News Updates for the Week of March 26

1.      OLED Luminaires to be a $6.3B Market in 2017 - Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has announced the release of its latest report, "OLED Lighting Market Forecast Q2 2012." In the report NanoMarkets presents its outlook on the OLED lighting sector with some notable changes since its last release in 2011. The firm notes concerns with the current economic situation in Europe which is a major center for OLED lighting as well as changes in manufacturing that will dampen prices in the short term but open the door to wider acceptance of the technology as OLED lighting efficiency, panel size and light output improvements bring the technology to the mainstream. This report provides eight-year forecasts for OLED lighting in six different applications. Additional details about this and other OLED related reports are available: http://www.nanomarkets.net/oled_lighting 3/19 PRNewswire via COMTEX 

2.      Despite Naysayers, Green Energy Keeps Growing - All together, solar PV, wind and biofuel markets expanded by 31 percent last year to $246 billion globally, according to Clean Edge’s 11^th annual edition of Clean Energy Trends 2011, a wrap-up of key green-energy indicators. The expansion caps a five-year run during which these markets have grown by roughly a third each year. Clean Edge expects the markets to grow steadily--albeit more slowly--in the decade to come. It projects the clean-energy market will expand by 4.6% per year (compounded) to $385 billion by 2021. http://cleanedge.com/reports/charts-and-tables-from-clean-energy-trends-2012

 

3.      ASHRAE Has Been Asked to Review The U.S. GSA’s Standard P100 - Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/2010_P100_Final.pdf. This standard establishes design standards for new buildings, major and minor alterations, and work in historic structures for the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the General Services Administration (GSA). This document now contains both performance based standards and prescriptive requirements to be used in the programming, design, and documentation of GSA buildings. ASHRAE would like to receive your comments on this draft. Those comments are due to DD Latham (dlatham@ashrae.org) by midnight Eastern Standard Time, Monday, March 26.

4.      Plastic Bottles Light Up Thousands of Homes in the Slums of Manila - Plastic bottles have become a sustainable way to light many homes in poorer sections of Manila in the Philippines, where many houses are built too close to each other to allow for windows, CNN reported. For many residents electricity is unaffordable or unavailable, forcing them to work and live in the dark. But a new project has shined a light in the darkness - literally.  Based on an invention by an engineer from Amy Smith, an engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the recycled plastic bottles are filled with water and bleach and then fixed into holes on the roof. The bottle bulbs then refract the sun's rays to create 55-watts worth of light. The project has reached about 10,000 homes and aims for one million by 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_4qFrxw_4&feature=related

5.      Luminus R&D and Testing Lab Accredited for Testing LEDs to LM-80 Standard - Luminus Devices, Inc., manufacturer of Big Chip LEDs™, announced that its Boston-area R&D and Testing Laboratory has been accredited to conduct testing on LEDs to the LM-80 standard, the approved method for measuring LED light sources. The accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is awarded by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and the standard is endorsed by the Department of Energy and the Illumination Engineering Society (IES). For more information, visit www.luminus.com

6.      GE Lighting Revolution Tour on the Road Again - GE Lighting is on the road again with the 2012 GE Lighting Revolution Tour. This tradeshow on wheels is designed to give designers, distributors, architects, contractors, facility maintenance and utility executives a first-hand experience of GE's latest innovations in lighting technology. www.gelightingrevolutiontour.com

7.      Lighting Webinar to Investigate Causes for Compatibility Issues - With government legislative weight behind energy-efficient lighting and changing consumer-purchasing behavior, a problem has arisen in the lighting industry. On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at 2 p.m. EDT, Electrical Contractor magazine will host a webinar, in partnership with Leviton, on the three main causes for compatibility issues when pairing energy-efficient lamps with dimmers designed for incandescent technology. http://www.ecmag.com/

8.      White Papers by Lois I. Hutchinson at www.lighting.com -

• “Lighting Design Certifications: From A to Z,” a series of eight posts http://lighting.com/lighting-design-certification/
• “Stand By Your Luminaire,” a discussion on the lack of LED luminaire lifetime ratings standards and product warranties. http://lighting.com/stand-by-your-luminaire/

9.      Chattanooga Seeking 'Green' Lighting Compromise - The city may make one more push toward trying to break a stalemate on how many "green" streetlights to install across Chattanooga. The City Council is considering a rollout of 26,000 lights--at a cost of $18 million--with the city floating three bonds over three different years. The City Council reached a stalemate Tuesday night on the best option to pay for the lights and how many to either buy or lease.  The administration brought forth a resolution to spend $6 million on 5,200 lights to cover downtown and some key streets.

