Lighting and Security

Author:
Cliff Keys, Editorial Director & Editor-in-Chief, Power Systems Design

Date
06/10/2011

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Welcome to PSD online, where we carry a Special Report on Lighting, Video, Surveillance & Security, covering the very latest products, technologies and trends in this vital and fast expanding part of our industry. There have been many advances from the power industry to demonstrate solutions to the regulatory pressures, legislation, need for heightened security and intense competition to help conserve energy and maximize efficiency. With the traditional incandescent bulbs swiftly disappearing from the supermarket shelves and with even the compact fluorescent offerings looking less inviting, it looks as though the LED is taking its place in the marketplace as the ‘Fixture of the future.' But it has not always been so cut-and-dried. The early offerings which many early-adopters paid high sums of money for, did not deliver on the promise of 50k hours of carefree operation. In fact, the thermal problems had not been fully considered and many fixtures simply burnt out. Nowdays the lesson has been painfully learnt and the products on the shelves are of much higher quality. Early-adopters can seem trendy but the lesson has been learnt at a cost. Rising electricity demand, the emergence of the smart grid, and increased interest by consumers and governments in conserving energy, is forecast to dramatically grow the market for energy management systems (EMS) through 2015. While historically seen in limited installations outside of manufacturing and industrial environments, new industries are forecast to adopt EMS, including retail, public buildings, hospitals, and SME. In 2010, IMS Research estimated the world market for EMS to have been worth almost $1 billion globally. Double-digit growth is forecast for sub-metering, networking, software, and services through 2015, when global EMS revenues are predicted to climb over $1.5 billion. The disaster in Japan has exposed how the focus of electronics manufacturing in a single country can massively impact the highly interconnected global technology industry, reported IHS iSuppli. Because of this, it's worthwhile to consider what could happen if a production disruption were to strike other key electronics production regions where manufacturing is highly concentrated. These regions include Taiwan, South Korea and certain areas of China. As we move forward, the global electronic industry will have to learn how to manage potential disruptions in various regions. I hope you enjoy this issue and our new online service. Please keep your valuable feedback coming in and do check out Dilbert. All the best, Cliff Editorial Director & Editor-in-Chief, Power Systems Design Cliff.Keys@powersystemsdesign.com

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