The 2012 Lighting Year began with the historic phase-out of the incandescent light bulb. The year continued with the 50th anniversary of the light-emitting diode (LED) in October and ended in December with yet another Greatest LED. Despite overcapacity and slim profit margins, Cree (Nasdaq: CREE) and other manufacturers bounced back to confound naysayers and short-sellers. LED streetlights began to seriously climb the S-curve of adoption. And LEDs in lighting are staging a reported 44 percent year-on-year gain, with 9.8 percent growth for LEDs overall. ...