LED lighting to feature at 2010 World Expo in Shanghai

Government officials in China have said that solid-state lighting will be widely used at the World Expo in Shanghai, according to a report in the Shanghai Daily newspaper.

"The new lighting technology is one of 11 high-tech government- backed projects being developed, as it is a green and clean technology," said Guo Yansheng, an official at the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission. "The World Expo is the best stage for the new technology."

LED lighting reduces energy consumption and environmental pollution, and saves up to 70 to 80 percent of the energy used in lamps, according to the Shanghai Opto-electronics Trade Association.

The revenue of the solid-state lighting industry in China will grow more than 40 percent annually within five years from 2006, creating a market worth 100 billion yuan (US$12.7 billion) in 2010, industry officials said.

The local government will invest more than 100 million yuan to support the opto-electronics industry and it has established a solid-state lighting national base in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Industry Park.

LED chip production capacity soared 101.4 percent year on year in 2006 to 12.2 billion units, the third consecutive year the annual growth rate has soared more than 100 percent, according to CCID Consulting, a Beijing-based research firm under the Ministry of Information Industry.

To further boost the industry, Shanghai will host the 4th China International Forum & Exhibition on Solid State Lighting in August, Guo said.