News Updates for the Week of December 26

1.     Light Bulb Standards Remain in Place - Congress passed a spending bill that will, among other things, defund the enforcement of the EISA light bulb standards for the 2012 fiscal year. While this means that the DOE will have no funding to enforce the standards until October 2012, the standards themselves remain in place. Efficiency standards will remain in place with a January 1, 2012 effective date (effective date refers to date of manufacture, not sales.  Retailers can still “sell through” their inventories beyond January 1st). http://lumennow.org/ 

2.     New ENERGY STAR Qualified Light Bulbs Product List - The U.S. EPA would like to inform partners and stakeholders of a new, consolidated ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb list.  This new list includes products qualified to the CFL V4.2 specification, the Integral LED Lamps V1.4 specification and self-ballasted fluorescent GU24 lamps qualified under the Residential Light Fixture V4.2 specification. The combination of all qualified light bulbs into one list provides a more useful tool for consumers and partners to easily identify all the bulbs that are currently ENERGY STAR qualified.  The excel version allows for sorting of data by any of the parameters (i.e. technology, model type, base type, color temperature) using the drop down arrow menus for each of the column headings. This new list will be updated at the beginning and middle of each month and can be accessed at www.energystar.gov/lightbulbs. 

3.     Webinar: The L Prize-Winning LED A19 Replacement—What Commercial Building Owners/Operators Can Expect in 2012 - On January 18, 2012, the U.S. DOE will host a 60-minute live webinar presenting an update on the status of LED A19 lamp options for commercial businesses, with an overview of DOE's L Prize competition and the rigorous lab, lifetime, and field testing that went into selection of the Philips Lighting winning lamp. The webinar will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. ET and will include a 40-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with attendees. To learn more or to participate, register now.

4.     GE Lighting’s Sylvester Says LEDs May Be 80% of Market by 2020 - General Electric Co. expects most light bulbs to be replaced within a decade by light-emitting diodes that can last from a child’s birth through college.  Maryrose Sylvester said in an interview in New York, “By 2020, about 70 to 80 percent of the general lighting market is going to be enabled by LEDs.”  Siemens AG’s Osram unit and Royal Philips NA, GE’s traditional rivals, have both predicted similar growth rates as new regulations combine with declining LED prices to make the lighting systems more attractive to individual and commercial buyers.  Munich-based Siemens is expecting the market to grow to $13 billion by 2013 and rise another 44 percent by 2016. Philips, based in Amsterdam, predicted in September that 45 percent of the market will be LED-based by 2015.  12/20 Bloomberg

5.     Green Energy to Hit Roadblocks in 2012 - The signs are very difficult to ignore. On Wall Street; in Washington, DC; in states with Renewable Portfolio Standards; and just about every region of the U.S. where renewable sources of electricity and fuels have made significant inroads since 2006.  The next year, and possibly the several years after, renewable energy industries face a combination of fiscal austerity and partisan gridlock that is clamping down on clean energy deployment. Companies in the solar, wind, geothermal, energy storage, biofuels and biomass industries are girding for perhaps the toughest fight of their corporate lives. http://www.energybiz.com

6.     Cree Licenses Pioneering Remote Phosphor Patents - Cree, Inc. announces it has granted five LED lighting manufacturers licenses (Aurora Energie Corp., Horner APG, Ledzworld Technology, Vexica Technology, and Wyndsor Lighting, LLC.) to select Cree patents through its recently launched remote phosphor licensing program. By making fundamental remote phosphor patents available through license, Cree is further enabling LED lighting adoption, as Cree innovations facilitate the development of LED lights combining remote phosphor optical elements with blue LEDs.  Cree is currently in discussions with other companies to license the remote phosphor patents and aims to sign additional licensing agreements in the coming months. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Cree-Licenses-Pioneering-bw-126671934.html?x=0

7.     Commerce Department Unveils Stronger-Than-Expected Starts Data - The Commerce Department's residential construction report released Tuesday morning showed housing starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 -- that's 9.3% higher than the revised October estimate of 627,000 (revised from a previously released figure of 628,000). It's also the highest level of starts since April 2010. Compared with last year's near-record low, total housing starts were up 24.3%.  Single-family housing starts were up a modest 2.3%, coming in at a pace of 447,000, according to the government figures.  12/20 HCN

8.     Existing-Home Sales Increase 4.0% - Existing-home sales rose again in November and remain above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  The November figure came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.42 million, up 4.0% from October's pace, and up 12.2% from November 2010.  12/22 HCN

