by Shane Henson — September 2, 2011—Facilities managers in the United States looking to replace or add outdoor lighting while saving energy may be interested in the findings in Strategies Unlimited’s new report LED Outdoor and Area Lighting; Market Analysis and Forecast. This report is the latest in a series published by Strategies Unlimited covering the high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB LED) industry. Founded in 1979, Strategies Unlimited specializes in market research and strategic consulting directed at photonics systems and components.
According to the report, the U.S. market has taken the lead in proving the viability of LED technology for outdoor lighting applications. Although China has more installations, it has reportedly become the first casualty of quality issues. The Chinese market for outdoor lighting shrank in 2011 in order to address these quality issues. Elsewhere, especially in North America, quality consciousness has kept progress towards transitioning to LEDs thanks to the efforts of the Department of Energy, the Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium, and the Design Lights Consortium, says the report.
The 20-25 percent drop in price of LED packages, which started in the fourth quarter of 2010, has proved to be a boon for quality luminaire manufacturers. The average price of outdoor luminaires is expected to continue to decline in 2011, and the trend is likely to accelerate going into 2012. This decline in price will help post-pilot and post-stimulus programs.
