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SPECIAL INSIGHT: LIGHTING INDUSTRY
Bright, Smart, and
Planet-Friendly:
Today’s Lighting
LED technology and smart lighting systems are poised to fundamentally transform the global light- ing industry. Energy-efficient and connected, these technologies will save energy and money.
“Approximately 15 percent of all the electricity consumption in the world goes to lighting,” declares Sergio Villalón, the CEO of lighting manufacturer/distributor Philips Mexi- cana. He also points out that as the world’s population con-
tinues to migrate toward cities, the amount of energy necessary to power their daily needs is becoming untenable. While nations search for more effective and efficient methods of providing elec- tricity, the lighting industry is following suit with its own solu- tion: light-emitting diode (LED) illumination.
“GREEN LIGHTING” THE FUTURE
LED lights provide more than twice the illumination of compara- ble compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and last about five times as long. As a result, Villalón says, “Utilizing LED lighting allows us- ers to save as much as 40 percent of their current consumption.” Based on these savings, the LED market is expected to overtake the conventional lighting market by the end of 2017. The biggest general application for LED lighting is the residential industry, but the architectural and municipal outdoor segments are also
Mexico is the second-larg- est supplier of lighting prod- ucts to the United States.
embracing the trend for both functional and decorative appli- cations.
To borrow a cli- ché, the future looks bright for the LED lighting industry. The global market share for LED will
Digitally Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) system that al- lows consumers to operate lighting systems with smartphones, tablet computers, and other wireless devices. And over the next several years, the world will see the expansion of Wireless Sen- sor-based Network (WSN) technology from its current use in residential “smart homes” into the commercial, municipal, and industrial sectors.
COULD PROBLEMS DIM FUTURE EXPANSION?
Like other emerging technologies, both LED illumination and smaart lighting systems must overcome certain obstacles if they are to live up to their potential. The most obvious hurdle is con- sumer acceptance of the technology, which will be heavily influ- enced by its durability and user-friendliness. There is also the issue of recyclability. As Villalón notes, LED lights contain few- er environmentally harmful elements, meaning that 95 percent of each LED light can theoretically be recycled. The key word is “theoretically”; in practice, separating the 18 or so rare metals and minerals found in LEDs is an expensive and time-consuming process.
To be sure, the LED and smart lighting market segments are poised to dominate the worldwide lighting industry within a de- cade’s time. If private industry and researchers can overcome the aforementioned challenges, history may rank the introduction of LED and smart lighting technology alongside such venerable milestones as the emergence of wireless communication and the invention of the light bulb.
surge 70 percent to around US$70 billion by 2020. Eco-conscious Europe is expected to lead the way with an LED market share exceeding 70 percent by 2020 (up drastically from less than 10 percent in the summer of 2015), while Asia and North America will also contribute heavily to the sector’s growth.
SMART LIGHTING SAVES MONEY
One of the strongest drivers for LED growth is the emergence of smart lighting technology, which empowers users to control light- ing remotely and/or with digital devices by “connecting” lighting sources using wires or via a wireless network. The idea is to au- tomate the brightening and dimming functions of lighting sys- tems to conserve energy by providing illumination only when and where it is needed. Villalón says that this connectivity can provide cost savings of an additional 40 percent to users who install smart lighting. The global smart lighting market is expected to surge to US$51.5 billion by 2025.
Several smart lighting platforms and infrastructural
systems have already been introduced to the market, led by the
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