Targeting to help revive an economy struggling with persistent deflation and a rising yen by creating jobs through green and other potential growth industries, Japan has injected $6.4 billion on 153 low-carbon projects across the country over the next 15 months, using government subsidies as seed money and ranging from production of low-emitting cars, lithium-ion batteries, LED lighting and solar panels to energy-saving electrical appliances.  

It’s reported that the Trinamool Congress-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation authorities want to install LED lights across the city after the success of a pilot project to light up the city's streets. The erstwhile Left Front board first decided to modernize streetlights on some major thoroughfares.

Currently, Hill County has acquired a State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) $86,365 grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Ameresco was reported to enter into a long-term Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with the City of Greenville, South Carolina. It is now in the process of a series of system upgrades that will not only save the City an estimated $330,000 annually over a 15-year term but also reduce Greenville’s carbon footprint.

Lately, PV manufacturer Trina Solar has booked totaling $23.8 million order from GT Solar for its DSS450HP™ crystalline ingot growth systems. The orders will be included in GT Solar's backlog for its current Q3 FY11, which ends on January 1, 2011. The additional DSS450HP systems will help Trina Solar achieve its goal of significantly expanding its manufacturing capacity.  

Recently, LED chipmaker Epistar decided to issue euro convertible bonds (ECBs) worth US$280 million, with using for paying back previous US dollar-based loans and for future equipment purchases. Epistar noted, although it’s said LED industry would display over supply in 2011, the company remained optimistic about the future potential LED market growth, and was ready for capacity expansion for future demand. In the LED lighting market, the company planed to expand its capacity to meet continuing growing demand.

Industry sources noted china’s LED industry would install 700-800 units of MOCVD equipment in 2011 compared to 330 units installed in 2010, which may take China's LED industry to catch up with Taiwan. It’s reported that a Chinese LED maker had booked about 400-500 MOCVD machines to Germany-based Aixtron, with the shipment’s delivery lead time pushed to 3Q11.

Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) wanted to sapphire wafer materials’ sales would reach 5-6% of revenues in 2011 from 2% estimated for 2010. A leader of the company said, SAS was ready for producing 120,000-180,000 units LED sapphire substrates in 2011 from 60,000 in 2010. The new adding capacity would bring much more business sales.

MOCVD Subsidy Policy Implemented by Yangzhou Municipal Government to End in July 2011

Recently, the United States Patent Office has certificated Spectros white LED patent. In a reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 6,711,426, the Patent Office has affirmed that Spectros' use of White LEDs in medical spectroscopy is unique and protectable, and that certain other applications in biomedical and industrial spectroscopy devices also fall under this Spectros patent. The core Spectros white LED patent will reissue next year.

Washington, D.C. has selected Lighting Science Group's high-performance PROLIFIC series LED street lights for energy saving. The new light fixtures will be paid for from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and will begin to be installed in early 2011.The first of the new lights will be installed in alleys across the District, beginning in Wards 7 and 8.

China company BYD Co., Ltd (BYD) has prepared to present their "Three Green Dreams" Strategy at the 2011 North America International Auto Show (NAIAS) from January 10th to 23rd. It’s BYD's fourth consecutive appearance at the Detroit COBO Center for the Auto Show.

Reportedly, India tourism department will light up the Panaji church and the picturesque Penha de França church at Britona with Phillips Lighting’s LED lighting as a pilot project from December 23 to January 2.

In the first six month of 2010, sapphire substrate supplier Crystal Applied Technology’s EPS was only NT$1.50 but the figure increased substantially to NT$11.75 at the end of November. The company noted the strong result benefitted from the increasing prices for sapphire crystals, as well as increased capacity in 2Q10.

FPD equipment maker Mirle Automation and LED driver IC designer Macroblock had jointly developed an LED display control system—— Mirle 503. Mirle noted the Mirle 503 had a built-in Macroblock MBI5042 16-channel constant current LED driver with 16-bit PWM (pulse width modulation) control. With the MBI5042, all output channels could be built with 16-bit color depth (65,536 gray scales).

It’s said that China's Fujian provincial government planed to invest CNY20-30 billion (US$3.01-4.51 billion) to develop the public LED lighting market over the next five years, and jointly set up a publicly traded company with Taiwan-based LED companies. Fujian provincial government expected to install 300,000 LED street lamps in 2011, 600,000 in 2012 and up to 1-2 million in 2013. It’s estimated that the total LED street lamp market would reach 5-6 million units in Fujian.

