News Updates for the Week of February 27

1.    AEE's GLOBALCON Conference & Expo - Energy, Power, Facility Management Strategies & Technologies - March 7-8, 2012, Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ http://www.globalconevent.com/registration/

2.    DOE Report Compares Life-Cycle Energy Consumption of LED Lamps with Incumbent Lighting Technologies - The U.S. DOE has published a report comparing the energy consumed over the entire life cycle for LED lamps, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and incandescent lamps. Entitled Review of the Life-Cycle Energy Consumption of Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent, and LED Lamps, it is based on existing life-cycle assessment literature of lighting products. To download a PDF of this report, go to www.ssl.energy.gov/tech_reports.html. The DOE report “2010 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization” (LMC) provides comprehensive and detailed estimates of the national inventory of installed lamps as well as their associated energy use and lumen production. The LMC focuses on four sectors: residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and outdoor. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/2010-lmc-final-jan-2012.pdf

3.    Engineers Take Aim at a Barrier in LED Technology - The problem is what’s called efficiency droop. LEDs function most efficiently at low currents. Turn the current up to levels needed for room lighting, and the efficiency falls off markedly. The lights don’t dim, but as you turn up the amount of electricity, you don’t get more light, so the efficiency goes down, a problem that has made it impossible for LED bulbs to be as cost-effective as incandescent or fluorescent home lighting. Other theories suggest a process called carrier leakage, in which at high currents the carriers start to spill away from areas of high performance, or another process, called carrier delocalization, where electrons simply fail to find a paired hole at high electric currents because they are pulled away from the active region where electrons and holes are supposed to recombine and emit light. 2/20 NY Times

4.     Mexico Proposes New Energy Efficiency Standards for LED Lamps - Mexico’s Ministry of Energy is seeking comments by 20 March on a proposal to establish new mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards, test procedures, sampling, conformity assessment and labeling requirements for light-emitting diode lamps for general lighting purposes. http://www.hktdc.com/info/vp/a/intmk/en/1/1/1/1X07TMCU/Mexico-Proposes-New-Energy-Efficiency-Standards-For-LED-Lamps.htm

5.     Made in the USA Report - In February, Home Channel News published a special "Made in the USA" report, including the products, the stories and the people behind the concept of domestic manufacturing and marketing. The only electrical companies on the list are #15. Leviton dimmers, wall plates and residential wiring products, West Jefferson, N.C.; Tualatin, Ore. Leviton products can be found in the White House and the Statue of Liberty, as well as nine out of 10 homes in the America. #33. Coleman Cable, El Paso, Texas; Texarkana, Ark.; Hayesville, N.C.; Lafayette, Ind.; Bremen, Ind.; Waukegan, Ill.  Based in Waukegan, Ill., Coleman operates and manufactures wire and cable products in six manufacturing facilities in the United State. #45. Mulberry Electrical Products, Union, N.J.; Hatfield, Pa.; Freeport, N.Y. The 85-year-old family owned and operated company makes metal and plastic wallplates, weatherproof box covers and conduit bodies. http://www.homechannelnews.com/sites/homechannelnews.com/files/USA_2012_Digital.pdf

6.    Philips Joins The Climate Group’s LED Lighting Campaign - Philips Lighting has become the first corporate partner to join The Climate Group’s three-year Clean Revolution campaign http://thecleanrevolution.org/. The partnership aims to speed up the global switch to LED lighting, which offers extraordinary opportunities for significant cuts in both energy use and worldwide carbon-dioxide emissions, according to the participants. The Climate Group is an independent, not-for-profit organization working with governments and business leaders to advance policies, technologies and financing that will accelerate low-carbon economic growth. The participants believe in a swift and massive scaling-up of clean energy technologies and infrastructure to improve efficiency and use of our natural resources. http://www.theclimategroup.org/programs/LightSavers/

7.    Saving Taxpayers Money with More Efficient Federal Buildings - There are 445,000 federal buildings in the United States, and taxpayers foot the $7 billion annual bill for their heating, cooling, and operation. The goal of the Smart Energy Act, a bipartisan bill introduced February 14 in Washington, D.C. is to promote efficient energy use in the nation's federal buildings and provide additional funding and loans for energy efficiency improvements in the private sector. An additional part of the bill sets a national goal to double the use of combined heat and power-efficiently capturing the energy that's wasted in industrial processes or electricity production and using it to generate heat and electricity. Using this method will help facilities like hospitals, universities, and military bases cut energy costs. www.fresh-energy.org

