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What’s NEW for LIGHTFAIR 2011?
· LightFEST - new LFI evening of Light, Networking & Celebration
· The largest Exhibit Hall in LFI history
· More Networking Events, incl. Cocktail Hour and iPAD raffles
· More Conference courses for every level - Beginner to Advanced
· Mobile APP for Smartphones
· Integrated Design seminar track complementing the Building Integration Pavilion
· More seminars - 35 total
· 1-day courses on BIM and LED Luminaire Design
· Design Symposia featuring affiliated industry experts - architects, designers, etc. - NEW for the East Coast venue
2. New-Home Sales Surge 11 Percent but Pace Is Far From Healthy Level - More people bought new homes in March, giving the battered industry a small lift after the worst winter for sales in almost a half-century. New-home sales rose 11 percent last month from February to a seasonally adjusted rate of 300,000 homes, the Commerce Department said Monday. That follows three straight monthly declines. Still, the pace remains far below the 700,000 homes a year that economists view as healthy. Sales of new homes fell last year for the fifth consecutive year and the market is showing no signs of rebounding. Economists say it could take years before sales return to a healthy pace. 4/25 http://www.moneynews.com
3. GDP Rose 1.8% In Q1, Hit By Gas, Big Storms - The economic expansion, never going fast, tapped on the brakes in early 2011 as consumer spending slowed, housing stayed weak and government outlays fell. GDP grew at a 1.8% annual rate in Q1, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That's far below Q4's 3.1% pace but just above views for 1.7%. 4/28 http://finance.yahoo.com
4. Energy Information Agency Feels Budget Ax - The federal government’s ability to gather and analyze energy data and produce market forecasts will be significantly impaired by the recently enacted budget cuts. The agency’s 2011 funding levels were cut by 14 percent, or $15.2 million, in a short-term budget deal signed into law earlier this month. Since the fiscal year is more than half over, the cuts will effectively run twice as deep. 4/29 http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/
5. Cree Delivers LED Alternative to Linear Fluorescent Fixtures - Cree has announced the LED-based CR family of solid-state-lighting (SSL) fixtures that are designed specifically as alternatives to high-end, architectural, fluorescent fixtures in applications such as offices and schools. Delivering 90 to 110 lm/W efficacy, Cree will offer the luminaires in 1-ft x 4-ft (CR14), 2-ft x 4-ft (CR24), and 2-ft x 2-ft (CR22) versions. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/4/19
6. Transforming the Lighting Landscape by Craig Dilouie - Some industry observers have predicted that SSL technology will satisfy most lighting applications by the end of the decade. One particular SSL technology on the cusp of commercialization has the potential to be transformational: the OLED. Imagine a light source that is manufactured on rolls, can be cut into flexible flat sheets in the factory or the field, and can be installed in almost any shape on almost any room surface. It is easy to control and install, is lightweight, and contains no hazardous substances. 04/’11 Electrical Contractor http://www.ecmag.com/authors/?fa=view&id=144
7. Let There Be Lighting... But Exactly What Kind? by John Paul Quinn - Decisions on the appropriate lighting source are more pervasive than most of us realize. Various lighting technologies have been developed over time, and some have burned out. But currently, most public and industry attention seems to be focusing on two other competing technologies: the long-accepted fluorescents and the newer LEDs or other solid-state-based lighting systems. Industry sources indicate that the North American lighting market will double in the next five years, and some estimate that 60 percent of this will consist of LED installations. 04/’11 Electrical Contractor http://www.ecmag.com/authors/?fa=view&id=12
8. LED Lighting: Pass or Play? by Jim Lucy - Commentary: LEDs are rewriting the rules of the lighting market, but it's tough to gauge the speed and scope of their real impact just yet. Right now, for all of the wonders of LEDs, the best T5/T8 fluorescent lighting systems and best-of-breed CFLs, halogen and HID lighting still produce a ROI that LEDs can't match. Zillions of square feet of office space, factories and homes are being lit quite efficiently by these conventional systems, thousands of salespeople are still out selling them like mad, and distributors still stock billions of dollars of the stuff in inventory. That all won't go away anytime real soon. While it's too early to say which companies will dominate the LED market, there's no doubt LEDs will eventually change the lighting market as we know it. 04/’11 Electrical Wholesaling
9. New Government Report Predicts Coal Will Remain Dominant Electricity Fuel Long into the Future - Coal is likely to remain the dominant source of American electricity for decades to come, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration. EIA's American Energy Outlook 2011 predicts that, absent overly stringent new federal regulations, electricity generation from coal will increase by 25 percent from 2009 to 2035 and that coal will generate 43 percent of America's electricity in 2035. An executive summary of the EIA report can be found here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/forecasts/aeo/chapter_executive_summary.cfm
10. The Top 10 Solar States - Courtesy of the Solar Energy Industries Association, this is a Top 10 list for cumulative installed solar capacity in the USA as of 2010. 4/29 http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/
| 1. California: 47 percent with 971 megawatts |
| 2. New Jersey: 14 percent with 293 MW |
| 3. Colorado: 5 percent with 108 MW |
| 4. Arizona: 5 percent with 101 MW |
| 5. Nevada: 5 percent with 97 MW |
| 6. Florida: 4 percent with 73 MW |
| 7. New York: 3 percent with 54 MW |
| 8. Pennsylvania: 3 percent with 54 MW |
9. New Mexico: 2 percent with 45 MW |
| 10. North Carolina: 2 percent with 42 M |
11. Gasoline Pump Prices Near $4 as Supplies Tighten - The national average for regular gas is at
nearly $3.91 a gallon—that’s the highest level since July 31, 2008, when pump prices were falling from a record $4.11 a gallon on July 17 of that year. Drivers in nine states and the District of Columbia already pay $4 a gallon or more for gas. At the current rate of increase, the national average could reach $4 by May 8. 4/29 www.moneynews.com
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