View the Article: http://www.mistergreen.co.uk/news/lightemittingwallpaper-20.htm
A company developing ultra-efficient organic LED (OLED organic light emitting diodes) lighting technology has been awarded a £454k grant by the Carbon Trust. 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 which replaces the need for traditional light bulbs. As well as being flexible, OLED film will require a very low operating voltage (between 3 to 5 volts) so it can be powered by solar panels and batteries making it ideal for applications where mains power is not available such as roadside traffic warning signs. Lighting in buildings accounts for a sixth of total electricity use in the UK. The LOMOX OLED technology promises to be 2.5 times more efficient than standard energy saving bulbs. It has been estimated that, by replacing current lighting technologies, it could reduce annual global CO2 emissions by over 2,500,000 tonnes by 2020 and nearly 7,400,000 by 2050, equivalent to a quarter of the annual carbon emissions of Wales (or the annual emissions of Birmingham). The Welsh company aims to have the first lighting products using its technology available in 2012 and also plans to use the same technology to create more energy efficient television screens. Operating lifetime has traditionally been a problem with OLED technology, but LOMOX has found a way to achieve significantly longer lifetimes than fluorescent lamps. The technology will also be more efficient (producing 150 lumens/watt) as it only emits light along one axis. OLEDs can produce a more natural looking light than other forms of lighting.
