There is a high level of fragmentation in the general LED lighting market, just like the analogue IC market. In fact, its sub-segments consist of replacement lamps, strips and strings, outdoor area, industrial, commercial, residential, consumer portable, entertainment, retail display, off-grid and safety/security.

It should be noted that the general LED lighting market represents nearly 57 per cent of the total LED market of $25.9 billion projected for 2018. The other categories are signage, automotive lighting, mobile devices, backlighting in displays, monitors and other.

General lighting LED applications continue to gain traction in both commercial and residential markets, and are further accelerating growth. According to LEDinside (a division of TrendForce), remarkable growth was seen in the high lumen LED lighting systems for commercial use. This is because the LED lighting for household use is still too expensive for most consumers. Backed by its long-term benefits, energy-saving and environment-friendly attributes, and its relevant tax reductions, there will be a substantial increase in the use of LED lighting in commercial spaces such as the parking lot, office space, factory facility and warehouse. LED lights can replace not only high pressure sodium lamps, halogen lights, incandescent bulbs, but also CFL and fluorescent lights in some areas. It is estimated that rapid growth and widespread adoption of LED commercial lighting took place in 2011, while LEDs used for household lighting did not take off until 2012.

It is no surprise that commercial/industrial applications are leading the transition to LEDs as lighting generally represents anywhere from 25-40 per cent of total energy use in commercial buildings. As these applications require long hours of high intensity light, the economic payback of the saved electrical power is relatively short-term. Secondly, the long life of LED fixtures dramatically reduces the replacement cost of the bulbs. These replacement costs include not only the price of the bulb itself, but also the labour cost to physically replace them, which in certain applications, such as high bay lighting, is significant.

The primary driver behind the high growth rate of LED lighting is the dramatic reduction in power consumption that LED lighting offers over traditional lighting. Compared to incandescent lighting, LEDs require less than 20 per cent of the electrical power to provide the same level of light (in lumens). There are additional advantages that LED lighting offers but also some additional challenges. LED advantages include a lifetime orders of magnitude higher than incandescent bulbs, which dramatically reduces replacement costs.

The ability to dim LEDs using the previously installed base of TRIAC dimmers is also a major benefit, especially in residential lighting. Instant turn-on eliminates the warm-up period associated with CFLs and LEDs are not sensitive to power cycling like their CFL counterparts. Additionally, LED lighting fixtures do not contain any toxic materials to manage or dispose of, whereas CFL uses toxic mercury gas to operate. Lastly, LEDs enable new very low profile form factors that other technologies could not.

By: DocMemory
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