Cree LED bulbs for residential lighting receives Focus on Energy rebates for the first time in Wisconsin State, U.S, according to a report by The Journal Times.

At Sandy Grove Middle School in Lumber Bridge, North Carolina, students not only get an education in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math subjects at this STEM school. They also attend classes in their very own environmental laboratory and learn first-hand the benefits of a new concept in sustainability for educational institutions — a net-positive school building that produces more energy than it consumes. The school even has a working energy dashboard that tracks the performance of the facility’s green elements, enabling teachers to use the building itself as a teaching tool.

Cree announces the new XLamp® XHP35 family of LEDs with 50 percent more light output than Cree’s previous highest-performing single-die LED, setting a new performance standard for the 3.5mm footprint. Built on Cree’s SC5 Technology™ platform, the XHP35 LED introduces Cree’s breakthrough high-voltage power die architecture, empowering manufacturers to unleash the full capacity of extreme high power LEDs using existing drivers. The new XHP35 LED delivers up to 1,833 lumens without the optical inefficiencies of a multi-die LED to enable new designs with reduced size and lower system costs.

Cree, a market leader in silicon-carbide (SiC) power and RF products announced the acquisition of APEI, a global leader in power modules and power electronics applications. Combining two highly complementary innovators, the acquisition enables Cree’s Power and RF business to extend its leadership position and help to accelerate the market for high-performance, best-in-class SiC power modules.

According to its 2015 Chinese LED Industry Market Report, LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, finds the scale of the Chinese LED package market for 2014 reached US$8.6 billion and grew by 19% annually. The general lighting market has been the main driving force, and the rising market penetration rates of commercial and residential LED lighting products has been fueling China’s growing demands. On the other hand, demand in the medium- and large-size LED backlight sectors have fallen due to technological advances that has reduced LED usage. The downturn in medium- and large-size LED backlight sectors has also been attributed to the LED TV’s easing demand growth. 

Feit Electric Company filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina against Cree. to curb infringement of Feit Electric Company's patents.  The complaint alleges that Cree's line of 4FLOW LED light bulbs infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 8,408,748 and 9,016,901.

In an intensely fought semi-final match on June 30, the U.S. women soccer team beat German team 2-0 at FIFA Women’s World Cup and secured its spot in the competition finals. Sharp-eyed viewers might recognize the team’s captain Abby Wambach had recently showed off her impressive goal shooting skills in U.S. LED manufacturer Cree’s sports lighting advertisement. The ad featuring Wambach had attracted more than 550,000 views in two weeks across all Cree and Abby Wambach social channels, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, said Mike Watson, Vice President of Product Strategy at Cree.

Cree continues to raise the bar in LED applications with the introduction of the TW Series™ LED Candelabra bulb, delivering the exceptional lighting experience consumers expect from Cree’s best-selling LED Bulb portfolio. The Cree® LED Candelabra bulbs emit a warm, decorative light while consuming up to 88% less energy* than traditional incandescent bulbs – making it ideal for candelabra fixtures, wall sconces and chandeliers. Available as 25- and 40-watt replacements, the new Cree LED Candelabra bulbs are sold in three-bulb multi-packs at The Home Depot® stores for US $19.97.

Market competition in the North American bulb market has pressured Cree to restructure its LED business, said Roger Chu, Director, Research Division, LEDinside.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, today announced that the board of directors has approved the following: A restructuring of the LED Products business A $500 million stock buyback authorization for fiscal year 2016 The fiscal year 2016 annual operating plan that targets: Revenue to increase to $1.8 billion +/- Non-GAAP operating margin increasing to approximately 8% Free cash flow of approximately $75 million

Cree announces the Connected Cree® LED Bulb’s compatibility with market leader in home automation, SmartThings, which is part of the Samsung Global Innovation Center. The news comes just four months after the Connected Cree LED Bulb’s inaugural launch and reinforces its position as the most compatible connected LED bulb on the market.

A Cree distributor has voiced concerns over streetlight bidding requirements in Phoenix, the largest city in the State of Arizona, U.S., reported CBS 5.

From stadiums to homes, LED is transforming the way the world sees light. Cree has teamed with Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and highest all-time international goal scorer, to emphasize the importance of determination, innovation and performance – on and off the field – beginning with this month’s international soccer championship. Through this initiative, Cree and Abby will recognize and celebrate those who never stop challenging the status quo and accept nothing but victory.

Abby Wambach, the captain of the World Cup’s U.S. Women's Soccer Team, enters a dark stadium with a poorly incandescent lit soccer goal. She proceeds to decimate the ugly row of lights suspending from the top of the soccer goal by making perfectly aimed scores, and eventually switches on the newly installed LED lights with a remote control.

This recall involves Cree LED T8 lamps used indoors to replace traditional two pin T8 fluorescent tubes. The white lamps have a cylindrical shape and measure 48 inches long. The affected units are marked as “BT848 Series Lamp” with the product part number on the lamp itself or printed on a white label affixed to the lamp. A four digit date code is printed on the lamp under a statement that reads “Compatible with Instant Start, Rapid Start and Dimmable Electronic Ballasts.”