9.     Consumer Sentiment Keeps Rising - An index of consumer sentiment rose for the fourth month in a row, gaining 5.8 points and reaching its highest level since last June. The Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index hit 69.9 points in December, and researchers pointed to falling gasoline prices, mildly better employment prospects, an uptick in the stock market and real income growth. IHS Global Insight is forecasting holiday retail sales to rise slightly less than 5.0% above last year’s sales of approximately $453 billion. 12/22  HCN

10.  Billion Dollar Green Challenge Launches -The Billion Dollar Green Challenge invites colleges, universities, and other nonprofits to invest a total of $1 billion in self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy-efficiency upgrades. Harvard, Stanford, Arizona State, and other leading universities have already committed $65 million to new energy-efficiency financing initiatives. In revolving funds, an initial sum of money is set aside to finance sustainability projects that have a quantifiable monetary savings. A portion of these returns (lowered operating costs) is returned into the fund until the project is “paid back.” The money is then reinvested in additional energy-conservation measures, theoretically funding sustainability projects in perpetuity.   http://lighting.com/billion-dollargreen-challenge/

11.  Stimulus Funding for Georgia Convenience Stores Lighting Retrofit Project - The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores (GACS) lighting retrofit fund has retrofitted more than 30 convenience store locations across the state. The group is one of four programs receiving financing from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) division of Energy Resources, the DOE Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. The GACS made lighting retrofits, including T12 to T8 interior lighting conversions, the replacement of cooler door lighting with LED lights, and the retrofitting of outdoor canopy lighting. http://www.environmentalleader.com

12.  GLOBALCON 2012 - To feature a multi-track conference program, free expo and exhibit hall workshops, and networking opportunities http://www.globalconevent.com/registration/

News Updates for the Week of December 19

1.      Congress Overturns Incandescent Light Bulb Ban - Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year. That agreement is tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill that funds the government through the rest of this fiscal year, and which both houses of Congress will vote on Friday. Mr. Obama is expected to sign the bill, which heads off a looming government shutdown. The spending bill doesn’t actually amend the 2007 law, but does prohibit the administration from spending any money to carry out the light bulb standards—which amounts to at least a temporary reprieve. This provision in the Omnibus bill is to prevent DOE from implementing the light bulb standards until September 30th. 12/16 The Washington Times

2.       Next Generation Luminaires Design Competition Deadline Extended to January 13 by Craig DiLouie - The deadline for “Intents to Submit” for the 2012 Next Generation Luminaires Indoor Design Competition has been extended. Written Intents to Submit are now due by January 13, 2012, and must be submitted online at www.ngldc.org 

   3.  More Than 3,900 Products Now Registered With Lighting Facts by Craig DiLouie - There are now more than 3,900 products registered with Lighting Facts, along with more than 300 manufacturers. The Lighting Facts label provides an at-a-glance view of an LED product’s basic performance attributes as measured according to the LM79 standard. http://www.lightnowblog.com/

 

4.      OLED Displays and Lighting Market to 2020 - GBI Research, a leading business intelligence provider, has released its latest research, "OLED Displays and Lighting Market to 2020 - Technological Innovations Lead to Cost Efficient Products and New Aesthetics." The report gives an in-depth analysis of the global Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) market for displays and lighting, covering four major regions - North America (USA and Canada), Europe, Asia-Pacific. The report covers market revenue forecasts for the OLED market (Displays and Lighting) from 2005-2020. It also provides market revenues breakdown for displays by application types; Cell Phones, Televisions, IT Monitors and Others and technology type; Passive Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (PMOLED) Displays and Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) Display. For OLED lighting segment, the report provides covers market revenue forecasts from 2010-2020. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/c60711/oled_displays_and_lighting_market_to_2020_t

5.      IMS Reports Fastest Discounts on LED Lamps in China - The latest analysis of global retail prices for LED lamps and luminaires from IMS Research of Austin, TX, www.imsresearch.com has indicated that the most significant decline in LED lamp prices has occurred in China, with prices falling on average 62% (from $30 to $11) from September to November. IMS is tracking the sales of 420 LED lamps in 12 countries. Worldwide, it reported no 100W replacements on the market and only 32 lamps (7%) designed as 60W and 75W incandescent replacements. In South Korea, 26 of the 31 lamps tracked were mislabeled with regard to their wattage equivalency. In Japan, the average price of a 40W LED lamp is over $30. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/13