3/19 Chattanooga Times

10.  Gasoline Fuel Update - http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/?src=email

News Updates for the Week of March 19

1.      New Round of DOE Small-Business Funding Opportunities - The U.S. DOE Office of Science will sponsor another round (Phase 1, Release 3) of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunities. Topics for this final round of FY12 funding can be found at http://science.energy.gov/sbir and include solid-state lighting (topic 3a, page 3). The full funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is expected on April 3, with pre-applications due May 1. Details of this new process, along with eligibility requirements for U.S. small businesses, will be shared on a webinar on Monday, March 19, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. For more information on the SBIR/STTR webinar, visit the registration page.

2.      DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency Issues $150 Million Funding Opportunity - The U.S. DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) has announced a $150 million funding opportunity that may be of interest to the solid-state lighting community. Anticipated to be split up into anywhere from 60 to 80 awards of $250,000 to $10 million each, the funding opportunity is open to all transformational energy technologies. Notices of intent are due by March 30, and concept papers are due by April 12. PA-E's mission is to identify and fund research to translate science into breakthrough energy technologies that are too risky for the private sector and that, if successfully developed, will create the foundation for entirely new industries. For more information on solicitation number DE-FOA-0000670), visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov

3.      Webcast on L Prize^® PAR 38 Competition: A New Start - On Tuesday, March 27 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the U.S. DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast on the newly reopened L Prize PAR 38 competition. Moderated by James Brodrick, DOE Lighting Program Manager, the webcast will feature a 30-minute presentation from Marc Ledbetter of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session with attendees. To register for the webcast: registration page To learn more about the L Prize PAR 38 Competition: http://www.lightingprize.org/

4.      Smart Lighting 2012 - This Research and Markets report provides an analysis of the worldwide smart lighting market and builds on NanoMarkets' extensive six-year experience of analyzing the solid-state lighting industry. The report shows how new value is being created in the lighting market by adding enhanced electronics and intelligent luminaires and how such product strategies will be able to build on the massive trend towards introducing CFLs, LEDs, OLEDs and other forms of energy efficient lighting. For more information please click on: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/b194b4/smart_lighting_2012

5.      Energy-Efficient Lighting Explained - Research and tips for businesses who want to take advantage of the existing policies and technology in the lighting industry to lower their energy use. Lighting is one of the most cost-effective energy efficiency investments. The Daily Energy Report and Real Energy Writers' "Energy Efficient Lighting Explained: A guide for business people who aren't lighting techies":  

• Educates you about your lighting technology options 
• Informs you about the political landscape and controversies surrounding lighting 
• Describes how you can take advantage of current lighting market conditions to cut costs and reduce your footprint.

     For more information: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/2b0893/energyefficient_lighting_explained  

6.      The Efficiency Boom: Cashing In on the Savings from Appliance Standards - Appliance, equipment, and lighting standards have been a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy since Congress enacted the first standards in the 1980s. They have significantly reduced U.S. energy consumption, providing large economic benefits for consumers and businesses. Taking into account products sold from the inception of each national standard through 2035, existing standards will net consumers and businesses more than $1.1 trillion in savings cumulatively. The ACEEE report finds that over the same period, cumulative energy savings will reach more than 200 quads, an amount equal to about two years of total U.S. energy consumption. http://www.aceee.org/research-report/a123

 