8.    KCP&L Scales Back Energy Conservation Incentives - Kansas City Power & Light's much-heralded proposal to help its customers use less electricity is in disarray, just two months after it was announced. In December, KCP&L asked state regulators to approve plans that would lock in conservation incentives for its nearly 600,000 Missouri customers. Now the utility is withdrawing the plan for its 270,000 customers in the Kansas City area. Under the KCP&L proposal, customers would be encouraged to conserve energy by getting rebates to buy energy-efficient equipment and lighting. To pay for the program's upfront costs, KCP&L was asking regulators to let it raise electricity rates. But KCP&L, in a new filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission said the conservation plans would have raised rates up to 4 percent, which it could not justify at this time for its Kansas City customers. KCP&L could reconsider in a year or two and again seek approval to bring those customers into the energy conservation program. 2/23 - The Kansas City Star

9.    City of Dothan, Alabama Installing Energy-Efficient Streetlights - New energy-efficient streetlights are going up on West Main Street. The new streetlights are 157-watt LED lights by Lighting Orient, an LED light manufacturer and will replace 250-watt high pressure sodium bulbs. The grant from the DOE was for $600,000; about $100,000 of that is being used for the streetlights. 2/23 McClatchy-Tribune Regional News

10.  Loan Program Targets Energy Efficiency Projects - The nonprofit Self-Help Credit Union http://www.self-help.org/about-us launched a low-interest loan program Thursday to finance energy-efficiency projects in metro Charlotte. Self-Help, based in Durham, will use a $5.5 million loan and grant from Bank of America, combined with other resources, to offer $15 million in energy loans in Charlotte, Atlanta and six other cities. In Charlotte, the money will be targeted at retrofits of commercial, community and multifamily buildings. 2/17 The Charlotte Observer

11.   Lemnis Lighting Launches Low-Lumen LED Retrofit Lamps in the $5.00 Range - The 240-lm, 5W Pharox BLU 200 and 360-lm, 6W Pharox BLU 300 are available immediately on the Lemnis website http://pharox-led.com/us/ priced at $4.95 and $6.95 respectively. The low-lumen output of the initial Pharox BLU offerings will limit the sockets in which they can be serviceably deployed. Lemnis is a relatively small organization depending on partnerships for manufacturing and much of the design work. Lighting manufacturer Philips and Lemnis Lighting have signed a license agreement giving Lemnis access to Philips’ large portfolio of patents related to LED systems and controls. Lemnis has joined Philips’ licensing program for LED-based luminaires and retrofit bulbs. At the same time Philips has obtained access to the LED-lamp architecture and control patents of Lemnis. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/2/22

News Updates for the Week of February 20

1.      White Paper: The U.S. Housing Market: Current Conditions and Policy Considerations - House prices for the nation as a whole declined sharply from 2007 to 2009 and remain about 33 percent below their early 2006 peak, according to data from CoreLogic http://www.credco.com/. Restoring the health of the housing market is a necessary part of a broader strategy for economic recovery. The Federal Reserve has written a white paper in an attempt to address the problems faced by the housing market and to provide a framework for thinking about certain issues and trade-offs that policymakers might consider. A copy of the white paper is available at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/other-reports/files/housing-white-paper-20120104.pdf

2.      National Debt Will Be $1 Trillion Higher in a Decade Than Previously Forecast - President Obama on Monday unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan that seeks to pump billions of dollars into the economy while raising taxes on the rich to tame a soaring national debt now projected to grow significantly faster than previously forecast.  The new 10-year blueprint shows annual deficits exceeding $600 billion every year except 2018. And the portion of the debt held by outside investors would grow to $18.7 trillion by 2021, or 76.5 percent of the economy—a full $1 trillion higher. 2/13 Washington Post

3.      The Challenge - The Billion Dollar Green Challenge (The Challenge) encourages colleges, universities, and other nonprofit institutions to invest a combined total of one billion dollars in self-managed revolving funds that finance energy efficiency improvements. Participating institutions will achieve reduction in operating expenses and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating regenerating funds for future projects. The Sustainable Endowments Institute, in collaboration with 15 partner organizations http://greenbillion.org/about/#partners has launched The Challenge to help nonprofit institutions achieve sizable energy savings through the use of green revolving funds. Green revolving funds invest in energy efficiency projects to reduce energy consumption on campus and reinvest the money saved in future projects. http://greenbillion.org/about/

4.      The End of the T12 Era by Craig Dilouie - On July 14, 2012, Department of Energy (DOE) rules regulating general-service fluorescent lamps will go into effect, eliminating many popular models.  About 30 percent of linear fluorescent lamps sold each year are T12s, servicing an estimated 35–40 percent of fluorescent sockets in industrial/commercial applications as well as 70 percent of fluorescent sockets in residential applications.The T12 phase-out will dramatically accelerate a shift in demand to T8 and T5 lamp/ballast systems. http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=13386

