LED lighting – embrace the change, seize the opportunity or become irrelevant (MAGAZINE)

While LED lighting is a hot topic, there’s a doubter for every proponent. Without question some designers and end users have suffered substandard experiences and high costs with poor ROI. Early inferior solid-state-lighting (SSL) technology, may be leading many to wait on the sidelines. That’s a bad decision. LED technology has arrived for general illumination and industry players can either seize the opportunity or face irrelevance.

So, where are we? Despite all the nay-sayers, LED lighting is rapidly maturing and entering the market. One of the most cogent statements about LED adoption was created by Philips and illustrated, in a slide entitled “Rapid change is coming to lighting,” with the direct statement: “By 2020, 80% of the world’s lighting will be LED.”

Let’s consider some points that may help explain why the transition will happen and what opportunities lie ahead.

++++++ This article was published in the March 2011 issue of LEDs Magazine. To read the full version of this article, please visit our magazine page, where you can download FREE electronic PDF versions of all issues of LEDs Magazine. You can also request a print copy of LEDs Magazine (available by paid subscription) and sign up for our free weekly email newsletter.