Kent County Council in UK is planning to invest £40million (US $62.33 million) to convert its 120,000 street lights to a centrally-controlled LED lighting system that will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 60%, and deliver annual savings of £5.3million.

Digital Lumens, the leader in intelligent LED lighting, announced it has been awarded six new patents, including its first international patent granted by Australia. This brings the company’s total awarded patents to 20. The advancements covered include a wide range of technologies embedded in the Digital Lumens Intelligent Lighting System, an enterprise-scale LED lighting solution that delivers operational visibility and dramatic energy efficiency to customers worldwide.

Cree announces the commercial availability of XLamp® Extreme High Power (XHP) LEDs, a new class of LEDs that enable a system cost reduction of up to 40 percent for lighting applications. The first LEDs powered by Cree’s revolutionary SC5 Technology™ Platform, XLamp XHP50 and XHP70 LEDs provide twice the lumen output and improved reliability compared to previous LEDs of the same size. The groundbreaking technology of the new XHP LEDs will help drive the next major innovations in lighting system design.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced a new lineup of 2,500 nit high-brightness displays in screen sizes from 46- through 75-inches. Designed to deliver consistently brilliant performance, the OMD Series LED-lit LCD displays convey easily readable text and bright graphics in high ambient light environments and outdoor applications, including transportation facilities, banking and retail storefront windows, sports arenas, quick service restaurants and convention centers (outdoor use requires custom-designed weatherproof enclosure).

The Bergquist Company is proud to introduce its latest product in our Liqui-Bond® family – Liqui-Bond® EA 1805. Sporting a Thermal Conductivity of 1.8 W/m-K, our new Liqui-Bond® EA 1805 is a two-component, epoxy based, liquid dispensable adhesive that cures at room temperature with a high bond strength that can be accelerated with additional heat. Having a high bond strength eliminates the need for fasteners and maintains a structural bond even in severe environments.

The automotive lighting sector’s internal and external applications has attracted many LED manufacturers to enter, but most applications only cover a part of the vehicle. German engineering firm EDAG innovative 3D printed backlight technology for cars, however, is capable of wrapping the entire vehicle in light.

NVC Lighting founder Wu Changjiang was detained by police in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China on Tuesday, according to a report by National Business Daily.

As the LED industry inventory adjustments ends, Epistar has received a large order from Samsung in December, which is expected to spur the Taiwanese LED manufacturers growth, according to an UDN report.

LG Electronics (LG) will unveil a new 4K ULTRA HD TV series with quantum dot technology as a new component of its expanded TV lineup at the 2015 International CES®, Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas. LG's 4K ULTRA HD TVs with quantum dot technology will offer a wider color palette and improved color saturation than conventional LCD TVs and will be available in 2015 to complement LG's other ULTRA HD TV and OLED TV offerings.

Charles & Colvard, Ltd. (NASDAQ:CTHR), the sole source of created moissanite and Forever Brilliant®, The World’s Most Brilliant Gem®, entered into a new Exclusive Supply Agreement on December 12, 2014 with Cree, Inc. (NASDAQ:CREE) for purchases of silicon carbide (SiC) crystals.

Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it is working with the Town of East Hartford to develop and implement an LED street light and exterior lighting upgrade project at select locations. Under a $2 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) including more than $480,000 in incentives, new street lights are being installed throughout town, and the Public Safety Complex, Community Cultural Center, Town Hall Offices, Terry Pool Park, Town Green Alumni Park and Firehouse #5 will benefit from exterior lighting upgrades resulting in more than 1.6 million kWh in annual electric savings. Further leveraging the resulting energy savings, East Hartford has engaged Ameresco for the duration of the contract to provide on-going maintenance of the new LED fixtures in the case of outages, repair, or damage ensuring the benefits will continue for East Hartford.

A study reveals that different color LED light influences layer production, according to a report of World Poultry, citing paper released by researcher from Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.

CRS Electronics Inc. ("CRS" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LED), a developer and manufacturer of LED lighting products, today announced the resignation of Chang Jiang Wu and Lian Wu from the Board of Directors effective immediately.

Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI), a subsidiary of the Chicony Group, recently announced at an investors’ conference that the company received big flip chips order from Samsung, and flip chips will account for 25% of the company’s 2015 overall revenue, according to an Economic Daily News report.

Taiwanese touch screen supplier Wintek laid off nearly 90% of its staff, as the financially struggling company aims to transform its business model to become a new LED manufacturer, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report.

A new report from Navigant Research analyzes the global market for commercial building automation systems (BASs), including global market forecasts through 2023.

Rubicon Technology announced that the Board of Directors has appointed William Weissman, 56, to the permanent position of President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Weissman had served as Interim CEO and President since September 17, 2014, and as Chief Financial Officer of Rubicon since 2007. Mr. Weissman has also been appointed a member of the Board of Directors.

Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries around the world, today announced the launch of the Class P program for LED lighting drivers.

R20 Regions for Climate Action, Lighting Science Group, and Pegasus Capital Advisors announced today that they have installed an initial set of 52 LED streetlights in Brazil. The well-attended ceremony last Saturday night in Nova Friburgo illuminated the city’s central square. The group and their other local partners hope to implement large-scale street lighting projects across Brazil by minimizing the upfront cost of installing new LED streetlights, and saving over 50% of previous energy usage.

China’s low LED prices have taken on a whole new definition in Zhongshan city located in Guangdong Province, where bulbs are being sold in a similar way to vegetables on the market, according to an Alighting.cn report.

After it spun-off from Siemens, OSRAM’s lower margins and trades were at half the multiples of its peers on half of the margin, but is expected to have a positive outlook in coming year, according to an analysis on Seeking Alpha.

India Andhra Pradesh state government implements DSM (Demand Side Management) based efficient lighting program (DELP) for domestic households in hope to save energy to the tune of 500 MW daily, according to a Business Standard report.

A German startup company iCradle based in Frankfurt, Germany is aiming to reduce electronic device clutters on bikes to make it easier for bikers to navigate through streets and mountain terrains.

Lighting Science Group Corporation (OTCQB: LSCG) announced today that their innovative GOOD NIGHT™ and AWAKE AND ALERT™ lamps were recently featured in Consumer Reports magazine. The article goes behind the science of our lamps and their link to NASA and the International Space Station astronauts. A focus on the importance of blue light technology and how it affects human circadian rhythm was key in the development of these revolutionary products.

This week, LEDinside releases top 10 market trends to look out for in 2015. LG has decided to stick to OLED technology through thick and thin, and has established a new division dedicated to manufacturing OLED panels. Harvatek counterattacks Cree by filing a patent lawsuit against the leading U.S. manufacturer in court. In China, there are rising cases of people selling counterfeited luminaires, and CEOs on the run as companies become deeply indebted. For more please see below:

NVC Lighting collaborated with police forces and Industry and Commerce Bureau to arrest fake lighting gangs and caught a couple of them in Shenzhen, Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai and other places, according to a Weibo entry written by NVC Lighting Sichuan Regional Manager. 

Two Chinese men sentenced for swindled RMB 220,000 (US$ 35, 506) worth of state energy subsidy by faking LED lamps clients purchase records and forging public seals in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province of China, according to a news report from Straits Herald.

Global lighting giant Philips decided to enter Taiwan’s smart LED lighting market, and aims to become the leading manufacturer in this field, according to an UDN report.

San’an Opto’s plans of installing another 50 MOCVD equipment was approved by the company board on Dec. 11, 2014, according to several Chinese media reports.

Energy saving is one of the major concern for state and national governments throughout the globe. Energy loss through lighting has become national concern for the governments. Smart lighting is a new innovation in lighting technology developed for energy efficiency. Smart lighting technology may include efficiency fixtures and automated controls lighting system that make adjustments according to the conditions and requirement of the internal or external environment such as occupancy or availability of daylight. Everyday lighting consumes lot of electrical energy globally accounting for 20-50 % of total energy consumed globally. To reduce the total energy consumption it is essential to use limited electric energy that pertains to certain condition and requirement.