'Light-emitting wallpaper' could replace bulbs

New "light-emitting wallpaper" could be developed to replace traditional light bulbs and cut carbon emissions from lighting in the next few years, it was claimed.

A Welsh company developing the technology, which uses an electrical current to stimulate chemicals to produce light, has been awarded a £454,000 grant from the Carbon Trust to help get it into homes, business and on the roads.

The organic light emitting diodes technology, which can be coated onto a thin flexible film to cover walls like wallpaper, can also be used for flat screen televisions, computers and mobile phone displays.

Because it needs a very low operating voltage - of just three to five volts - it can be powered by solar panels or batteries, so it can be used outside to light road signs and barriers without the need for mains electricity.

Ken Lacey, chief executive officer of Lomox Ltd, which is attempting to bring the technology to market, said the company hoped to make it available to lighting and screen producers by 2012, with outdoor applications leading the way.