In May 2013, the US DOE granted a $225,000 project to Universal Display and IDD Aerospace to develop a low-energy shelf phosphorescent OLED light targeted at aircraft interiors. A few days ago, the two companies exhibited a prototype panel at the DOE's SSL R&D Workshop.
The OLED prototype shown at the workshop is a shelf utility panel that is very slim and energy efficient. The two companies believe that the data generated by developing this shelf utility light may be applied to larger-scale OLED lighting aircraft projects, including cabin applications for interior furniture, galley, interior structure enhancements, as well as other potential adoptions in cabin accent, task, ceiling and sidewall lighting, and sign backlighting.
UDC says that an OLED panel has several advantages over current fluorescent or LED technologies - from reducing an aircraft’s carbon footprint, lowering fuel consumption to opening up the design restrictions of current lighting solutions.
Back in May 2013 it was reported that IDD plans to commercialize this technology in 2015. Back in 2011, UDC showcased an all-phosphorescent, white OLED luminaire designed into an under-cabinet lighting system. This development was also funded by the DOE back in 2009. While we do not know the technical specification of the new panel unveiled a few days ago, the 2009 panel offered a power efficacy of 70 lm/W when operated at 190 lumens.
I think they are missing the point here:
The main driver for lighting technology in airplanes is not efficiency it is lifetime.