Lighting solutions demand 2020 | Emergence of advanced lighting technologies along with advent of smart components to impact the global industry landscape
Tags: Lighting, Internet of Things, Oled, Led, Led Lighting

Lighting solutions demand 2020 | Emergence of advanced lighting technologies along with advent of smart components to impact the global industry landscape Shankark Jan 8, 2020·6 min read

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Lighting solutions — an intrinsic part of everyday life, have become even more prominent in recent times. Lighting technology has evolved to a great extent — to the point that it is being used for biological marvels like the production of plants.

Over the past few years, the lighting market has witnessed profound technological transformations. At present, the rapid emergence of new technologies is facilitating possibly the biggest strides in the advancement of lighting since the advent of the LED bulb.

The past few decades have proved to be an exciting period with respect to lighting technology progression and with the breakneck speed at which technology is evolving, this period is likely to become more fascinating in the years ahead.

Modern lighting technologies have observed great development across the whole spectrum, including fluorescent, metal halide, incandescent and LED, among others.

Solid State Lighting

Lighting systems that leverage LEDs (light emitting diodes), OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) or light emitting polymers are known as solid-state lighting or SSL. Even though LEDs have been in existence for over 50 years, it was the emergence of solid-state lighting technologies that took them beyond their initial use as indicator lights in electronic devices.

Solid-state lighting is a technology where LEDs replace traditional fluorescent or incandescent lighting systems. These lighting systems are used for general lighting applications. Solid-state lighting systems have numerous advantages over their conventional counterparts, given their low heat emission, low energy dissipation, absence of hazardous components and ability to withstand impact without shattering.

In the current scenario, solid-state lighting market has evolved to such an extent that LEDs are rapidly becoming the preferred lighting solution across myriad applications. Furthermore, the surge of technological innovations over the past two decades had allowed LEDs to transcend their initial purpose and expand their application scope to signal devices like traffic signs, limited lighting applications like flashlights as well as more general lighting solutions like industrial or residential lighting.

The latest development in the SSL market is the incorporation of IoT (internet of things) and 3D printing. For instance, the Lighting Research Center (LRC), which is a part of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recently collaborated with Eaton Corporation to create a completely 3D printed luminaire with integrated LEDs. This innovation is part of a DoE (Department of Energy) funded project, designed to study the application of 3D printing technology with respect to solid-state lighting.

LED Lighting

Even as multiple industries gain massive traction with regards to new trends and technologies, the LED lighting market is one of the eminent leaders of the pack. This leading role has been characterized by prolific developments in the LED sector over the years, ranging from the emergence of high brightness LEDs, to blue light to the upcoming white light LEDs.

Modern LED systems demonstrate a lifespan that is nearly 2–4 times that of conventional lights, without compromising on the quality of light and efficiency.

The Department of Energy is also taking consistent steps towards developing longer lasting and highly efficient LED lights. These efforts are backed by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s claim that the use of LED lights could cut down lighting consumption in the U.S by half, ultimately presenting a possible solution to climate change. Studies suggest that widespread implementation of LED systems could save nearly 348 TWh of electricity by 2027.

The LED industry had undergone great transformations over the past decade, with higher efficiencies, lower costs and a broader application scope throughout. This transformation is in turn presenting various businesses several growth prospects for the years to come.

Leading LED technology innovator Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd.’s natural spectrum LED lights, Sunlike Series has recently been chosen by WalaLight™ to be integrated into its Healthy Circadian LED Lighting System. The Sunlike LED Series is known for its ability to emit light that matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, making it ideal for the passive adaptive nature of the Healthy Circadian lighting system. The system is able to deliver the ideal light spectrum with the use of an intelligent Kelvin-changing technology, designed to enhance human health, by replicating the sun’s spectral nuances.

Smart Lighting

The once-foreign idea that homes could not just match but adapt to changing human preferences is now a reality with the advent of the smart homes concept. Smart locks, video doorbells, voice assistants and a plethora of other technologies help homes become smarter and in turn make life easier. One of these systems is smart lighting.

The smart lighting market involves various internet-linked solutions that enable the management, control and monitoring of the home’s lighting systems. These solutions can include smart lamps, smart bulbs as well as smart plugs.

Since installing a complete smart lighting solution is relatively expensive, due to the need for special smart sockets and equipment, manufacturers have developed a more economical solution to give customers access to smart lighting, i.e. smart plugs.

Smart plugs enable customers to turn their regular light fixtures into smart lighting systems and experience the benefits of smart lighting, albeit at a more affordable rate. These plugs also offer customers a way to try out a smart lighting system in their home before they commit to a complete switch.

To illustrate, ConnectSense, which is known for its series of home automation products, dubbed HomeKit, have recently introduced a new Smart In-Wall Outlet. This outlet, compatible with HomeKit solutions, enables the control of plugged-in accessories by Siri voice commands as well as the Home application, effectively turning regular appliances into smart appliances. The product also delivers accurate power supervision, so that homeowners can track the amount of energy being used an appliance, in real-time.

Human Centric Lighting

As more and more benefits of light continue to emerge, mounting evidence indicates that light impacts not just human vision, but also the way they think, behave and feel. With these advantages coming to light, a new lighting technology has emerged — human centric lighting.

Human centric lighting refers to lighting systems that leverage the power of light to enhance the daily lives and health of humans. These systems help tune lights to facilitate the ideal circadian rhythms and emotional requirements to enhance human comfort, health and productivity.

To illustrate, studies have shown that primary school students exposed to 6000K — 100fc average maintained lighting showed a 36% improvement in oral reading fluency, in comparison with the 17% demonstrated by students exposed to control lighting. This is just one of many studies being conducted to unveil the benefits offered by human centric lighting to everyday lifestyles.

Many organizations are already working on testing HCL to gain a competitive edge. A notable example of this is the Seattle Mariners professional baseball team. The team’s locker room installed a human centric, circadian lighting system in 2013, to help alleviate the effects of jet lag and harmonize the energy levels of the team’s players, both pre- and post-game.

The prevalence of major players is bolstering the human centric lighting market outlook, with multiple R&D efforts, investments and product developments taking place.

For example, SCHOTT, a renowned lighting expert, is working in conjunction with jetlite, an on-board solutions provider for jetlag and MRO providers like Lufthansa Technik & Etihad Engineering to explore and develop a new technology for human centric lighting. The system, which will be jointly produced by all involved parties, will leverage SCHOTT’s HelioJet LED cabin illumination technology, to ensure even distribution of light and superior color stability across the entire cabin.