Incandescent Lamps Are Phasing Out — Can LED Panel Lights Lead the Future of Commercial Lighting?

　　With the continuous development of energy-saving lighting technology, the leading role of the traditional lighting market, the incandescent bulb, is about to formally bow out and exit the lighting market. It is understood that in recent years, many countries around the world have begun working on the various tasks of phasing out incandescent bulbs, especially in 2012, when in many countries and regions, incandescent bulbs will completely bid farewell to the lighting market.

　　On the European side, as early as March 2007, the European Commission proposed a policy recommendation to phase out incandescent bulbs by the end of 2012, and implemented the phase-out work for various models of incandescent bulbs step by step. August 31, 2012, which has just passed, is the final deadline for the complete ban on the sale of incandescent bulbs within the EU. Since then, the complete ban on the sale of incandescent bulbs in the EU region has marked the EU's official farewell to the "Edison era" that has lasted for more than 100 years.

　　In Asia, due to tight electricity supply problems, Japan had to advance the "retirement" date of incandescent bulbs to June of this year, and then vigorously promote LED bulbs. It is reported that the South Korean government also plans to ban the production and sale of incandescent bulbs starting from 2014.

　　Meanwhile, the Chinese government held a press conference on the roadmap for phasing out incandescent light bulbs as early as November 4, 2011, aiming to promote the structural optimization and upgrading of China's lighting and electrical appliance industry and support the energy-saving and emission-reduction tasks of the "12th Five-Year Plan." It also issued the "Announcement on Gradually Prohibiting the Import and Sale of Ordinary Lighting Incandescent Lamps," deciding to gradually prohibit the import and sale of ordinary lighting incandescent lamps in stages according to wattage starting from October 1, 2012.

　　According to the editor's understanding, with the withdrawal of incandescent bulbs from the market, the two biggest focuses of attention in the lighting market are energy-saving lamps and LEDs. Compared with other lighting products, LEDs have notably significant advantages such as high efficiency, energy saving, long-lasting durability, and low-carbon environmental protection. LEDs are widely recognized as the future development direction of the lighting industry.

　　Although LED lighting surpasses energy-saving lamps in all data, the lack of core technology in domestic LED products at the current stage has led to relatively high product prices and a poor price-performance ratio. At the same time, the domestic LED market is a mixed bag, and the overall quality of products is worrying. Every process in the production of LEDs affects the quality and durability of the entire product.

　　In summary, although from the perspective of long-term development, LED lighting has prominent advantages and fully meets domestic and foreign market demands as well as energy-saving and emission-reduction needs, limited by various conditions, if LED bulbs are to be fully popularized in the domestic market and dominate the lighting industry, it is still necessary to consolidate basic technology, fundamentally solve the problems encountered in current applications of LED lighting, and truly present people with a product image that is "green," highly efficient, energy-saving, economical, and practical. Energy-saving lamps remain the best choice for replacing high-energy-consumption lighting products such as incandescent and halogen lamps in the near term.