Cree announces the next generation of the Cree® BR30 LED flood light, the first LED BR30 replacement to deliver a no-compromise, high performance LED lighting experience at the lower price of just US $9.97. The bulb’s advanced design uses only a quarter of the LED components previously required to look and light just like the traditional incandescents it replaces while using 86 percent less energy and lasting 25 times longer. Conceived to make high performance LED lighting affordable, Cree BR30 LED flood lights are ENERGY STAR® compliant and available at The Home Depot®.

Cree announced that Cree’s wholly owned Power and RF subsidiary has submitted a draft registration statement on a confidential basis to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a potential initial public offering of the subsidiary’s Class A common stock.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on May 5, 2015 the competitive selection of nine projects for solid-state lighting (SSL), in response to the SSL R&D funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001171. The one- to two-year projects will focus on the areas of Core Technology Research, which involves the application of fundamental scientific concepts to SSL technology; Product Development, which involves using the knowledge gained from basic or applied research to develop or improve commercially viable SSL materials, devices, or systems; and U.S. Manufacturing, which involves accelerating SSL technology adoption through manufacturing innovations and improvements that reduce costs and enhance quality and consistency.

About two years ago, LED manufacturers that turned up at LED Forum 2013 were skeptical about smart lighting taking off anytime soon. Many industry insiders projected it would be a niche market that would take another two years before fully blossoming, while others believed at the time only gadget lovers would warm up to the products. Their predictions have been fairly accurate so far.

WeMo®, the Internet of Things brand from Belkin International, and Cree, the leader in LED lighting, today announced a strategic relationship to integrate Cree® LED lighting solutions with the WeMo ecosystem. Under the agreement, the first WeMo-compatible Cree bulb will be the Connected Cree® LED Bulb, with a potential to expand to other offerings in the future. 

Cree ushers in a new era of LED lighting with the introduction of Cree WaveMax™ Technology, an optical breakthrough that enables next-generation light experiences. Challenging the possibilities of today’s lighting, the waveguide platform features a revolutionary combination of control, uniformity and efficiency to deliver a superior visual experience in new form factors that are intelligent in both design and function – achieved only through Cree® LED technology. 

Cree delivers a new level of illumination to the more than 867 million linear fixtures installed in the United States by introducing the new LR22™ LED troffer. A fully luminous, highly diffused architectural fixture, the new LR22 troffer incorporates a recessed flat panel design that creates an appealing and quiet aesthetic to seamlessly blend into any ceiling. Featuring Cree TrueWhite®Technology, the new LED troffers offer the perfect combination of even light distribution and low glare lighting for commercial applications looking for superior color quality and sustainable economics with increased energy efficiency and rapid payback*.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, announced revenue of US $409.5 million for its third quarter of fiscal 2015, ended March 29, 2015. This represents a 1% increase compared to revenue of $405.3 million reported for the third quarter of fiscal 2014.

Cree builds on its industry-leading Cree® LMH2 LED Module family with the introduction of the LMH2+, the industry’s highest performing LED module, delivering 30 percent better performance than the previous generation in the same form factor. Providing efficacy of 125 lumens per watt with color-quality greater than 90 CRI, the LMH2+ is the only LED module that allows lighting manufacturers to achieve a system efficacy of 100 lumens-per-watt with high light quality.

Costs. That is the only thing LED chip manufacturers think about, and who can blame them? LED chip prices are expected to drop to 50 cents for a 1,000 lumen LED lamps in 2015, said Epistar Chairman B.J. Lee at 2015 LED Executive Summit hosted by SEMI at TILS 2015 in TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan. Moreover, manufacturers might be facing the challenge of raising LED efficacy to 3,000 lm/$ within two years. Tightening profits are spurring manufacturers to develop new technology to drive down costs.

Leading LED chip industry experts had very different perspectives on GaN LED substrates at 2015 LED Executive Summit hosted by SEMI at TILS 2015 in TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan recently.

Cree continues to relentlessly expand its leading LED bulb portfolio with the TW Series™ LED T8 Tube Replacement for consumers, making inferior linear fluorescent tubes a ‘thing of the past.’ Designed for simple, wire-free installation, the Cree® TW Series LED T8 Tube provides industry leading compatibility, beating the competition in light quality and performance, all at an affordable price. Available as 32-watt replacements, the TW Series LED T8 Tube Replacements are sold at The Home Depot®stores starting at just $21.97 and consuming up to 42 percent less energy than the 32W fluorescent tubes they replace.

Cree introduces the LED Rural Utility Light (RUL) Series, designed to deliver an unprecedented combination of price, performance and quality to accelerate adoption of LED lighting across rural areas in North America. The first of Cree’s innovative outdoor LED luminaires to address the estimated 10 to 13 million rural street and area light fixtures installed, the new RUL Series delivers a better, more affordable lighting experience for residential roadways, security, storage and loading areas with game-changing efficacy, rapid payback of less than one year* and Cree’s industry-leading 10-year warranty. 

Cree’s patent lawsuit against Feit Electronics and Unity Opto has sounded a warning bell for the Chinese LED industry, according to a ledsw.com report.

Cree has expanded its $1.5 million commitment to provide LED lighting for new Habitat for Humanity homes built in the United States. Building on the company’s 2010 pledge to provide Cree® LED downlights, Cree is now offering Habitat for Humanity affiliates the New Cree LED Bulb, making whole-home LED lighting possible for Habitat homeowners.