Sunday, May 22, 2011

Philips Lighting CEO: LED prices to drop in half | Green Tech - CNET News

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20063664-54.html
The cost of efficient yet pricey LED light bulbs could fall by 50 percent in the next five years, according to the top Philips Lighting executive in the U.S.

Because of the efficiency and other features LED lighting offers, Philips Lighting is rapidly pushing into LEDs for both commercial and residential lighting, Zia Eftekhar, the CEO of Philips Lighting North America, said today in an interview from the LightFair industry conference in Philadelphia. The company projects that by 2015, 50 percent of its sales will be from LED lighting. It projects that figure would grow to 75 percent by 2020, a rate that's higher than the rest of the lighting industry, he said.

To bulk up its competence in LED lighting, Philips has acquired a few companies, including Color Kinetics and Lumileds.
...
Because residential LED bulbs are still relatively new, the price will fall as manufacturing volumes ramp up and the technology improves, he said.

'Take a look at what happened in commercial areas where the prices for outdoor LED lighting fell by 50 percent. If you asked me would those types of savings be a reasonable projection for (all LED lighting) over the next five years, my answer would immediately be 'Yes,'' Eftekhar said.

LED adoption will happen quicker in businesses because they typically spend more money on lighting and are more willing than consumers to consider the total cost of ownership, he said. Utility and municipal incentives for energy efficiency help lower the purchase price, too, he added.
 The Philips EnduraLED A21 17-watt light bulb unveiled May 17, 2011 is designed to replace a 75-watt incandescent bulb, while reducing energy consumption by 80% and lasting 25 times longer, the Philips EnduraLED A21 17-watt marks another important milestone in LED lighting technology for everyday use.


The EnduraLED A21 17-watt is the latest addition to Philips’ comprehensive portfolio of light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that can efficiently replace traditional incandescents. These include 25W and 40W equivalents, as well as the ENERGY STAR-qualified Philips EnduraLED 12.5-watt bulb, the world’s first commercially-available 60-watt replacement.

The EnduraLED A21 17-watt, which uses the company’s high-power, next-generation LUXEON LEDs, has also been developed to meet or exceed ENERGY STAR qualifications for an LED-based replacement for the 75-watt incandescent light bulb. Those specifications call for delivering 1100 lumens with just 17-watts of electricity, a color temperature of 2700k, a color rendering index (CRI) of 80, and a rated life of 25,000 hours [or 25 times longer than an incandescent bulb].  The new bulb will be submitted to ENERGY STAR in the coming months for qualification testing.

Philips estimates that about 90 million 75-watt incandescent light bulbs are sold annually in the United States.  Switching to this LED replacement has the potential to reduce energy use by 5,220 megawatts of electricity, a cost savings of approximately $630,000,000 annually.  According to Philips estimates, switching to the EnduraLED 21 17-watt could also eliminate 3,255,205 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent of removing nearly one million cars from the road.

As with all bulbs in the Philips LED lighting family, the new EnduraLED A21 17-watt has a rated life of 25 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb. Over its lifespan, the EnduraLED A21 17-watt could save a business or household about $160 per bulb.  Available during the fourth quarter of 2011 in the US, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for consumers has not yet been finalized but is expected to be in the range of $40 - $45.

Over the life of the bulb, those savings make LEDs a better deal financially than incandescent lights, said Eftekhar.


'Clearly as we move forward, the cost will move downward. It comes from the quantity and the manufacturing experience and the technology breakthroughs that come with it,' he said.

LED light quality as rated by the color rendering index, which is generally better in commercial situations such as retail, is projected to improve as well over time, he added.

by Martin LaMonica, Senior Writer for CNET's Green Tech blog
CNET Green Tech Blog http://news.cnet.comMay 17, 2011
and
Royal Phillips Electronics Press Release dated May 16, 2011 at

http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/news/press/2011/20110516_75w_LED_lamp.wpd

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