5.      Energy-Saving Lighting Specifications for Commercial Buildings - The DOE has announced new voluntary energy-saving specifications for lighting troffers–rectangular overhead fixtures used in commercial buildings–as well as parking lot and parking structure lighting. The new performance criteria were developed by the DOE's Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs), which bring together major U.S. companies from a wide range of sectors to identify and implement successful energy efficiency and cost-saving practices. Building operators can voluntarily adopt these specifications for new buildings or building upgrades to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/alliances/events.html

6.      Lighting Rebate Update by Jim Lucy, Chief Editor – Lighting rebates are back in the spotlight these days, as electric utilities tweak their existing programs to maximize energy saving for residential, business and institutional customers with a mix of standard and custom rebates. Some of these programs are now blending in newer lighting technologies like LEDs and digital lighting control systems. If you want to get a quick read on trends in lighting rebate programs: www.dsireusa.org  http://ewweb.com/greenbiz/electric_lighting_rebate_update/

7.      NEMA Supports Smart Energy Act - Important provisions of the Smart Energy Act include:

• a federal loan program for energy-efficiency upgrades in commercial, multifamily residential, industrial, municipal, government, school and hospital buildings;
• enabling the federal government to use energy savings performance contracts in support of its deployment of electric vehicles or electric vehicle supply equipment;
• requiring that federal agencies participate in demand response programs, where available, to reduce agencies’ energy costs; and
• an analysis of best practices in federal buildings for the advanced metering of energy use, including recommendations on standard requirements or guidelines for automated energy management systems.

http://bass.house.gov/images/stories/Bass_-_Smart_Energy_Act._HR_4017.pdf

8.      LEED Volume Program for Operations & Maintenance - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s LEED Volume Program for Operations & Maintenance is available for existing green building projects. The LEED Volume Program streamlines the certification process for high-volume property owners and managers of existing buildings and new construction projects. Utilizing a prototype-based approach, the program enables large-scale builders, owners, and managers to achieve consistency in green building improvements, allowing them to earn LEED certification faster and at a lower cost than would be possible with individual building reviews. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2278

9.      Duquesne Light Marks 2 Millionth Bulb Sold - Duquesne Light, PA said it sold its 2 millionth CFL bulb last month. Bulbs are sold with instant rebates through the utility's Watt Choices program at 137 stores in Allegheny and Beaver counties, Duquesne Light's service territory. www.WattChoices.com

10.  Philips NA CEO on Improving Energy Efficiency - Philips North America CEO Greg Sabasky stops by The News Hub to discuss how consumers and businesses can reduce their global footprint and improve their energy efficiency from the latest generation of lighting products. Video at: http://online.wsj.com/video/philips-na-ceo-on-improving-energy-efficiency/C8C3D7CF-D932-43D1-89B6-95863F3ADA4B.html

News Updates for the Week of February 13

1.      LED Lighting Experienced Strong Growth Surge in 2011 - Despite a decline in the overall market for lighting products in 2011, the LED lighting market (including both LED lamps and LED luminaires) had an exceptionally good year in 2011, growing by 69% year-on-year. The total revenue from the LED lighting market was $5.5 billion in 2010 and $9.4 billion in 2011. Moreover, the LED lighting market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% from 2011 to 2016. Commercial and industrial lighting was the biggest growth sector. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/2/9

2.      LED Market Grew Almost 10% In 2011, With 44% Growth in Lighting - The worldwide high-brightness LED market grew from $11.3 billion in 2010 to $12.5 billion in 2011, a growth rate of 9.8%, according to market-research firm Strategies Unlimited. Demand for LED components (i.e. packaged LEDs) in the lighting market grew 44%, from $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion.

• Leading LED Suppliers for 2011 - On the supply side, 10 companies accounted for more than 68% of the LED market in 2011. The rank order of the top 10 suppliers in the LED market for 2011, by revenue of packaged LED components, is:

1. Nichia
2. Samsung LED
3. Osram Opto Semiconductors
4. LG Innotek
5. Seoul Semiconductor
6. Cree
7. Philips Lumileds
8. Sharp
9. Toyoda Gosei
10. Everlight