According to Lewiston's Street Maintenance Manager Keith Bingman, the city has received a $68,000 grant from the Department of Energy to replace LED insert changes on pedestrian heads, traffic signal lights and about 50 street lights in town. It estimated that these LED lights run on 40% less energy, saving the City over $2,000 a year. Besides,Avista offers a rebate for the greener technology. The lights have a life expectancy three times as long as the sodium lights. They won't need replacing for at least 15 years.

Chinese company, Elec-Tech International Co Ltd, which specializes in the development, manufacturing and sales of household appliances, has decided to invest RMB 320 million to a subsidiary Dalian Elec-Tech Photovoltaic Co that mainly engaged in designing, producing and selling LED chips and other LED products.

Powin Corp. has set up a wholly-owned renewable energy subsidiary to supply a line of renewable energy products such as LED lighting fixtures, wind turbines, solar panels and lithium batteries.

According to a report in Taiwan Economic News, Frank Chien, chairman of Taiwanese LED maker Formosa Epitaxy predicted that the rise of table PCs may drive shortage of high-end LED chips starting February 2011 at the earliest. Chien confirms that Formosa Epitaxy started delivering LEDs for tablet PCs in October.

Conversion as a commitment to the international orientation of the Company AIXTRON SE (FSE: AIX; NASDAQ: AIXG) confirmed the completion of the company’s conversion into a European Company. With today’s entry into the commercial register of the Aachen municipal court, AIXTRON Aktiengesellschaft will in future operate and report as AIXTRON SE.  

Industry sources reported about one fifth of LCD TVs purchases in the US market was LED-backlit LCD TVs in 3Q10, which was up from 17.9% 2Q10 and from 4% during 3Q09. The result was benefit from LED-backlit LCD TVs’ advantages, such as their thinner form, improved picture quality, better color saturation, power savings and other green attributes, which also closely connected with TV and panel makers’ paying on the product differentiation, innovation, low power consumption and so on.

China's central government held its first-ever open tender for LED products in November. 28 Chinese-funded companies have won the bid, and many of them have promised to use Epistar's crystalline grains, which means that Epistar grasped the opportunity to join the government-funded green light projects.

Recently, it’s reportedly Yangzhou of Jiangsu Province would end procurement subsidization for MOCVD equipment in July of 2011. Epitaxial wafer plants registered after the date would no longer receive the subsidy of CNY10 million (US$1.5 million) per MOCVD machine. Yangzhou city officials indicated that Yangzhou currently had 20,000 LED street lamps and would rise to 30,000 units in April of 2011. The city government was looking to adjust the 33% subsidy for LED street lamp installation cost.

With demand LED backlight applications on the rise, Taiwan LED chip packager Unity Opto Technology expected monthly revenues to hit NT$700 billion (US$23.39 million) in 1Q 11. And the Full-year revenues for 2011 were expected to raise 80% to NT$12 billion from 2010.

Based on the potential 500 billion yuan (NT$2.3 trillion) opportunity in China's next five-year development plan which includes upgrading the LED industry as one of its major goals, a Taiwanese LED street lamp alliance has signed a letter of intent with a Taiwan affairs task force under China's Fujian provincial government to set up a world-class LED lighting company.  

Amtran Technology expected its revenues would reach NT$100 billion (US$3.34 billion) in 2011, with subsidiary Raken Technology completing capacity expansion in 2011 and bringing annual revenues to US$3 billion. A leader of the company noted, 4Q10 would be the most profitable period in 2010 following record sales in November and strong performance in December. And it made Amtran overtake Samsung Electronics as the top TV vendor in North America in 3Q, and it is likely to retain its ranking in 4Q.

Hi Score Corporation has supported a second round of Energy Saving EcoGreenBulb T5 Retrofit Kits as the addition to the original kits delivered earlier this year in Trump Towers of Sunny Isles, Florida. It estimated the conversion will reduce the energy required to light these areas by more than 50%.

With its LED streetlight, Wipro Lighting has won the ‘Design for Asia Merit Recognition Award 2010’.It is the first Indian company that recognizes the most influential design in Asia. The Orio streetlight features a LED technology and minimizes up to 50% of power consumption. The lighting solution is available in 24, 18, and 12 W versions with high power LEDs. The Orio offers 90% recyclability, energy efficiency and durability.

Sainoor - India's premier LED lighting solutions company - showcased some of world's most advanced LED lights during LEDEXPO 2010 at New Delhi from Dec 17 - Dec 19, 2010.