news digest ♦ LEDs
and increase brand recall, market participants are forging strong relationships with channel partners, architects, electrical installers and customers,” notes Sagar. “They are also rolling out reliable, high-quality LED lighting solutions with warranties to remain competitive.”
Edinburgh adopts LED lighting
The project is estimated to be worth around £30 million
Edinburgh has become the latest major city in the UK to swap its dull sodium bulbs for LED light bulbs
The plans will bring the Scottish capital’s street lights bang up to date, and will ensure that not only will the city be brightly lit, it will also save huge amounts of money for the council, who can use the funds for further investment in sustainability.
In Edinburgh at the moment, £2.97 million is spent every year simply lighting the city, and it is expected that with the introduction of the efficient LED lighting solutions onto streets, in stairwells and in other public areas, will help to save almost 40 percent on this huge outlay.
An interest-free loan has been secured for the first 6,000 street lights, but the city-wide project will likely cost fifteen times this amount and require a lot more bulbs.
Steven Ellwood, Managing Director of BLT Direct says, “Edinburgh has become the latest in a long list of cities that are taking the plunge and opting to install LED lighting on their streets. The first year’s outlay may seem like significant figure, but the energy-saving costs over the next decade will pay for the initial investment many times over, and will offer citizens of Edinburgh more consistent, bright and efficient lighting in their public areas.”
Cities, towns, villages, capitals and regions across the globe have been almost queuing up to join the list of pioneers swapping their old, conventional lighting solutions for more technologically advanced alternatives. Manchester, Hull, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Sheffield, Glasgow and Plymouth are just a few of the areas that have adopted the more efficient technology, some at great initial cost; Manchester’s thorough lighting revamp will cost the council £32 million by the time it’s complete, and Birmingham, among the first to roll out a project in 2010, invested millions to install up to 95,000 street lights in the region.
With energy costs expected to rise in the coming years, it is crucial for councils and local authorities to consider
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net January / February 2014 taking the plunge, just like Edinburgh.
Ellwood of BLT Direct adds, “We love to see cities adopting the highly efficient LED technology in public places, but uptake needs to increase if all cities are to be as efficient as possible before energy costs start to rise. Those installing LED lights in the coming months are well placed to reap the rewards of their investment and they save thousands in the coming years.”
Obama announces IQE as key partner in clean energy
IQE is to play a key part in a consortium of high tech businesses and academia in a major Clean Energy Initiative announced in North Carolina by the U.S. President
President Obama announced the formation of the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute during a visit to North Carolina State University on Wednesday 15th January.
The establishment of the institute will be led by North Carolina State University and industry partners include ABB, APEI, Avogy, Cree, Delphi, Delta Products, DfR Solutions, Gridbridge, Hesse Mechantronics, II-VI, IQE, John Deere, Monolith Semiconductor, RF Micro Devices, Toshiba International, Transphorm, USCi, and Vacon.
The formation of the Institute is part of the U.S. Government’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Initiatives (NNMI) announced by The White House in February 2013 to bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing.
IQE has been selected as supplier of epitaxial materials to the consortium for the development of a 150mm GaN- on-silicon power electronics capability for high voltage (600V to 1200V) applications, an award which is worth up to $4 million over the next five years.
GaN-on-silicon is a key materials technology not only for highly efficient power semiconductors with applications ranging from everyday power supplies for consumer electronics to industrial motor controls and hybrid-electric vehicles, but also for RF applications in next generation base station and small cell RF communication networks, as well as highly cost efficient LEDs, high speed rail and other power efficient applications.
GaN has been a key materials technology initiative for IQE over the last few years, building on the acquisition of NanoGaN in 2010, Kopin Wireless in 2013, and the successful development and deployment of GaN on SiC
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