News Updates for the Week of June 11

1.      Lightfair 2012 Recap 200,000+ Square Feet, 500+ Exhibitors, 5 Pavilions - LEDLampLocator  LEDFixtureLocator provides a recap of some of the exciting new LED products at Lightfair 2012. Their databases are quickly growing and helping to empower lighting professional to become better equipped to compare LED products from the hundreds of LED manufacturers from around the world. http://www.ledfixturelocator.com/lightfair-2012-recap/

2.      DOE Releases CALiPER Application Summary Report 15 - The U.S. Department of Energy has completed Series 15 of testing through the DOE Solid-State Lighting CALiPER program. A summary of the results is now available for download on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/reports.html. Report 15 of testing analyzes the performance of a group of 10 LED floodlights that mirrors the broad range of conventional luminaires designated as floodlights. The results highlight several key areas in which LED products can improve in order to be more competitive with conventional floodlights—or already offer an advantage.

3.      DOE Announces Third Round of SSL Manufacturing Funding - The US DOE has announced a $7.1 million fund as part of the latest SSL Manufacturing R&D program, but congressional budget cuts have affected funding for new core-technology research and product development projects.  The selected three projects for solid-state lighting (SSL) as part of its 3rd round of funding for SSL Manufacturing R&D are:

·        Cree, based in Durham, NC, has been awarded one project, with the goal of developing an optimized LED fixture that can be readily integrated into buildings and outdoor applications using fewer raw materials.

·        KLA Tencor based in Milpitas, CA, will seek to improve the color consistency of LEDs by developing a high-precision hot-testing tool that can be used during LED manufacturing.

·        k-Space Associates of Dexter, MI, will build on the company’s existing optical monitoring methods to enable high-precision measurement of organic LED (OLED) layers.

For more information: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/fundopps_060712.html

4.     U.S. Green Building Council Announces Changes to LEED 2012 - In response to concerns raised by members, core LEED users and stakeholders, and in an effort to provide the marketplace a view of the full LEED program experience prior to ballot, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that it will delay ballot on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013 (or potentially earlier in 2013 if USGBC members and the market indicate readiness for ballot). Because of this date change, LEED 2012 is being renamed LEED v4. http://www.usgbc.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=4815

5.      House Vote Undermines Lighting Standards - The Alliance urges the Senate to reject several measures adopted by the House of Representatives that weaken the effectiveness of lighting and other energy efficiency standards.  A new provision – adopted by voice vote last night in the House as an amendment to the fiscal year 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill – would prevent DOE from spending federal funds “to implement or enforce” technology-neutral light bulb standards that save energy and money. The standards, which were part of the bipartisan Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, took effect January 1, 2012, and are still on the books. http://ase.org/news/house-vote-undermines-lighting-standards 

6.      DTE Provides Free Light Bulbs and Advice to Customers Through Home Energy Consultation Program - Through the program, called the DTE Home Energy Consultation program, energy consultants assess the customers’ energy usage, make energy saving recommendations and discuss ways to reduce energy usage that will help lower energy costs. During the assessment, energy consultants will install as many as 40 compact fluorescent light bulbs, water-saving faucet aerators in the kitchen and bathroom and water-saving showerheads that can save up to three gallons of hot water per minute and reduce water-heating costs by 30 percent.  http://www.dteenergy.com/residentialCustomers/saveEnergy/homeAudit/resHEC.html 

7.      Study Finds LED Lights Can Increase Milk Production - A study overseen by Oklahoma State University found that cows at one of the dairy farms in that state squeezed out 6 percent more milk when LED lights were used compared with cows under fluorescent lights.  One theory: LED lights reduce stress, making for more contented and productive cows.  http://www.mysanantonio.com

8.      PG&E Says It Will Meet California's Renewable Energy Goals - Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) filed its renewable energy procurement plan for 2012 with the California Public Utilities Commission and said it will meet the requirement to source 33% of its power generation from clean sources and will also meet interim benchmarks up to that date.  California has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 33% by 2020, along with the highest-in-the-nation 20% bundled RPS for power generation in the period from 2011-2013.  http://generationhub.com/

9.      Exterior Lighting, by the Numbers - Sales of exterior lighting products jumped 21.3% in the 12 months from March 2011 to February 2012, compared with the same period in the previous year, according to the market size estimate from NPD Group’s Consumer Tracking Service. Consumers lit up their yards to the tune of $789 million during that time, with most of the spend occurring at warehouse home centers.  Solar lighting options represent the largest share of the exterior lighting market. 4/27 HCN