6.      Will 2012 Be the End of the World for Renewable Energy? - As the year comes to a close so do two federal tax incentives the solar and wind energy industries have relied on to power their breakneck growth of recent years. Green energy executives and their respective trade groups warn that the expiration of the incentive tax credit–used primarily by solar–and the production tax credit for wind will cost tens of thousands of jobs and slow the nation’s transition to carbon-free power. At the 11th hour or later, Congress invariably extends the tax incentives once again. In the midst of a presidential election year with Republicans riding the bankruptcy of solar panel maker Solyndra to slam the Obama administration’s green energy policies, Congress may well let the tax breaks die. http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2011/12/13/will-2012-be-the-end-of-the-world-for-renewable-energy/

7.      LEDs to Help Decrease Market Size by Joe Salimando - Pike Research forecasts that LED share will reach 52% of the commercial lighting market by 2021. The cleantech market intelligence firm anticipates that LED lighting costs for various SSL products will be reduced by 80% to 90% in many cases during the next decade. Pike Research forecasts that the global market for commercial lighting will reach $42 billion in 2011 and see a peak of nearly $54 billion in 2012 before gradually declining to about $30 billion by 2021. The decline will be due to the extended lamp life of both fluorescents and LEDs as they become the primary lamp types, increasingly displacing demand for replacements for less efficient and shorter-lived incandescent lamps. This forecast is for a GLOBAL DEPRESSION in the Lighting industry—a 9-year drop of 44%. http://electricalcontractor.com

8.      Amerlux Launches Smart LED Platform - "We are proud to unveil a wireless network and multimedia platform that fully integrates performance-based lighting designed to yield significant energy savings, as well as enhance public safety, security and communications," said Amerlux chairman and founder Frank Diassi. The lighting elements of SmartSite are similar to other network-enabled luminaires. A city or utility can dim lights to save money and remotely monitor the operational status of lights to save on maintenance. The multimedia element presumably will help municipalities fund SSL street-light conversions. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/12

9.      Washington’s Puget Sound Energy Offers Instant Rebates on LED Lamps - Puget Sound Energy has introduced an instant rebate that provides up to $10 off the purchase of LED lamps to residential customers. The rebates are good for the purchase of a variety of Energy-Star-qualified LED lamps. Depending on the bulb type, after-rebate price varies between $15 and $50. Customers can purchase the lamps at participating retailers including Costco, Lowe’s and The Home Depot. PSE is also hosting an online survey for bulb purchasers at http://www.PSE.com/LEDsurvey http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/11

10.  Ford Says It Will Break 100-Mpg Barrier - Ford Motor Co. said it would offer U.S. consumers in select markets a five-passenger vehicle rated at 100 miles per gallon in 2012. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is one of a battery of fuel-thrifty cars in development at Ford.  Ford is planning to launch the Focus in California and the metropolitan New York areas in 2012 and then add 15 markets across the country before the end of the year, as long as supplies are available. 12/14 UPI

11.  California Releases Clean Car Plan: 1.4 Million by 2025 - CA released its plan for putting 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered cars on its roads by 2025, that's one in seven cars.  New global warming standards for model years 2017-2025 would reduce vehicle emissions by about half of current levels and 34% below 2016 requirements. The standards are being coordinated with federal agencies to establish a single set of global warming pollution and fuel efficiency requirements for automakers. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23232

12.  India LED Lighting Market to Enjoy Rapid Growth - LED lighting is considered the key emerging lighting segment in the Indian market, driven by the move towards energy efficiency. Local issues include those of energy deficiency in remote rural regions and strong interest in energy sustainability. According to Frost & Sullivan Research, the LED lighting market in India was $73.3 million in 2010 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR 45.53% through 2014. The anticipated market growth will be mainly due to street lighting and railway lighting applications, which could account for over 60% of total demand next year.  http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/13

13.  CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood: Let There Be Light 12/18/11 - On the Sunday Morning Cover Story, Lee Cowan reports on the debate between the warm glow of the watt-sucking incandescent and the energy efficient LED. This segment features: Dr. David DiLaura; Ed Crawford; Daniel Blitzer; and Howard Brandston. Watch the video. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7392058n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

News Updates for the Week of December 12

1.      Lutron White Paper by Michael Jouaneh - Commercial Building Energy Code Requirements for Light Control - The nation’s top building energy codes and standards reflect the importance of using lighting controls to conserve energy. In the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 – 2010, for example, there are mandatory requirements for area controls, automatic lighting shutoff, bi-level lighting, daylight harvesting, exterior lighting control, parking garage lighting control, and stairwell lighting control . Additionally, the designer must ensure that all lighting controls are functionally tested .On October 19, 2011, the DOE issued a ruling that requires all states to certify that they have updated the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency to meet or exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2010 by Oct. 18, 2013. It’s expected that these lighting control requirements will be in place for most states for all new construction and major renovations of commercial buildings. http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/3672234_codes%20and%20controls%20whitepaper_sg.pdf

