According to a recent CSIL Report (edition February 2017)the market for lighting controls and related IoT (Internet of Things) devices in Europe is estimated to be worth Euro 800 million for 2016. The worldwide lighting market is worth Euro 2.6 billion (America around 50%, Europe over 30%).
Lighting controls weight around 3% on the lighting fixtures market in Europe. Among the main players: Legrand, Tridonic-Zumtobel, Schneider, Philips, Fagerhult, Helvar, ABB, Cooper. Lighting control systems are frequently used for office applications, besides aesthetic and security illumination for indoor, outdoor, landscape lighting and theater stage lighting productions. They are often part of sustainable architecture and lighting design for integrated green building energy conservation programs.
Among the points of strenght of lighting control systems over conventional systems there is the capability to control any light source from any location using a single user device. The possibility to control multiple light sources from a single device allows to create different ‘lighting landscapes’ and to change atmosphere and light scene by a button press. Lighting control systems also allow for reduced energy consumption and lower power costs. Wireless lighting control systems allow for reducing installation costs, while increasing flexibility in the positioning of switches and sensors in a space. Through lighting control systems a device can be automatically powered according to the time of the day, the sunrise/sunset cycle, the occupancy of a room, the combination and timing of events.
Internet of Things (IoT) is a technological paradigm where objects, not originally technological, are interconnected with technology, building a distributed and widespread network. Interconnected objects can create data and actionable information via that network.
LED lighting can bridge to Internet of Things through connected lighting at different levels, from a commercial space, to a whole building, up to a city.
Light is the densest network of wired devices worldwide and this is a big chance for lighting to become the infrastructure and a core enabler for this technology.
Li-Fi technology can be considered as the ˈoptical versionˈ of Wi-Fi.
