VantagePoint Capital Partners, the Silicon Valley investor that helped bring Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) public, expects prices for LEDs to “plummet” within three years as competition intensifies to satisfy surging demand for energy-efficient lights.

Prices for LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, may fall 90 percent by 2015, said Alan Salzman, chief executive officer of the San Bruno, California-based venture capital company, said in an interview.

Incandescent bulbs are being phased out in Europe. In the U.S., efficiency policies will eliminate the 100-watt bulb in 2012. LED makers stand to gain a bigger share of the $40 billion a year global lighting market. Bulb companies including General Electric Co. (GE) and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (PHIA) are producing LEDs, and Salzman said startups that are developing low-cost LEDs will take a slice of the market.

“We’re just at the beginning of the LED phase,” Salzman said. “There’s very little quality product yet even on the shelves.”

VantagePoint has invested about $750 million in 32 clean technology companies. Those include four that make LED products: Switch Bulb Co., Bridgelux Inc., Huga Optotech Inc. (8199) and Glo AB...