The Phosphor Challenge: View a Chart of Recent Cost Increases - 8/11/11
Rare earth materials are important parts of phosphor, necessary for fluorescent lighting. From July 2007 through February 2011, China implemented a series of regulations to control mining practices and reduce the export levels of Chinese-produced rare earth materials. The end result is a sharp increase in the cost of fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps – as much as 10X in four months alone.
View a chart illustrating the dramatic price change in phosphor – which now amounts to 50% of the cost of a fluorescent lamp.