News Updates for the Week of September 3

1.   Strong LED Growth Helps Drive Electrical Sales - The strong growth of LED components  is increasing business for many electrical manufacturers and distributors and that is evident from the recent fiscal earnings report of Cree reporting sales of $1.4 billion in revenue for fiscal 2013, a 19 percent increase in sales due to LED expansion, new products and its other lighting and power businesses. Digitimes Research forecasts that the global LED lighting market will be worth US$25.4 billion in 2013, representing 54% growth on the 2012 figure of US$16.5 billion. Another industry report  says  that while LEDs currently account for only 10% of the total lighting market, the percentage contribution is estimated to increase to as high as 60% by 2020.  Japan now has the highest LED lighting market penetration rate of any region, with the rate set to rise to 73.8% by 2015, followed by Europe and North America. In addition, a new report issued this week by LEDinside notes that China's LED residential lighting market will reach $814 million in 2013 to represent a 24 percent share of the overall global market. There are about 400 LED manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.tedmag.com. 

2.      Version 1.0 ENERGY STAR Specification for Lamps - The U.S. EPA announces the release of the final ENERGY STAR Lamps V1.0 specification. Lamps V1.0 will replace the Compact Fluorescent Lamps V4.3 and Integral LED Lamps V1.4 specifications on September 30, 2014. This specification raises the bar for CFL performance, reduces testing burden while maintaining performance integrity, and establishes the first set of testing and baseline requirements for dimmable lamps. A more comprehensive summary and response to comments, along with all materials related to the Agency’s development of the Lamps V1.0 specification can be found at www.energystar.gov/lamps.  Additional resources will be posted at www.energystar.gov/lightingfaqs

3.     NEMA Publishes NEMA WD 9-2013 - The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published NEMA WD 9-2013 Dimmers, Photoelectric Controls, Presence Sensors, and Multi-outlet Bars Energy Consumption Testing and Labeling. Initially developed to comply with a Mexican regulation, NEMA WD 9-2013 is useful for domestic energy efficiency programs. It provides a standardized testing method to measure and label the standby energy consumption of dimmers, photoelectric controls, presence/motion sensors, and multi-outlet bars.  NEMA WD 9-2013 may be downloaded at no cost or purchased in hard copy for $21 on the NEMA website. 

4.     Fourth Annual ENERGY STAR National Building Competition Begins - Battle of the Buildings… teams from more than 3,000 buildings across the country are competing to see who can most reduce their buildings’ energy use. In support of the Climate Action Plan, which calls for buildings to cut waste and become at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020, the competition specifically targets wasted energy in commercial buildings and motivates businesses to improve energy efficiency, reduce harmful carbon pollution and save money. The number of participants in the Battle of the Buildings has increased from 14 buildings in 2010—the competition’s first year—to more than 3,200 buildings in 2013. www.energystar.gov.

5.     DOE Street Lighting Consortium Annual Meeting - There is still time to register for the Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium (MSSLC) 2013 annual meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, September 11, in conjunction with the IES Street and Area Lighting Conference in Phoenix, AZ. This meeting is your opportunity to hear firsthand from cities and utilities about their experiences with LED street lighting. View the agenda and register at: DOE SSL website. 

6.      City of Pompano Beach Selects Evolucia's LED Cobra Head Fixtures - Evolucia, Inc. announced that it has completed the initial installations of its 200 Watt LED cobra head fixtures along the main thoroughfares in Pompano Beach, Florida. The city of 100,000+ is replacing its inefficient 460 Watt metal halide streetlights with Evolucia's 200 Watt LED Aimed Optics cobra head luminaires. Evolucia's fixtures were tested and compared side by side against the leading products in the industry, and outperformed every competing fixture. http://www.evolucia.com/product/exterior/roadway

 

7.     2013 DOE Eight Annual Solid-State Lighting Market Introduction Workshop - November 12–14, 2013 • The Benson Hotel, Portland, OR.  This “meeting of the minds” is your opportunity to get and share perspectives from leading utilities, efficiency programs, municipalities, retailers, distributors, designers, and specifiers, and ask DOE and industry experts all your questions about LED lighting http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/portland2013.html

 