2.      Lighting Options Expand at Lowe's - Lowe’s has added two new brands to its bulb assortment:

• Samsung Electronics will release its first LED lighting solutions for the U.S. consumer market through Lowes.com and at select Lowe's home improvement retail stores nationwide. The bulbs include A19, PAR20/30/38 and MR16 bulbs.
• Vu1 Corp. will introduce its R30 Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) light bulbs to the U.S. consumer market through Lowe’s. New York-based Vu1 will sell the bulbs at Lowe's 1,725 retail stores beginning in February and on Lowes.com starting Dec. 1.The ESL R30 reflector bulbs are a direct replacement for the 65-watt incandescent flood bulbs and will retail for approximately $14.98.  12/9 HCN

3.      Energy Efficiency Will Drive Utilities in Future - Electricity is at the heart of the U.S. energy economy.  A report by the Manhattan Institute cites this fascinating statistic: In 1950, 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product was directly dependent on electricity. By 2008, that number had tripled to 60 percent. Additionally, the report states that over 85 percent of the U.S. energy growth since 1980 was met by electricity. The United States spends $1 billion a day on foreign oil, while our electricity is made right here in America.   In today's world, energy efficiency must be a part of any energy discussion. http://energybiz.com/magazine/article/243237/rising-role-electricity

4.      A Master Plan for N.J.’s Energy Needs - The plan is not binding, but sets forth the Republican governor’s vision of how the state will meet its electricity needs over the next decade. It scales back New Jersey’s goals for renewable energy, calling for 22.5 percent of electricity to be generated from such sources by 2021, down from the previous administration’s goal of 30 percent. The state has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, but it defines such sources not just as renewables but also nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

5.      Seoul Semiconductor and Philips Enter into Cross-License Agreement - Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd., the Korea-based LED manufacturer, has announced that is has settled its LED patent dispute with Royal Philips Electronics. The two companies have agreed to enter into a cross-license agreement covering patents relating to specific LED technology areas. Under this arrangement, each party gains access to a substantial part of the other party's patent portfolios. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/4

6.      Keeping SSL Manufacturing in the United States - Although you do not often hear about growth in domestic manufacturing here in the United States, the solid-state lighting industry is steadily growing and establishing a manufacturing presence here at home. Solid-state lighting was not only born of U.S. ingenuity and R&D, but is riding the crest of a worldwide trend toward greater energy efficiency. This offers a golden opportunity for U.S. manufacturing to take a significant role in SSL. See the U.S. DOE white paper which grew out of DOE's 2010 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_whitepaper_july2010.pdf

7.      Energy-Efficient Buildings: Global Outlook - The market for energy efficiency services and equipment is on the rise as national governments look to reduce energy consumption by improving the efficiency of the building stock. Pike Research predicts the building energy efficiency market will soar more than 50 percent between now and 2017 to $103.5 billion. This Pike Research report provides data on the size and growth of energy-efficient building markets, including ESCO revenues, energy efficient HVAC equipment sales, and energy-efficient lighting sales from 2011 to 2017, as well as a qualitative description of key drivers and trends in energy efficiency in key markets, focusing on the commercial building sector. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/energy-efficient-buildings-global-outlook

8.      Addressable Dimming Controls Help Buildings Achieve LEED Points by Encelium - White Paper available at: http://www.encelium.com/en/case-studies.html; Download Word document

9.      “LED Lamp Locator” Industry Portal Is Enhanced with New, Easy-to-Use Comparison Tool -Lighting Internet Technology Enterprises (LITE) has just enhanced its web-based LED Lamp Locator www.LedLampLocator.com  It is designed to assist professional lighting users in searching, evaluating, comparing, and specifying the market’s broad range of LED replacement lamps. Allowing users to select and evaluate LED lamps from among multiple manufacturers across a standard and consistent platform, the LED Lamp Locator’s simple new tool further enhances the ease with which comparisons between the market’s broad range of LED lamp products can be made and the optimal product selected for the application at hand.

10.  Commissioners Move Forward on Downtown Lighting - Salina city commissioners agreed to move forward with an audit to determine whether a proposed project to spend $1.198 million replace almost 300 downtown lights with LED lights would save the city money. The project is a collaborative effort between Philips Lighting and Johnson Controls, of Kansas City. Preliminary estimates projected that savings over the current lights would pay for the new lighting in 23 years. 12/6 The Salina Journal