7.      Home Energy Efficiency Incentives Proposed - Several Congressional bills are in the works that address energy efficiency in the United States, but don't get your hopes up. About the only pending federal legislation that directly addresses tax credits for homeowners investing in energy efficiency upgrade is the Cut Energy Bills at Home Act.  According to the Alliance to Save Energy, the tax credit is based on annual predicted energy cost savings from heating, cooling, hot water and "permanent lighting" in a primary residence. For a minimum credit of $2,000, homes would need to reduce energy costs by 20 percent; for each additional 5 percent savings beyond that, the credit would be worth an additional $500. However the credit could not be greater than either $5,000 or 30 percent of the taxpayer's expenditures.  3/13 Earth Techling

8.      USGBC and Home Depot Launch New Database of Green Building Products - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in conjunction with The Home Depot, has launched an online green home products database. The database: www.leed.homedepot.com is a special microsite within www.homedepot.com that features products geared toward green home building, many of which may contribute towards earning LEED points and prerequisites for the LEED for Homes program, making it easier for homeowners and builders to find the products they need.  Currently, more than 2,500 products sold at The Home Depot are listed on the website.

9.      Switch Lighting Debuts 100-watt Replacement - SWITCH Lighting™ www.switchlightingco.com/  announced the launch of the SWITCH100, an A series 100 watt-equivalent LED replacement lamp for select commercial channels. Key features include:

• Lifespan of at least 25,000 hours 
• Uses 20 Watts of input power, and produces 1600 lumens 
• Color temperature of 4100K 
• Can be used in any fixture, recessed or fully enclosed 
• Can be used in any orientation, with no compromise to driver function or lumen output 
• It is dimmable and turns on instantly 3/13 BUSINESS WIRE

10.  Energy Efficiency Incentives Improved - The New York State Public Service Commission set new financial incentives that utilities would be able to receive as a way to encourage electric and natural gas utilities to continue to make investments in energy efficiency programs. The Commission set up incentive pools totaling $36 million for electric utilities and $14 million for gas utilities, totaled over a four-year incentive period. The Commission's decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission's Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 07-M-0548 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number." 3/15 Post Star

11.  Rebate for CFL Bulbs Raised to $1.40 from $1 Each in Hawaii - The state's main energy efficiency program has boosted the instant rebate for CFLs to $1.40 from $1 for a limited time to encourage residents to replace their old incandescent bulbs. The program is funded mainly through a fee paid by electric utility customers. In addition to the CFL rebate, Hawaii Energy is funding a Blue Planet Foundation program that allows residents on Maui and Hawaii island to trade their incandescent bulbs for CFLs. 3/14 Star Advertiser

12.  GE Introduces Lumination LED Troffer - GE Lighting Solutions of East Cleveland, OH, has introduced its first commercial product in the Lumination brand line. It is a recessed LED troffer offered in 600x600-cm (2x2 ft) and 300x1200-cm (1x4 ft) versions with a panel thickness of only 14 mm (0.5 in). Both sizes are dimmable and offered in 3000K, 3500K and 4000K configurations. GE Lighting Solutions has stated that it expects to introduce more than ten new luminaires in the next year and a half including linear, suspended-fixture and surface-mounted troffers. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/3/13

13.  LEDucation 6 Is Expected to Draw More Than 1,200 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 will remain open until Monday, March 19th at www.leducation.org

14.  March 27-29 for EE Global 2012 in Orlando - The SOLD OUT Solutions Showcase highlights the latest energy efficiency technologies, services and products from over 40 companies and organizations. Open all three days, you can walk the show floor and interact with global companies. http://www.eeglobalforum.org/

15.  March 30 is Deadline for NAED PAR Surveys - PAR provides members with an up-to-date picture of actual operations throughout the industry. Each year, industry statistics are compiled into a report from a confidential, financial performance survey administered by the Profit Planning Group - an independent third-party research provider. Participants have the option of receiving a personalized report comparing their operation with others of similar size and customer emphasis. Participate in NAED’s 2012 Performance Analysis Report survey before March 30. http://www.naed.org/PAR/

16.  Lighting Industry Launches Global Lighting Association - The global lighting industry has launched the Global Lighting Association, which is designed to be “the voice of the lighting industry on a global basis.” As a grouping of national and regional lighting associations, the Global Lighting Association represents over 5,000 lighting manufacturers and $50 billion annual sales. The primary mission of the Global Lighting Association is to share information. Originally founded in 2007 as the Global Lighting Forum, the new Global Lighting Association represents the same members, but with a renewed focus and a commitment to being active and influential participants in shaping how the world is illuminated. According to the Global Lighting Association, its priorities for 2012 include: energy efficiency, LED performance quality, and innovation. http://www.globallightingforum.org/

