Did you all know that India would soon be having solar photovoltaic operated LED-based traffic blinkers? Doesn't sound that interesting enough to you, isn't it? Maybe it could be, because such things are already available in your country. However, it will be a pretty new thing for India, so I am pretty excited about it! Again, you see, the great combination of solar photovoltaics and LEDs at work! Wonder why it wasn't thought of before, or well, implemented earlier? Better late than never, as they say! Oh, by the way, did you know that India also has mobile phones with torch? Okay, it is not exactly a torch, but a simple LED, that can be switched on in the darkness! Key thing here – such mobile phones – which are priced quite cheap, are a big success in India! Again, you'd probably say – what's the big deal about this? Well, this is Asia, we are talking about! This is India, that we are talking about. A majority of the population lives in rural areas. Such made-for India mobile phones with novelties such as LED-based torch built in is a boon for those folks! Maybe, all of these sound very basic to you! Actually, it is these very basic needs that have resulted in LEDs continue to shine brightly in this part of the world! To the point of sounding boring, may I draw reference to an earlier post of mine where I'd mentioned LED lamps being used for rural electrification. We also have things such as LED solar lanterns. Again, it might sound quite basic, but then again, it is a boon for a huge number of people. Same goes for the CFL- and LED-based outdoor solar-powered lighting systems. Now, I've also blogged in the past about certain suppliers of solar, LEDs and so on. Look, these are the very guys who would be likely to win OEM orders for such basic devices. You also got to look at the sheer mind-boggling numbers such similar manufacturers would be serving! And, well, they would also be the ones winning in the long run, so simply don't write them off straightaway! I know there are various other global markets, where there are a lot of activities going around solar and LEDs. But make no mistake: the India potential, simply in terms of the simplicity of applications and appliances, as well as the market size – far outnumbers any other! Point to note! Pradeep Aug. 31, 2009