Dr Craford's research work at Philips Lumileds and previously at Monsanto and Hewlett-Packard has enabled the product innovations that have seen the LED transformed into a viable, energy efficient replacement for traditional incandescent and fluorescent light sources. Philips Lumileds LUXEON LEDs are now used in applications from architectural and entertainment lighting to retail and office luminaires and even vehicle headlights.
Tom Standage, business editor at The Economist, said, "George Craford and Roland Haitz's pioneering work on the development and commercialisation of LEDs means that the proportion of human energy consumption attributable to lighting will finally go down."
Dr Craford said, "I am honoured to be receiving this award and to be recognised for making a difference in my field of research. It is wonderful to think that my work and that of my colleagues has helped to create a practical replacement to conventional lighting, that is both energy-efficient, and that can significantly reduce the impact of lighting on the environment by using less toxic materials and reducing CO2 emissions."
(Jim Evans)
