan to expand its production line to Eastern Europe earlier in March this year, covered in news from SeeNews.

The U.S. Department of Energy's GATEWAY program has released a new report on a trial installation of tunable-white LED lighting systems in three classrooms in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Carrollton, TX, which provides valuable insights into the use of this technology in a real-world setting.

German engineering conglomerate Siemens said on Wednesday it sold its share of more than 17% in Osram, the noted lighting giant that was originally a part of it, in an accelerated bookbuild run by Citigroup and Deutsche Bank.

AIXTRON announced today that Elite Advanced Laser Corporation (eLASER), a Taiwan-based provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) for advanced optoelectronic and radio frequency (RF) components, has placed a repeat order for an AIX G5+ C system to produce gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafers and devices for power electronics applications.

Kingbright Company has recently signed an authorized distribution agreement with Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Plessey announces a partnership with leading Dutch alstroemeria grower Together2Grow, following a successful trial of its LED grow lights combined with existing high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting in a hybrid installation.

Veeco Instruments announced that it has shipped multiple TurboDisc® EPIK® 868 Gallium Nitride (GaN) Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) systems to several leading Chinese LED manufacturers for the production of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for solid statelighting applications.

Taiwan-based LED chip manufacturer Tyntek Corporation expects positive outlook of sensors, so it plans to invest NTD 1.2~1.3 billion to build a new factory. The new plant is expected to enter mass production phase in second quarter of 2018. The design capacity of the first period is estimated to be 30,000 6-inch wafers per month. 

Philips Lighting has signed a partnership agreement with Ball Seed, one of North America’s leading wholesale horticultural distributors.

Philips Lighting has expanded its collaboration with Amazon to create an easy way to start with a voice-controlled smart home. While supplies last, customers who purchase an Echo Plus will receive a Philips Hue white connected light bulb, which can be controlled using your voice and Alexa.

Most people agree that athletic activity is healthy for mind and body, but harmful bacteria in locker rooms, restrooms and on equipment introduces the risk of infection. To combat these infections, Kenall has incorporated Indigo-Clean technology into two of the company’s best-selling sealed, high-abuse, LED light fixtures: the Millenium™ Stretch MLHA and SimpleSeal™ HASEDI Luminaires. These luminaires combine white ambient light with 405nm Indigo light in order to kill harmful bacteria, including staph, such as MRSA, and are part of a comprehensive portfolio of lighting products that Kenall has developed utilizing this revolutionary new technology.

Philips Lighting opens its Global Customer Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Bengaluru, India. Equipped with the latest network monitoring technology and data analytics software, the new center will enable Philips Lighting to provide its professional connected lighting customers with a range of services from predictive fault monitoring to in-depth consultancy services based on data insights. The ROC will help its customers to increase their operational efficiency and save costs on energy and maintenance.

Digital Lumens is now an Osram business and Fort Point-based market leader in intelligent LED lighting and sensor-based building smart building applications. The company announced a $1,000 seed donation in support of the MassBike Light Brigade initiative. Throughout October, MassBike will raise funds to purchase lights from Planet Bike, which will be distributed at colleges across the state, as well as in key locations around Boston prior to the end of Daylight Savings Time.

Philips Lighting announced the inception of the Philips Lighting Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to provide sustainable access to light to people in communities that are underserved by electricity. To fulfill this mission the foundation partners with actors across the entire access-to-light value chain.

Kenall continues to expand its offering of white LED luminaires using Indigo-Clean Technology (ICT) with the recent introduction of new luminaires for behavioral health and correctional applications, along with three new downlights.

Epistar's major stockholder Xiamen San’an Optoelectronics announced on September 27 that it has sold all of its 3.05% share of Epistar. San’an lately sold 33.306 million shares of Epistar in a block trade, gaining NTD 1.244 billion (USD 41.01 million) after deducting the transaction fee.

Rapid expansion of Las Vegas commercial cultivation facility relies on Heliospectra’s technology to control product consistency and crop quality

OLED panels manufactured by LG Display are regarded as high-quality products, which has already been proven by LG's OLED TV and recently-launched V30 smartphone. However, LG did not limit the adoption of its OLED panels in the range of consumer electronics. Recently, LG has presented OLED lighting panels as desk lamps.

Lextar, a Taiwan-based supplier of a board range of LED products, reported its revenue in August declined to NTD 1.06 billion, down 4.6% MoM and 9.95% YoY. The consolidated revenue as of the end of August reached about NTD 8.35 billion, down 9.37% YoY.

Philips Photonics, expert in VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) technology solutions for data communications, consumer and industrial applications, announced the successful completion of its ‘VIDaP’ project (VCSEL Pilot Line for Illumination, Datacom and Power Applications), a €23 million project jointly sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the EU, and executed under the umbrella of the European ECSEL program.

Nearing the end of 2017, as the global markets enter the peak season of the year, the two most important exhibitions for professional buyers and manufacturers are coming. On October 15th 2017, the 122nd China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), the largest international trade fair in the world, is scheduled to open in Guangzhou, China. Immediately after, on October 27th the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) will be held. As the LED Bulb Expert, Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry (WELLMAX) will participate in these two exhibitions to showcase newly developed LED bulb products to the global audience.

AIXTRON announced that the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne (Switzerland) has purchased a BM NOVO system. This versatile tool which can produce virtually all variations of 2-dimensional materials (2D) required for emerging optoelectronic applications is dedicated to support the University’s research projects coordinated by Prof. Andras Kis and Prof. Aleksandra Radenovic.

LASER COMPONENTS announces that the first of its products has achieved qualification for use in the automotive industry. Pulsed Laser Diodes (PLD) with a wavelength of 905 nm are key components for the LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) used in autonomous driving.

On July 16, an Industry collaboration agreement that is laying the foundation for a technology that could supersede Wi-Fi and greatly benefit the IoT Industry has just been signed between Monash University Australia and Malaysia, and Australian technology company nextLiFi.

Revolution Lighting Technologies on 22nd September provided an update to its projected third and fourth quarter results, and revised its full year guidance. As a result of recent hurricane activity in Texas and the south east impacting our multifamily lighting revenue, and the slippage of a number of our Energy Source division projects from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, our third quarter results will be negatively impacted.

On September 22, 2017 (CDT), Nitride Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Nitride”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota against Digi-Key Corporation d/b/a Digi-Key Electronics (“Digi-Key”), which sells UV-LED products on the internet that are manufactured by RayVio Corporation, a CA based UV-LED manufacturer (“RayVio”). 

On September 5, TUV Rheinland issued Zigbee 3.0 certification for the LEEDARSON LED Dimmable Bulb. This is the first LED light in the world to be officially Zigbee 3.0 certified and implement Green Power Proxy Basic (GPPB) functionality.