Greeen design lights up the room

Light-emitting wallpaper may begin to replace traditional lamps and overhead bulbs within the next few years according to a UK government body financing green research.

The Carbon Trust has awarded a £454,000 ($725,000) grant to Welsh company Lomox, which is working to develop organic, light-emitting diode technology that is expected to be two-and-a-half times more efficient than energy-saving bulbs.

In the UK, indoor lighting accounts for around 17 per cent of total energy use and the wallpaper, which is created using a chemical coating, could help cut carbon emissions substantially.

The coating, which can come either as a specially-treated wallpaper or be painted straight onto the walls, will illuminate all parts of the room with an even glow.

Although an electrical current will be used to stimulate the chemicals the voltage will be very low, the walls will be safe to touch and, since the technology needs only three to five volts of electricity, this could be sourced from solar panels.

Lomox chief executive Ken Lacey, said the first products are due to go on sale in 2012.

Although organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been available for several years, Lacey said concerns over cost and durability prevented further development until recently.

Mark Williamson, director of innovations at the Carbon Trust, said: “Lighting is a major producer of carbon emissions. This technology has the potential to produce ultra-efficient lighting for a wide range of applications, tapping into a huge global market.”

However, the UK version is not the first light-emitting wallcovering, an enterprising young designer from the Netherlands came up with something similar back in 2007, but without the use of such eco-friendly technology.

Jonas Samson, designed and submitted the wallpaper, which was made up of several different layers, as part of his final-year postgraduate degree.