Taiwan's Lighting Makers Shine by Winning International Awards
Optoelectronics expert invents way to recycle heat and light from lamps

2013/03/08 | By Michelle Hsu

Obviously Taiwan's lighting makers are seeing their investments in R&D to generate innovations pay off, not only in garnering frequent international awards, but also in promoting their global image and breeding potential business opportunities.

Chai Yen-hsin, professor at National Taipei University of Technology, cooperates with several lighting companies to design lighting products based on required specifications.

The “Energy-saving lighting fixture” designed by Chai Yen-hsin, professor at National Taipei University of Technology, for example, won four gold awards and special award at the invention exhibitions in Switzerland, the U.S., Britain, and Taiwan.

Chai has been engaged in several cooperation projects with lighting companies where the professor designs lighting products based on required specifications. The “Energy-saving lighting fixture” is multi-functional and equipped with infrared and motion sensor to detect changes in surrounding environment. The bulb automatically turns brighter upon detection of moving person or car. Such lighting device is especially practical in parking lots—able to save energy under normal conditions and also provide sufficient lighting for safe driving.

In addition, Chai has invented an optical device which can detect vacant parking space, and can be added to the “Energy-saving lighting fixture” to further enhance the fixture's functionality and create even more business potential.

TIA TechnologyKevin Lin, chairman of TIA Technology Corp., is an optoelectronics expert who applies optical theories to enhance functions of the company's products. His Cascading Lights convert heat and light generated by the lamp for energy recycling, which also won a gold award and a special prize at the 40th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva last year, where demonstrating the lamp not only showed Taiwan's innovation capability at the world's largest marketplace of inventions, but also pushed forward people's efforts to save energy.

TIA’s special optical panel works on most lighting products for energy-reuse.

“I'm inspired to develop the Cascading Lights because I believe that people can't live without lighting. With lighting a daily necessity, we should re-use energy from lighting rather than trying to use less energy,” said Lin, who has patented the invention, which converts heat and light from lighting source for reuse.
Lin says that the secret to the technology is the special optical panel on a lighting fixture that enables converting heat and light as energy for reuse. The special optical panel works on most kinds of artificial lighting source for energy reuse, he says. The energy conversion rate ranges 30% and 50% depending on size of fixture, with a positive correlation between conversion rate and size of fixture.
Glitter Award Winners
Everlight Electronics, actively exploring China's market, earned the Glitter Award for two of its products last year. The Glitter Award competition, held by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, entered its 9th year in 2012, attracting 321 products to compete in three categories. Everlight is one of the 85 winners in 2012.
Everlight Electronics has won several awards in Taiwan and China.
Having proven themselves in the strict preliminary and final competitions, Everlight's Light Engine Inside and SL-60B bulb series emerged as winners in the Green Products Category.
Everlight Electronics has also won several awards previously, such as the Excellent Enterprise Brand Award presented by the Chinese Architectural Golden Stone Award last September and the Taiwan Green Classic Award last October—an award supposedly presented to the best lighting choice for green buildings.
The two winning products—Light Engine Inside and A60 Series of SL-60B bulb—were the only winners from Taiwan in this industry, which works in favor of Everlight Electronics to bid for lighting and street-lighting tenders in China and Taiwan in the future.
Everlight Electronics' winning products are approved as eco-friendly and safe at home and abroad by CE, UL, CNS, and so on. The company often advocates using LED light sources and recyclable materials as the best solution for environmental protection.
“Light-up Africa”
Supporting a training program four years ago, Comda Advanced Technology Corporation designed a desk lamp for African students, dubbed the “Light-up Africa.” Through several improvements during the past four years, the “Light-up Africa” has won several awards in China and Taiwan, hence motivating the company to promote the lamp for commercial sales.
“Light-up Africa” is a solar-powered light, equipped with lithium iron phosphorous oxide (LFPO) cells produced by the company's subsidiary, Chang Hong Energy Technology Corporation, with its efficient solar battery being a feature to help the company make inroads into the overseas market.
The “Light-up Africa” lamp features efficient solar battery to help Comda Advanced Technology to explore overseas market.
“Light-up Africa” also works on battery power, said Comda's President Chen Kuan-nan. Recognizing battery technology as the most difficult problem with battery-powered lighting products, Comda invests in Chang Hong Energy, which engages in R&D and production of new energy products, to create technological advantages to successfully enter the lighting market abroad with energy-saving lighting products.
Chang Hong Energy's LiFe batteries also reportedly work on electric cars, lighting, solar panels, leisure boats and so on, orders for which have been booked throughout March 2013. With demand exceeding supply, Chang Hong has invested heavily in expanding production lines, with the one under-construction in Houli District of central Taiwan scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

To pave the roads to global lighting markets, the “Light-up Africa” series has been displayed in exhibitions around the world and earned favorable reception. At an international lighting show in the U.S. last November, for example, the company landed on-site orders from South America. In addiction, negotiations between the company and European and South American agents are also close to completion, which look set to allow Comda break into such segments in 2013.