8.     DOE Publishes Fact Sheet on the Lifetime and Reliability of LED-Based Lighting - The US DOE points out there is still no definitive way to rate system life expectations. There are improved ways to test for and project lumen maintenance, but other failure mechanisms including driver life and system-level color maintenance remain hard to quantify. The new DOE fact sheet on the topic, entitled "Lifetime and Reliability," attempts to define all of the standards and projection methods that exist. The IES LM-80 standard provides definitive test methodology for white LED components. Most people discuss LM-80 relative to lumen depreciation and specification of time to L70 or 70% of initial flux output measured in thousands of hours. But LM-80 also defines component color maintenance and color shift. The IES TM-21 standard adds a way to project life beyond the 6000 hours of testing required by LM-80. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/life-reliability_fact-sheet.pdf

9.     Osram and Sharp Have Cross-Licensed LED and Laser-Diode Patents - Osram GmbK based in Munich, Germany, and Sharp Corp based in Osaka, Japan each will get access to the other's intellectual property (IP) that is registered with patent authorities around the globe. The companies jointly said that cooperation could help accelerate further advancements both at the R&D level and in commercially available LEDs and laser diodes, and in related products such as SSL systems, modules and luminaires. The company has been very active in cross-licensing agreements striking deals with Nichia, Philips, Cree, Toyoda Gosei, Samsung, and LG previously. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/8/17

10.  Renewable Energy Provides 14% of US Electrical Generation During First Half of 2013 - According to the latest issue of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) "Electric Power Monthly," with preliminary data through to June 30, 2013, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) provided 14.20 percent of the nation's net electric power generation during the first half of the year. For the same period in 2012, renewables accounted for 13.57 percent of net electrical generation. The balance of the nation's electrical generation mix for the first half of 2013 consisted of coal (39.00 percent - up by 10.3 percent), natural gas and other gas (26.46 percent - down by 13.6 percent), nuclear power (19.48 percent - up by 0.2 percent), and petroleum liquids + coke (0.66 percent - up by 15.6 percent). The balance (0.21 percent) was from other sources and pumped hydro storage. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com

11.  Deadline to Apply for Pennsylvania DEP's Small Business Grants Extended - Extended to Tuesday, Oct. 8, businesses can apply for 50-percent matching funds of up to $9,500 to adopt or acquire energy-efficient or pollution-prevention equipment or procedures. Eligible projects include HVAC and boiler upgrades, high-efficiency lighting, solvent recovery systems, waste recycling systems and auxiliary power units deployed as anti-idling technology for trucks. Funding is eligible for costs incurred between July 8, 2013 and June 30, 2014. www.dep.state.pa.us

12.   MGM Grand Detroit Completes One of Nation's Largest LED Parking Garage Retrofits - MGM Grand Detroit has completed the LED retrofit of its 61-acre parking garage. Cited as one of the nation's largest LED parking garage makeovers, the three-month installation boasts 3,117 LED fixtures. As a part of the MGM Resorts Green Advantage sustainability platform, MGM Grand Detroit's newly refurbished parking garage is one of many energy conservation projects underway by MGM Resorts. Earlier this year, the company initiated a program to install 1,600 induction technology lighting fixtures covering 160 acres of open lot parking area at its resorts in Las Vegas. For more information about MGM Resorts International: www.mgmresorts.com/csr

13.  LIGHTFAIR 2014 Call for Speakers - SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 LIGHTFAIR® International 2014 Conference curriculum will champion integrated design as a central theme linking all courses, workshops and seminars in common focus to illustrate how technology, tools, problem-solving and inspiration converge in contemporary practice.  Share your knowledge:  http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/index.cvn?id=10301

14.  NECA 2013 Coming to Washington, D.C., Oct. 12-15 - The electrical industry’s biggest trade show includes displays from 300 exhibitors and 19 FREE technical workshops on those days. On Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th, a burgeoning slate of pre-convention workshops and special events are scheduled: http://bit.ly/15jBTkw.  Each attendee can obtain CEUs for attending each (and every) one of the pre-Convention education sessions. SPECIAL FREE ADMISSION CODE, input PR6F https://www2.cmrreg.com/neca_c4/register.aspx.