(Planet Ark 03 Dec 09) Demand for super-efficient LED lighting and other energy-saving lights will grow next year as both consumer awareness and the U.S. stimulus package spark sales, the head of Siemens AG-owned Osram Sylvania said on Wednesday.

Lighting companies including Osram, General Electric Co, Cree Inc and privately held Nichia Corp see a bright future for LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that use less power and have longer life spans than traditional fluorescent or incandescent bulbs.

While Osram Chief Executive Rick Leaman expects it will take five to 10 years for LEDs to take off, he sees growth in 2010 for "bridge technologies," such as halogen and compact fluorescent products, to help with the transition from traditional lighting and its phase-out starting in 2012.

"The incandescent bulb has been around for over 100 years. Consumers have become very familiar with that light bulb, with the shape, with the feel, with the lighting," Leaman said in an interview. "We believe it's important to provide the consumer with choices."

The unit of the German conglomerate that he runs is the world's second-biggest LED producer by sales. In 2008, Osram saw 12 percent of its global sales from LED products, or about 552 million euros.

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