Light-emitting wallpaper could replace bulbs

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

The organic light emitting diodes (OLED), which can be coated on to a thin flexible film to cover walls like wallpaper, can also be used for flat screen televisions, computers and mobile phone displays. It needs a very low operating voltage and can be powered by solar panels or batteries, allowing it to be used outdoors to light road signs and barriers without the need for mains electricity.

Ken Lacey, the chief executive of LOMOX Ltd, said the company hoped to make it available to lighting and screen producers by 2012.