Energy Department Funding Supports Universal Display Corporations White OLED Technology Major Milestone for Solid-State Lighting
August 04, 2008
Company’s White OLEDs, Enabled Through the Use of Its High-Efficiency Phosphorescent OLED Technology, Have Potential to Create Significant Economic, Energy, and Environmental Benefits
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:PANL) has successfully demonstrated a record-breaking white organic light emitting diode (WOLED) with a power efficacy of 102 lumens per watt (lm/W) at 1000 cd/m2 using its proprietary, high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED technology. For the first time, white OLEDs have surpassed the power efficacy of the two incumbent indoor lighting technologies – incandescent bulbs are less than 15 lm/W and most fluorescent lamps are 60 - 90 lm/W. The milestone demonstrates the potential of white OLEDs to offer significant energy savings and environmental benefits.
Funded in part by DOE through its Solid-State Lighting initiative, Universal Display’s 102 lm/W milestone is a significant achievement toward DOE’s roadmap goal of a 150 lm/W commercial OLED light source by 2015. This WOLED light source offers a white emission with a color rendering index (CRI) of 70 and a coordinated color temperature (CCT) of 3900 Kelvin.
“Reaching 100 lumens per watt is a tremendous accomplishment for the white OLED industry. We applaud Universal Display Corporation on this record milestone in white OLED research and development,” said Alexander Karsner, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Solid-state lighting has the potential to more than double the efficiency of today’s general lighting systems. Advanced solid-state lighting solutions will vastly reduce our nation’s energy consumption and contribute to greater energy independence.” Electric bills for lighting alone are over $240 billion per year on a worldwide basis.
Consuming about 20% of the total electricity produced, lighting is also one of the largest causes of greenhouse gas emissions. With society’s demand for lighting continuing to grow rapidly, the need for more energy-efficient lighting is truly critical – for economic as well as environmental reasons.
Through the use of Universal Display’s PHOLED technology, power-efficient white OLEDs have the potential to reduce energy consumption dramatically and to lower the amount of by-product heat, which creates additional energy and environmental burdens. White OLEDs are also environmentally benign, as they are composed of organic materials. It has been estimated that white OLEDs could save well over 3.48 quads of energy (NCI, 2006), or $26.6 billion in electric costs (EIA, 2007) and approximately 103 million metric tons of carbon in the US in 2027.
Combining these important ‘green’ features with a very thin, lightweight and durable form factor, white OLEDs offer significant new lighting design opportunities. White OLEDs are also readily color tunable, from cool to warm whites, with extremely pleasing white emission that simulates healthful, natural lighting. For more information on white OLED technology or on Universal Display Corporation, visit www.universaldisplay.com.
This achievement is part of DOE’s national strategy to accelerate solid-state lighting technology advances from laboratory to marketplace. The unique attributes of solid-state lighting drive the need for a coordinated federal approach that encompasses research, development, and market introduction activities. In addition to R&D sponsorship, DOE provides national leadership and support for the development of ENERGY STAR® criteria for SSL products, technology procurement and demonstrations, commercial product testing, buyer/user guidance, design competitions, and standards development. For more information about the DOE Solid-State Lighting Portfolio, visit: http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl.
