As we continue our ongoing Q&A series with cleantech executives based in Fremont, we caught up with Alex Lau, marketing and brand manager at Flip Chip Opto (FCOPTO)/Starlite LED. While relatively new to the LED market, Starlite LED — a subsidiary of COFAN USA with over 25 years of business happening right here in Fremont — aims to design and provide affordable and cutting-edge technology to the lighting market.

Follow along as Alex shares his fresh take on the cleantech and LED industries, how Fremont serves as a cleantech hub, and his predictions for 2016.

City of Fremont: Starlite LED has a long history here in Silicon Valley and Fremont. Can you share how Fremont aids in the company’s day-to-day operations?

Alex Lau (DL): We have always viewed our relationship with the City of Fremont as a partnership. They share our passion for “green technology” and the overall reduction of power consumption. We definitely feel supported as we aim to raise awareness of our cleantech technology, and Fremont helps us to broadcast and promote our message to the general public. In order to help reduce our nation’s overall power consumption, resources need to be accessible and affordable – and that’s exactly what we aim to provide.

Fremont: Clearly, cleantech is very top-of-mind for you. Do you think the future of cleantech looks just as bright for other Silicon Valley-based companies?

AL: As technologies continue to advance, we see not only ourselves, but also our Silicon Valley counterparts developing more efficient and safe ways to manufacture and develop cleantech solutions, such as LED lighting. The cleantech industry can certainly be described as a type of art. It takes something that is non-efficient, dirty and/or toxic, and creates a new method to reduce the level of toxic substances and increase efficiency. It’s a complete 180-degree transformation. So to answer your question, yes, I think we are all headed in the right direction.

Fremont: Are there any major challenges the cleantech industry has to overcome in the near future?

AL: The biggest challenge plaguing the cleantech industry is conformity. It requires a lot of convincing for companies or even individuals who are set in their ways to convert to being “green.” As the saying goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But cleantech is trying to do just that.

However, even in instances where people are onboard and ready to convert to cleantech, the technology might not exist or the cost of conversion may be too high. This is also a problem that needs to be addressed by the industry as a whole.

A cleantech company’s success definitely comes from within the team. Of course, support from local government, funding, or regulations also plays a critical role.

Fremont: Despite some of these challenges, how far has the industry come in the last year? Do you have any predictions for the remainder of 2016?

AL: The LED industry, specifically, has certainly come a long way to get to where it is today. The LED Flip Chip is a new technology that was invented only a few years back. We took the Flip Chip invention and re-invented it in way that allows the industry to create high-powered flips chips. As 2016 continues to progress, LEDs will only continue to become more energy-efficient, and prices will continue to drop. In that sense, most, if not all lighting will soon be replaced by LEDs.

Fremont: Anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up? Perhaps any interesting research you can share?

AL: Our firm has created the world’s most powerful source of LED light, and we expect to be the industry leaders for the next three to five years, until new technology surpasses our current patented technology. Additionally, our R&D firm is working to push a new LED product out that contains UV functions for additional applications in the food industry, the horticultural industry, as well as sterilization applications.