The future of lighting

With the emergence of new technologies, improvements in quality and lowering costs, the LED lighting and controls market is set to flourish in the next few years. However, the demand will grow dim at the end of the decade because of the long life of LEDs and market saturation.

Technological advancements have changed the way we light our world. Recent advancements allow users to remotely control their lights, improve safety, change colour to match the mood, fool burglars and do much more.

To learn more about the trends and developments shaping the lighting market, we spoke with Bryan Douglas, CEO, Australian Lighting Council. Below are the highlights.

Out with the old, in with the new

The Australian lighting market will largely follow trends in other advanced western economies. The value of the lighting market will grow for the next few years, driven by the inexorable penetration of solid-state lighting (SSL). However, with the long lifespan of LEDs and market saturation, the growth will eventually flatten out and the market will start to decline towards the end of the current decade.

The local market will be primarily driven by replacements for the energy-hungry MR16 halogen downlight. Replacing public lighting with LEDs will also play an important role. With technological advancements and increasing demand for energy efficiency, sophisticated lighting controls will also take a greater proportion of market share in the years ahead. More companies will enter the lighting controls market.

Asia, already a manufacturing powerhouse for lighting products, will continue to grow in importance as a source of technology. However, the number of Asian companies engaged in manufacturing will decline dramatically from current levels - partly due to the winding back of Asian governments’ subsidies to their SSL industries.

Lighting and the Internet of Things

Because of their electronic nature, adaptability and imminent ubiquity, SSL light sources will play an important role in the Internet of Things. The inherently efficient LEDs will facilitate energy management improvements when connected to the internet. This is particularly the case for public road lighting where large energy savings and reduced demand on the grid can be achieved by reducing light levels late at night or at low traffic densities. Internet connectivity can also improve security as users can remotely control their lights with their smartphones. Internet connectivity will also facilitate the tuning of LED light sources to improve health, wellbeing and productivity.

Focus on quality

There is an unhealthy focus on the promotion of energy efficiency of SSL at the expense of quality. This is because the governments and customers often think only in terms of efficiency gains from lighting. Lighting businesses and electrical contractors need to reinforce the message that the quality must not be compromised when replacing classical technologies. Professional lighting designers have an important role to play in delivering this message, but they need to be supported by lighting suppliers and installers.

Lighting standards

Lighting standards are tools to disseminate information - they provide methods that ensure safe, compatible, consistent and reliable operation of increasingly complex systems.

Standards have always lagged behind development in the marketplace. Nevertheless, it is essential that they be available as soon as practicable. Many of the existing standards have grown out of user, industry and consumer needs for up-to-date product requirements and recommendations. These standards frequently become mandatory requirements under safety, electromagnetic compatibility and minimum energy performance legislation and regulations. Australia recently published the first safety requirements in a standard for double-ended LED tubes.

Lighting Council Australia is actively involved in development of standards - locally with Standards Australia, regionally with New Zealand and other lighting associations and internationally with the Global Lighting Association, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for product safety and performance, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) on lighting and energy, and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) on development of measurement methods.

The council has also been instrumental in Standards Australia generating new or updating existing standards for product safety and performance, general lighting requirements, emergency lighting, sports lighting and obtrusive light.

Substandard products

The SSL technology is improving rapidly and new products are being launched regularly. While most of these products are good, some are substandard. Tests on LED products sold in the Australian marketplace indicate a wide variation in product quality and how effectively they may illuminate a space. Some low-quality LEDs may not provide sufficient light, may flicker when dimmed, change colour through life or fail prematurely. Lighting Council Australia has produced a guide to assist purchasers make informed decisions when buying LEDs. The guide shows mandatory compliance (safety, warranty and EMC requirements) along with the key voluntary aspects, such as product performance.

Where to now?

The market will continue to see incremental improvements in technology. Efficacy will continue to improve. Human centric lighting - with a focus on the human health, wellbeing and productivity - will play a more prominent role in advanced economies. Australian companies will play a niche role in luminaire design, with some limited manufacturing. With their knowledge of the Australian market, these businesses will continue to play an important role as importers and resellers. Agile, smart local businesses committed to research and development will reap some of the opportunities available in SSL and lighting control design. However, they will continue to face enormous competition from Asia and elsewhere - limiting the number of companies in the industry.

Certification

In response to widespread misinformation about the performance characteristics of individual LEDs, Lighting Council introduced its Solid State Lighting Quality Scheme. Products with demonstrated performance are shown in a database on Lighting Council’s website. Members of the scheme may use a label containing performance information verified by test reports. Lighting Council has recently extended the scheme to include the LED replacement for the common MR16 low-voltage-style halogen lamp. The associated label enables users to distinguish between LED lamps.

Training and collaboration

Lighting Council Australia’s focus is on ensuring that the Australian marketplace is the recipient of quality, energy-efficient products that conform to all regulatory requirements. We make no apologies for this mantra, and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. To assist this endeavour we have a strong technical and regulatory focus. This has recently been strengthened by the engagement of an additional technical resource. The council provides significant input to Australian and international lighting standards, as well as energy efficiency, electrical safety and EMC regulations. We will continue to place emphasis on our code of conduct, which binds all members. Education of the market through events such as SPARC International Lighting Event (27-29 May 2015) and public seminars on lighting technologies will remain important.

The evolution of the Global Lighting Association parallels the enormous changes within the lighting industry over the past decade. It started out as the Global Lamp Forum in 2007. Reflecting changes in the European and Japanese industries in particular, which have seen the amalgamation of associations representing light source and luminaire manufacturers, the organisation has evolved into the Global Lighting Association. It now represents 10,000 manufacturers and US$75 billion in annual sales. The Global Lighting Association is the voice of the lighting industry on a global basis. The primary mission of the GLA is to share information, within the limits of national and EU competition law, on political, scientific, business, social and environmental issues of relevance to the lighting industry and to develop, implement and publish the position of the global lighting industry to relevant stakeholders in the international sphere. To this end it has published white papers, presented at lighting events and conferences, and formed alliances with other international organisations including the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), Zhaga (responsible for developing interface specifications that enable interchangeability of LED light sources) and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association. Current initiatives include working with the World Customs Organization and others to improve the harmonised system of tariff nomenclature to adequately reflect changes in lighting technology and the conclusion of a strategic alliance with the Connected Lighting Alliance (an organisation promoting the global adoption and growth of wireless lighting solutions by supporting open standards).