17.  LED Retrofit Kits for LED Troffers by Stan Walerczyk - The future of retrofitting recessed 2x4, 1x4 and 2x2 lensed and parabolic troffers will probably be LED kits, not LED T8s. Stan is helping develop specifications and pricing on LED kits and needs input from large end-customers, retrofit contractors, ESCOs, etc. regarding:

• Cost
• Wattage
• Lumens per watt
• Rated life
• Warranty
• Optional dimming
• Optional Kelvin changing
• Integral controls

If you are interested, contact Stan Walerczyk at stan@lightingwizards.com.

News Updates for the Week of March 12

1.   Webcast: Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium Retrofit Financial Analysis Tool - On April 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET, the U.S. DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast on the Retrofit Financial Analysis Tool http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/financial-tool.html developed by DOE's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium. Doug Elliott of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will provide a guided walk-through of what the tool can do for you, and how to use it to evaluate costs and benefits associated with converting to LED street and roadway lighting. To register, visit: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/events_detail.html?event_id=6750

2.      NEMA Publishes Standard for SSL Retrofit Lamps - The US National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA SSL 4-2012 entitled “SSL Retrofit Lamps: Suggested Minimum Performance Requirements.” The standard applies to integral LED lamps, which are defined as a lamp with LEDs, an integrated LED driver, and a base that meets appropriate American National Standards (ANSs) and is designed to connect to the branch circuit via a lampholder/socket that meets appropriate ANSs. The contents of SSL 4 may be viewed at www.nema.org/stds/ssl4.cfm Other SSL-related standards from NEMA:

SSL 6: Solid State Lighting for Incandescent Replacement—Dimming

SSL 3: High-Power White LED Binning for General Illumination

SSL 1: Electronic Drivers for LED Devices, Arrays or Systems

      http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/3/3

3.      Energy Star Luminaires Effective Date Approaching, Says EPA - The Energy Star Luminaires v1.1 specification will become effective on April 1, requiring manufacturers to change their product labeling unless the products are tested according to the new criteria. This new specification replaces the Residential Light Fixtures v4.2 and Solid State Lighting Luminaires v1.3 specifications, and can be downloaded at www.energystar.gov/luminaires. In May 2011, the EPA postponed the effective date for Energy Star Luminaires v1.0 from October 1, 2011 to April 1, 2012. This was to allow Energy Star manufacturing partners and EPA-recognized certification bodies and laboratories the necessary time to appropriately apply the technical requirements contained in the new specification. On April 1, 2012, only those light-fixture models that have been third-party certified as meeting the Luminaires v1.1 requirements will appear on the Energy Star Qualified Products List. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/3/2

4.      Street Lighting Turns to LEDs for Longevity and Efficiency - Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been appearing in traffic signals and vehicle headlights for years and are poised to affect another source of light we use to navigate our cities and towns. The street lighting retrofit market is ripe with opportunity. Municipal street lighting retrofitted with LEDs has enhanced several communities’ nighttime environments, while significantly reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. Administrators are well-versed in the financial strains of street lighting. It can account for up to one-quarter of a municipality’s electric bill, while maintenance can cost another 15 to 25 percent of their annual operating expense. http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=13441

 

5.      Electric Bills Up in March an All Hawaiian Islands - Hawaiian Electric Co. said the effective rate for electricity in Honolulu rose to 32.6 cents a kilowatt hour in March from 32 cents per kilowatt-hour in February.  Maui Electric Co. customers saw rates rise to 36.3 cents a kilowatt-hour this month from 35.8 cents a kilowatt hour in February. Hawaii island residential rates rose to 41.3 cents a kilowatt-hour from last month's 40.6 cents. On Kauai, the rate rose to 42.6 cents a kilowatt-hour. Hawaii typically has the highest cost for electricity in the nation. The national average was 11.52 cents per kilowatt-hour in December.  3/07 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

