the extra costs will be offset by improved LED lifetimes

It’s expected that the OLED backlighting market will reach $1.1 billion by 2015. And while the first OLED lighting panels are quite small, the recent scaling up of factories in Asia to build large OLED displays will certainly benefit the manufacturing infrastructure for OLED lighting and lead to larger panels within a few years. Although OLEDs have an efficiency edge over OLEDs today, that edge may narrow or even disappear. Moreover, point sources of light like LEDs are not especially effective at delivering area light and typically require additional optics to do the job. OLEDs, in contrast, 180W led flood lights already have exactly the kind of broad area light that’s needed for backlighting.

The flat and flexible format presented by LEDs creates an opportunity to design high-value added lighting fixtures with an appeal to upscale consumers and especially architects. During 2008, lighting designer Ingo Maurer introduced the world's first OLED "function table light" and researchers at GE are targeting lighted curtains and lighted wallpaper.The unit costs of LED lights are likely to remain higher than older general lighting technologies but the extra costs will be offset by improved LED lifetimes and efficiencies. During 2008, OLED lifetimes improved from 24 Khrs to 100 Khrs. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy now expects OLED lighting to reach 150 lm/W efficiency in 2012 rather than 2014 as previously forecast.

Manufacturing processes for OLEDs have also progressed significantly. GE and the Fraunhofer Institute have both demonstrated roll-to-roll manufacturing of OLED lighting which will ultimately lead to significant cost improvements in OLED fabrication. Low cost printing approaches and new small molecule inks will also help propel OLEDs into the backlighting market.The companies say they will expand their business relationship into other high-volume lighting categories in 2009.Back in April 2008, Zumtobel announced that it would use Cree LEDs in its own luminaires – see Zumtobel Group teams with how do i test led high bay for quality to boost innovative LED lighting. Andreas Ludwig, Zumtobel Group CEO said that Cree provides them with a unique source of technological knowledge and leadership. By integrating this innovative LED luminaire into their portfolio, they are securing a significant technological edge.