China seeks LED solution to an energy-resource problem
Despite being a vast country, China's energy resources are relatively scarce. As a result, the government sees LED manufacturing as a key part of the country's future as its rapid economic expansion puts an increasing strain on power. Michael Hatcher reports.
With its fast-growing economy, China is using energy at an ever-increasing rate. The total electricity consumption in the world's most populous country is estimated at 2000 billion kWh this year, with 10-12% of that figure devoured by lighting applications.
With electricity use growing at 10% per year on average, it's not surprising that the Chinese government sees efficient semiconductor-based lighting as a key part of its - and, for that matter, the wider world's - economic future. In 5-10 years, China's lighting energy demand is expected to double.
Energy savings
Until about a month ago, Gordon Liu was the president of China-based Lumei Optoelectronics, the company that acquired the LED manufacturing technology previously owned by US-based substrate supplier AXT last year. Speaking at the recent CS-MAX conference in Monterey, CA, Liu estimated that, if widely implemented, LEDs could save China 400 billion kWh of energy over the next decade.