6.      How to Claim Tax Credits for Your 2011 Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades - It’s tax season, and time to claim your energy-efficient home upgrades on your 2011 income tax return. Find out what energy-efficient home improvements are eligible for federal tax credits, and which forms you’ll need to claim them. Download IRS Form 5695 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5695.pdf  More Info on Energy Efficiency Tax Credits:

Alliance tax resource for individuals: Energy Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits

Alliance tax resource for businesses: Commercial and Manufacturing Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency 

http://ase.org/efficiencynews/how-claim-tax-credits-your-2011-energy-efficient-home-upgrades

7.      DOE Reopens L-Prize PAR38 Competition - The second category of the L Prize competition has been revised and relaunched, and will reward US manufacturers of ultra-efficient LED replacements for PAR38 lamps. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has reopened the PAR38 category of the  L-Prize competition. This challenges the US lighting industry to develop an exceptionally high-performance, ultra-efficient LED alternative for PAR38 halogen lamps.

8.      “Green” Light Bulb Costs You $50 - The good news: The DOE has awarded a $10 million prize for a "green" but affordable light bulb that's available to the public. The bad news: The bulb costs $50. The “L Prize” was announced by Energy Secretary Steven Chu last year, to push manufacturers to come up with a green bulb “affordable for American families,”  The competition also required parts of the bulb to be made in America.  The L Prize winner is a $50 bulb made by Philips. Similar LED bulbs are going for less than half that cost, the Post reported. 3/08 The Washington Post

9.      LED Prices May Not Be Too High for Consumers for Long - Many in the electrical industry thought it would take a while for LEDs to gain ground, due to their high prices. Opinions had been voiced that CFLs would fill in the transition from low-cost incandescents to affordable LEDs. Recently, however, it appears that LEDs are already falling in price, enabling consumers to choose to go right on by CFLs and use LEDs now. Some recent, unrelated news items serve as evidence to this point:

• Consumer will pay more says Robert Gfeller, EVP of merchandising at Lowe’s 
• Lumens-per-dollar introduced by Cree to measure lighting 
• Falling towards the sweet spot pricing of $10….the ‘sweet point’ for LED replacements for 60W incandescent bulbs is set at $12 
• Price check: The Home Depot….. prices on homedepot.com showed a $29.97 price for a 14W LED flood light bulb. The price posted for a two-pack of 8.6W replacements for 40W incandescent was $19.94, bringing the unit price under $10 each. 
• An LED for under $5 from Lemnis Inc. of San Francisco

http://www.tedmag.com/news/Features/LED-prices-may-not-be-too-high-for-consumers-for-long.aspx

10.  More Jobs, But No Change in Unemployment Rate - Data released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor statistics show the unemployment rate for February holding at 8.3%. The Employment Situation Summary shows employers added 227,000 jobs in the month, slightly more than expected, according to analyst forecasts. It was also the third straight month that employers added more than 200,000 jobs. Construction employment changed little in February, after two consecutive months of job gains. 3/09 HCN

11.  Gallup: Unemployment at 9.1%, But 19% Need Jobs - The unemployment rate shot up by half a percentage point in February, according to figures released by the polling organization Gallup on Thursday. The jump from 8.6 percent in January to 9.1 percent last month is the largest month-by-month increase in more than a year, Gallup said. Gallup’s figures differ from the official government unemployment rate because they do not adjust the figure for seasonal variations or include anyone under 18. 3/08 Newsmax

12.  U.S. Petroleum Product Exports Exceeded Imports in 2011 for First Time in Over Six Decades - The United States in 2011 exported more petroleum products, on an annual basis, than it imported for the first time since 1949, but American refiners still imported large, although declining, amounts of crude oil, according to full-year trade data from EIA's Petroleum Supply Monthly February report. The increase in foreign purchases of distillate fuel contributed the most to the United States becoming a net exporter of petroleum products. U.S. petroleum product net exports (exports minus imports) averaged 0.44 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2011, with imports at a nine-year low of close to 2.4 million bbl/d and exports at a record high of nearly 2.9 million bbl/d. http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=5290#