THORN Lighting is leading a £3m project to develop revolutionary energy-efficient technology that could replace conventional lighting within the next 15 years, it was announced yesterday.

The County Durham company revealed it is leading a scheme to develop organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), with the target of becoming the main choice of lighting by 2020.

Thorn also revealed that a "sizeable" number of jobs could be created at its base in Spennymoor, as well as underpinning the jobs of many of its 700 employees.

The company is working with the University of Durham and Cambridge Display Technology on the project, which is backed by £3.3m funding, including £1.6m over three years from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Thorn's parent company, The Zumtobel Group, said the contract would help put the wider operation at the forefront of international OLED development.

Dr Geoff Williams, OLED leader at Thorn, said the scheme had ambitious objectives.

He said: "The target is 50 lumens per watt (lm/W) in four to five years, with a colour rendering index better than standard fluorescent lamps.

"The eventual target is 150 to 200lm/W.

"In 2015, we will be near this level, and by 2020, OLED lighting will be the first choice.

"The materials we are hoping to develop will give high brightness, high efficiency white light, which could replace general-purpose lighting."

The project is the latest boost for Thorn, which was granted permission to build a £24m factory in Spennymoor last October, in a move that guarantees the future of the plant for at least 21 years.

The plant, which will include a research and training centre, is expected to be operational by the middle of next year.

Wafer-thin OLED panels are one of the key technologies expected to displace conventional light sources, such as fluorescent and incandescent lamps, and are seen as a potential solution for white lighting over a large area.

Dr Williams said the scheme promised to be revolutionary.

"The challenge does not only exist for the materials and devices, but the Thorn team will strive to design new manufacturing and quality control processes," he said.