• LED Supply by Region - Geographically, Taiwanese and Chinese suppliers gained market share at the expense of the other regions. China’s improvement in product quality, coupled with gains in the domestic market, fueled the growth from 2% market share to 6% in one year. Korean companies lost share in the slowing market, even though they were the most aggressive in increasing capacity during the ramp-up in 2010. The expansion by Philips Lumileds, Cree and Osram Opto into 6-inch substrates slowed as there was a great deal of excess capacity in their existing 4-inch lines. The Japanese LED business has trended down or flat. However, Nichia and TG are major beneficiaries of the boom in tablet computers. Osram Opto gained a major design win, which propelled its visible LED component business to more than $1 billion.
• Lighting - The same supply conditions that reduced the price of LEDs increased the demand for packaged LEDs in lighting applications from $1.2 billion in 2010 to $1.8 billion in 2011. System efficacy, rather than LED efficacy, was the gating factor in 2011. The LED luminaire and replacment lamp market was $9.3 billion in 2011, an increase of 45% over 2010. The market for LEDs in lighting is expected to demonstate substantial unit growth over the next five years, but revenue growth will be much lower due to pricing pressure. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/2/6

3.      ENERGY STAR TM-21 Calculator Now Available - The ENERGY STAR TM-21 Calculator is based on the Illuminating Engineering Society’s TM-21-11: Projecting Long Term Lumen Maintenance of LED Light Sources, referenced in the ENERGY STAR Luminaires V1.1 specification and in Draft 1 of the ENERGY STAR Lamps V1.0 specification. The Calculator is available for download on the ENERGY STAR website at www.energystar.gov/TM-21calculator

4.      New DOE Consortium Financial Tool Figures Impact of Switching to LED Street Lighting - The U.S. Department of Energy's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium has released an economic cost-benefit analysis tool to help cities, utilities, and other organizations estimate the costs and impacts of switching to street lighting that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The Excel-based Retrofit Financial Analysis Tool was developed in collaboration with the Clinton Climate Initiative. Users input data on the relevant variables for their particular application to get a detailed analysis that includes annualized energy-cost savings, maintenance savings, greenhouse gas reductions, and simple payback. To download the tool see www.ssl.energy.gov/financial-tool.html. To learn more about the Consortium, visit www.ssl.energy.gov/consortium.html

5.      Top R&D Achievements in Energy-Saving Lighting Honored at DOE Workshop - The Energy Department recognized six research and development project teams at "Transformations in Lighting," its ninth annual Solid-State Lighting R&D Workshop, held this year in Atlanta. The following organizations were recognized by DOE:

• Cree, Inc., was recognized for developing a novel LED that enables a new, high-efficiency driver (i.e., power supply) architecture to improve overall lighting system efficacy. 
• Osram Sylvania was recognized for its work developing an LED replacement for 2'x2' fluorescent fixtures (i.e., troffers) that has achieved extremely high energy efficiency. 
• Philips Lighting was recognized for its efforts to develop a family of LED drivers that are smaller, lower-cost and more efficient. 
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was recognized for its efforts to close the "green gap" by improving the color rendering of LEDs. 
• Universal Display Corporation was recognized for completing two pre-prototype undercabinet phosphorescent OLED systems that have achieved high efficiency levels. 
• White Optics was recognized for developing a composite coating to optimize the light output of SSL systems by maximizing reflection. http://www.energyvortex.com/pages/headlinedetails.cfm?id=5433

6.      Economic Confidence Remains Very Low - The latest Gallup polls show that almost every state is tracking economic confidence at lower levels than in 2010. The average was -28 and in 2011 it slumped further to -37. There was not one state or region that showed positive numbers, the closest was Washington D.C. with a -4 reading.

7.      Employment Rise Little Help to Construction Workers - The recent national upturn in job growth has not reached the construction industry, where unemployment rose from 16% in December to 17.7% in January. Those looking for work outpaced the 21,000 new construction jobs created, according to a statement released by the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA). 2/07 HCN

8.      A-D Announces 2011 Sales Results - Affiliated Distributors (AD), Wayne, Pa., released their Electrical Divisions’ year-end results with US sales having grown 19% to $11.2 billion and Canadian sales having grown 10% to $852 million, respectively. AD Affiliates also set new records for both net distributions and return on remittances. http://livewire.electricalmarketing.com/

9.      Excellence in Energy Efficiency Act Promises $1 Billion Prize for 100 MPG Car - H.R. 3872 – the Excellence in Energy Efficiency Act of 2012 – was just introduced by Representative Dan Lungren (R) of California's 3rd Congressional District. If passed, the legislation would have the Secretary of Energy "establish a program to award a prize in the amount of $1,000,000,000 to the first automobile manufacturer incorporated in the USA to manufacture and sell in the USA 60,000 mid-sized sedan automobiles which operate on gasoline and can travel 100 miles per gallon." 2/06 AutoBlog

10.   LEDucation 6 Is Expected to Draw More Than 1,800 Lighting and Design Professionals - LEDucation 6 will be held at the Hotel Pennsylvania on March 21st, 2012 in New York located between 32nd & 33rd Streets – across from Madison Square Garden.  Exhibit Hours have been extended and open at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with LED presentations beginning at 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Online Registration at: www.leducation.org