Flat panel lamps from Lumiette could cut lighting energy by 75 percent

Lighting maker Lumiette launched its flat panel lamps today, claiming that they use 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, last five times as long, are cheaper and are even more attractive than other energy-saving bulbs. These are pretty lofty statements in a market that hasn’t seen a major breakthrough in a while.

When you look at the technology, however, you can see how it might be possible. Lumiette’s lamps are basically sheets of glowing glass powered by electrodes. For this reason, it is easier to configure them for many more applications than standard bulbs. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors — and, like light emitting-diode systems, are easily dimmed. They also hook up more easily to renewable sources of energy, including solar, Lumiette says. At the same time, they don’t make use of regular bulb sockets, which are so ubiquitous at this point that converting consumers might be a challenge. The strategy will probably be to have them installed in new commercial spaces at first.

So far, Lumiette is pushing the energy-efficiency benefits of the new product — particularly that building developers could use them to comply with government certification standards. Based in Cupertino, Calif., the company says that adoption of flat-panel lamps could eventually have a major impact on carbon emissions. With the climate bill in the Senate and more attention than ever fixed on cleantech initiatives, finding a suitable replacement for energy-sucking incandescent bulbs has been a priority. But few realistic and affordable alternatives have been pitched until now.

Actually, the technology for flat-panel lamps has been around for more than a decade — but it is usually relegated to use as back-lighting for liquid-crystal television displays. With the panels said to have a lifespan of up to 60,000 hours, this application makes a lot of sense.

Lumiette manufactures its flat-panel lamps in South Korea. It has 72 patents spanning Asia, Europe and the U.S. protecting its technology and related components. It says its process can easily customize lamps to fit individual customers’ needs. For this reason, the price varies.

Founded in 2007, the company has sprinted through its development process. It has since brought in an unspecified amount of capital from angel investors and in a first round of venture funding.