News Updates for the Week of December 2

1.      Say Goodbye to the Incandescent Bulb - Jan. 1 will mark the end of residential lighting as we know it.  As of that day, the manufacture of the 60-watt incandescent bulb, the most widely used light bulb in America, will cease. In response, the U.S. lighting industry is working mightily to persuade U.S. consumers to purchase a near-equivalent: LEDs. 11/19 Washington Post

2.      DOE Office of Science Announces SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunity - Grant applications for fiscal year 2014 SBIR/STTR Phase I, Release 2 funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001046 are sought in the subtopic “integrating energy-efficient solid-state lighting with advanced sensors, controls, and connectivity.” Possible areas of interest for novel solutions include:

• SSL luminaires and lamps.
• SSL components, materials, or constituent components.
• SSL systems, components, sensors, and software.

Letters of intent are due to DOE's Office of Science Dec. 16, 2013. Full proposals are due Feb. 4, 2014, with award notifications anticipated in April. http://science.energy.gov/sbir/funding-opportunities/ 

3.      Introducing LEEDv4 - The U.S. Green Building Council is raising the bar for sustainable construction with the launch of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design version 4 (LEEDv4) rating system.  The new system streamlines the arduous LEED certification process, updates previously established guidelines to match more recent building codes, offers a new breakdown of standards by sector, and encourages collaboration among the architects, builders, and others involved in the construction and design process.  Projects can obtain LEED 2009 certification until June 1, 2015, when LEEDv4 becomes the only rating system available.  http://www.usgbc.org/leed/v4

4.      NEMA Publishes NEMA BL 3-2013 Dimming Ballast Energy Performance - The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published NEMA BL 3-2013 Dimming Ballast Energy Performance.   This standard provides a methodology for applying existing test methods for program start ballasts to fluorescent dimming ballasts. It also provides a method to calculate ballast luminous efficiency (BLE) for fluorescent dimming ballasts. Information for proper lamp and ballast compatibility for reliable long term dimming system operation can be found in NEMA LL 9-2011 Dimming of T8 Fluorescent Lighting Systems  www.nema.org

5.      NEMA’s Indexes for HID Lamp Shipments Continued to Hover Near Historical Low Levels During 2013Q2 - The index for mercury vapor lamp shipments continued to track downward, declining by 8.2% on a year-over-year (y/y) basis. Likewise, shipments of metal halide lamps fell 6.4% y/y, landing at the second lowest level in the series history. Sodium vapor was the lone HID index segment to show improvement registering a gain of 0.4%. Sodium vapor lamps increased their share by 0.9 percentage points to 33.2%. Shares of mercury vapor and metal halide lamps decreased to 4.2% and 62.6%, respectively. http://www.nema.org

6.      Soraa Expands Its LED Manufacturing Operations in U.S. - Soraa has announced that it will open a new semiconductor fabrication plant in Buffalo, NY. In partnership with the State of New York, the company will construct a new state-of-the-art GaN™ LED fabrication facility that will employ hundreds of workers. The new facility is projected to be operational in 2015. Soraa currently operates an LED fabrication plant in Fremont, CA, one of only a few in the U.S. www.tedmag.com

7.      North American and European Lighting Controls Market to Reach $2.42 Billion in 2016 - According to a report recently released by Verify Markets, a market research firm specializing in industrial, environmental, energy, consumer products and water markets. This represents a CAGR of 4.2% between 2011-2016.  The report covers lighting control modules (relay panels, group controllers, scene controllers and DMX controllers), user interfaces (sliders, touch panels, timers and dimmers), sensors (occupancy and other), lighting control systems (centralized and distributed), dimmers and sensors, and networked luminaires. http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/

8.      IES Publishes Recommended Practice for Daylighting Buildings (RP-5-13) - This Recommended Practice module includes the most up-to-date data on the many benefits of daylighting, including energy savings of 40-50% or more. It also offers information and expertise on daylight delivery methods, glazing systems, shading techniques, control strategies and daylight performance simulation tools. The challenges of daylighting include glare, unwanted solar heat gain, the control of electric lighting, shading systems and coordination of the multiple disciplines affecting daylighting performance from initial planning to actual occupancy. http://www.ies.org/store