OLED lighting, replacing LED is in the not too distant future

At SID2014, it was proved that OLED lighting has competitiveness in terms of efficiency and can compete with LED for the general lighting.

Konica Minolta developed 131lm/W OLED lighting panel last March. It also released an OLED lighting panel with efficacy of 139lm/W at the SID 2014 and drew more attention. Panasonic also presented on OLED, and drew more attention unveiling a prototype in Author interview.

Considering that the efficacy of currently commercialized LED lighting is about 80~130lm/W, it is analyzed that the fruitful result at the SID 2014 showed the potential of the OLED lighting becoming the general lighting instead of the LED lighting.

The most concerned issues of the OLED lighting are lifetime and cost. For the general lighting, 40,000hr, which the OLED panel makers target, is estimated enough considering replace period of the lighting, but the issue is the cost. Compared to the LED, the OLED lighting is expensive and currently forms a high-end lighting market. However, it is inevitable to down the cost for entering the general lighting market. Although LG Chem. announced a price reduction to 200$/Klm from 600$/Klm, investment of the OLED lighting makers in mass-production is vital to reform the general lighting market with the OLED lighting.

The OLED lighting panel has reached the level equal to the LED lighting. Now is the time that the OLED lighting panel companies make a turning point and can leap again by investing as they did with display.

did with display.

 <Performance report of Konica Minolta’s 139lm/W OLED lighting panel, SID2014>

<Panasonic’s 133 lm/W OLED lighting panel, SID2014>