by jbs010709 i3 — January 8, 2010—A company developing ultra-efficient organic LED (OLED) lighting technology has been awarded a 454,000 grant by the Carbon Trust, an independent company set up in 2001 by the British government in response to the threat of climate change.
The OLED materials being pioneered by LOMOX Ltd have a wide variety of potential applications, and when coated onto a film could be used to cover walls, creating a light-emitting wallpaper that reportedly replaces the need for traditional light bulbs.
Operating lifetime has traditionally been a problem with OLED technology, but LOMOX has found a way to achieve significantly longer lifetimes than with fluorescent lamps, notes the Carbon Trust. The technology will also be more efficient (producing 150 lumens/watt), as it only emits light along one axis. OLEDs can reportedly produce a more natural-looking light than other forms of lighting.
The Carbon Trust’s Applied Research grant program has supported 164 projects covering a wide range of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, and committed a total of 23 million towards research worth around 55 million. The Carbon Trust is currently on the lookout for other technologies with significant carbon saving potential to receive up to 500,000 of grant funding. Applications can be made online for the current open call, which will close on February 18, 2010.
