if only we can build a led wafer........

China Sees The Light.
Xie, who is deputy director of the environmental protection department with the National Development and Reform Commission, added that lighting accounts for 12% of China's total electricity use. The NDRC has estimated that the switch will save 48 billion kilowatt hours of power per year and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 48 million tonnes annually.

Last week China opted to go green in lighting. The world’s largest manufacturer of light bulbs announced that it will phase out the use of incandescent light bulbs over the next 5 years, replacing them with LEDs and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Though they may still produce incandescent light bulbs for export, this switch is going to have a major impact on pricing. The price of incandescent light bulbs will rise, the price of CFLs will fall. Given the electricity savings over the usually 5 year life of the CFL, this narrowing of the upfront cost of CFLs is likely to accelerate the switchover to CFLs, and LEDs. My guess is that by 2020, few will still be using power hungry incandescents, though many still say they prefer the old light bulb.

From our perspective on the rare metal blog, it’s all about the increased demand for phosphors. This quiet announcement got lost in the continuing drama of European insolvency.

China to phase out incandescent lightbulbs
Largest producer of energy efficient lightbulbs announces move – but may apparently still produce incandescents for export
November 04 2011
The lights are going out for incandescent bulbs, as China pledges to replace the 1 billion it uses annually with more energy efficient models within five years.

Beijing's move is a major step in efforts to improve lighting efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lighting accounts for 19% of electricity use worldwide, according to a 2007 estimate from the International Energy Agency, a figure that could drop to 7% if the rest of the world followed China's lead, the Global Environment Facility fund said.

The decision by the world's second largest economy to phase out incandescents follows in the footsteps of Australia, the European Union, Brazil and others.

----- Experts predict that the shift in demand will also cut the cost of CFLs and increase the cost of incandescents globally.

Imports and sales of 100 watt and higher incandescent bulbs will be banned from October next year, Xie Ji, an official at the country's top economic planning body said, while those of 60 watts and above will be banned from October 2014.

The senior official added that incandescents of 15 watts or higher would be banned from 2016 if the scheme was a success.