NanoMarkets LC predicts the OLED lighting market will reach almost $4.5 billion by 2013 and grow to $5.9 billion by 2015, according to a report in LED Journal. The firm claims that in the past year prospects for OLED lighting have made great leaps forward due to improvements in OLED performance and manufacturing.

A companion report addressing OLED materials includes these findings:

1. The unit costs of OLED lights are likely to remain higher than older general lighting technologies but the extra costs will be offset by improved OLED lifetimes and efficiencies. During 2008 OLED lifetimes improved from 24Khrs to 100 Khrs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy now expects OLED lighting to reach 150 lm/W efficiency in 2012 rather 2014 as originally expected.

2. Manufacturing processes for OLEDs have also progressed significantly.

Low cost printing approaches and new small molecule links will help propel OLEDs into the backlighting market. NanoMarkets expects the OLED backlighting market will reach $1.1 billion by 2015.

3. The flat and flexible format of OLEDs creates an opportunity to design high value-added lighting fixtures with an appeal to upscale consumers and architects. By 2015, NanoMarkets projects that sales of OLED architectural and specialist industrial lighting will reach $1.9 billion.