News Updates for the Week of June 17

1.      Smart Technology Makes Its Way into Lighting - The smart lighting industry is undergoing a major transition. Different kinds of smart lighting solutions are expected to become increasingly popular in homes, public buildings and offices. According to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the lighting systems of the future could be multi-purpose devices not dissimilar to smart phones. In the future, lighting will not just allow us to see but could also be used to survey surroundings, transmit information, reflect moods and make our lives more comfortable. Smart lighting could also save as much as 80 per cent of energy compared to traditional lighting solutions. As more applications become available, the smart lighting industry will also be revolutionized. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-smart-technology.html#jCp

2.      2013 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop Presentations Posted - The workshop provided a opportunity to gain cutting-edge perspective on the LED and OLED manufacturing landscape, including global manufacturing trends and strategies for reducing costs, improving product quality, and increasing volumes. The presentations and materials have been posted on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/boston2013_materials.html

3.      LED Lighting in Buildings to Reach $25 Billion by 2017 - Market analyst Memoori Research has published a new report http://www.memoori.com/portfolio/led-lighting-in-buildings-2013-to-2017/  on the global market for LED lighting in buildings, bringing together market sizing data, investment data and all the factors that influence the industries future. The company commented, "We predict that revenue from the global LED lighting market for buildings will rise from $9.5 bn in 2013 to a total of $25.4 bn by 2017. This would represent a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the overall market of 22%, over the five-year period. http://optics.org/news/4/6/19

4.      Global Lighting Equipment Market to 2017 - Market Size, Growth, and Forecasts in Nearly 70 Countries - A comprehensive package designed for companies who want to gain a comprehensive perspective on the global lighting equipment market. This package makes it easy to compare across different countries and product groups to be able to find new market opportunities and make more profitable business decisions. It provides the market size, growth, and forecasts at the global level as well as for each of the 70 countries: The market data covers the years 2006-2017 and includes the total market size for lighting equipment as well as the market size and trends. For more information: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/m74mgb/global_lighting_equipment_market_to_2017_ma

5.      CFL Safety Issues an Urban Myth, Says NLB - The rumor that CFLs pose a fire hazard when they reach the end of their lives is "absolutely, categorically untrue. An urban myth." Ironically, the basis of the rumor might very well be the normal performance of well-designed CFLs' fire-safety systems. http://www.tedmag.com. Those who want a complete technical description of the process can download a free white paper published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association http://alturl.com/z9jht

6.      Study Finds Commissioning of Daylight Harvesting Control Systems Critical to Success - Daylight harvesting control, or the practice of using light sensors to automatically reduce electric light in a space when sufficient daylight is present, has been demonstrated to produce significant energy cost savings in buildings. As a proven energy-saving strategy, it has been implemented into many sustainable building projects. It was also incorporated into ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 and IECC 2009/2012, the major energy standards. Daylight harvesting should soon become a staple in new construction. http://www.tedmag.com Download the study at: http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/study-finds-commissioning-of-daylight-harvesting-control-systems-critical-to-success/

7.      Free LEED Certification to Groundbreaking Projects in New Markets - In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root. Coined “LEED Earth,” this campaign aims to bring LEED certification and thereby better-performing buildings into new markets. http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95094-free-leed-certification-to-groundbreaking-projects-in-new-markets

8.      Webcast Reminder: LED Troffers, Kits, and Tubes - On Thursday, June 20, DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast detailing key findings from its recently completed CALiPER Exploratory Study on Recessed Troffer Lighting. The performance of conventional fluorescent troffers with T8 LED tube retrofits, LED retrofit kits, and dedicated LED troffers will be examined. The webcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and will include a 40-minute presentation, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with attendees. For more information or to register, visit the DOE SSL website. The CALiPER study is available online at www.ssl.energy.gov/exploratory.html

9.     Now in Its 26th Year, Live Design International (LDI) for Design Professionals - LDI is the Premier Trade Show and Conference for Visual and Sound Technologies covering comprehensive professional training and education in Lighting, Audio, Projection, Staging, Rigging, Special Effects and Software.  For 2013, LDI will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, North Halls on November 22-24. Over 8,000 attendees working in theater, concerts, houses of worship, corporate presentations, clubs, theme parks, and any other live venue come to LDI from 72 countries. http://www.ldishow.com/ldi13/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1043817

10.  Greeley, CO Buildings to Get Energy-Smart Equipment Improvements - Greeley City Council members on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for an energy efficiency program for seven Greeley buildings in need of updates and improvements. The $1.6 million project includes energy-smart improvements to lighting, ventilation, pool pumps and other equipment this year, with the city set to repay that cost through savings on utility bills. The city will pay Xcel the same amount of money each year as it does now, but a portion of its utility bills will go toward paying for the improvements. 6/12 Greeley Tribune

11.  Centralia, WA Approves Energy Efficiency Projects - The Centralia City Council approved moving forward with a variety of projects aimed at energy efficiency Tuesday night, including updating 1,506 LED streetlights, improving the Fort Borst Park ball fields and replacing lighting at the Centralia Train Depot.  The cost to complete all the projects is nearly $1.7 million. 6/13  The Chronicle

12.  It's Official: HD Supply Goes Public - HD Supply Holdings, the indirect parent of HD Supply, announced that it will launch an initial public offering of 53,191,489 shares of common stock. The company hopes to raise $1.3 billion in its initial public offering. Shares of HDS are expected to become available through NASDAQ June 26. HD Supply, with more than 600 locations across 46 states and nine Canadian provinces, was the wholesale distribution arm of The Home Depot, until it was sold in 2007 for $8.5 billion to a group of investors including Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Clayton Dubilier & Rice. 6/14 HCN