Industrial light and magic

Phoseon says its technology cuts waste and saves energy. Photo: Phoseon.

Electric vehicles, huge solar installations and massive-megawatt wind farms may make the headlines but some clean tech companies are thriving by tackling unglamorous problems that are out-of-sight and out-of-mind for most people.

One of those is Phoseon, an Oregon maker of ultraviolet LED systems for industrial processes that chief executive Bill Cortelyou said represent a “small-scale industrial clean tech revolution.” The eight-year-old company announced this week that it’s expanding its Hillsboro manufacturing plant by about 50 percent.

Phoseon’s ultraviolet LED technology, which comes in the form of purple boxes ranging in size from a small paperback book to a large kitchen sink, can replace the mercury lamps used for drying and curing in a host of industrial processes, such as printing and manufacturing.

Compared to conventional lamps, Phoseon’s technology can cut energy use by more than 50 percent while reducing waste through longer performance at similar costs, Cortelyou said.

The global market for Phoseon’s LED systems could be worth $800 million worldwide, and the venture-backed company has seen annual growth of about 50 percent for the past four years, Cortelyou said. After its expansion in January, Phoseon plans to add about 15 employees to its 35-member staff.