News Updates for the Week of September 23

1.      Mo and Evolucia - NY Yankees' pitching legend Mariano Rivera has joined forces with LED company, Evolucia Inc. to create a one-of-a-kind LED baseball. Preparing to retire, Rivera says he wanted his commemorative baseball to send a message to fans throughout the U.S. and in Latin America: "we can cut energy consumption, reduce pollution and save money by switching to LED lights." Evolucia developed an innovative LED-lighted baseball that is the same size and weight as a regulation Major League baseball. The ball leaves a trail of light as it is thrown, and is powered by a rechargeable battery. The commemorative baseball is available for purchase at www.evolucia.com/mariano with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Rivera's charitable foundation.

2.      LEDucation 8 “Call for Presentations” Deadline Approaching - Three more weeks available to submit speaker applications to LEDucation’s annual event on LED Technology.  The Designers Lighting Forum of New York invites experts to submit their proposals to become an official speaker at LEDucation 8, the largest single day exhibition and educational event dedicated solely to the ever-evolving LED market and technology. LEDucation 8 will return to New York City on March 18-19, 2014. Speaker proposals will be accepted through 5 p.m. EST, October 15, 2013 and should be submitted online at: www.leducation.org/call-for-presenters.html

3.      DLC Updates Guidance for the New LED Lighting Facts Submission Form - The DesignLights Consortium^® promotes quality, performance and energy efficient commercial sector lighting solutions through collaboration among its federal, regional, state, utility, and energy efficiency program members, luminaire manufacturers, lighting designers, and other industry stakeholders throughout the US and Canada. The DLC is a project of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP).  DLC updates guidance for the new LED Lighting Facts submission form. Download the updated Manufacturer's Guide: http://www.designlights.org/resources/file/d-l-c-manufacturers-guide9-10-16-pdf

4.      IES Publishes Recommended Practice for Daylighting Buildings - The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) recently published Recommended Practice for Daylighting Buildings (RP-5-13). This document gathers the basic data and techniques required for the design of buildings and lighting systems and discusses the opportunities and constraints inherent in daylighting.  www.ies.org/store 

5.      Quality of Light and Overcoming Barriers to LED Adoption by Clifton Lemon - McKinsey’s 2011 Lighting the Way report www.mckinsey.com/ suggests that consumer lighting purchase decisions are driven as much by light quality as they are by the cost. Despite high first costs, the public is becoming increasingly used to assessing total lifetime costs and extending payback expectations. With the advent of widespread regulations mandating technological solutions, the lighting industry faces a future where LEDs provide perhaps the most viable way to meet pressing requirements. http://www.nema.org/news/Lists/ElectroIndustryMagazine/Attachments/32/EI_Aug13.pdf

6.      Lighting Science Receives $20 Million in Equity Investments and Commitments -  The preferred stock financing plan led by affiliates of Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P., with participation from Riverwood Capital Partners, L.P. These companies are LSCG's two largest shareholders. The funding will be used to finance the company's growth, with a strong focus on technology platforms and product innovations. 9/16 Businesswise

7.      Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Bill May Not Pass The Senate - The prospects for Senate passage of the bipartisan energy-efficiency legislation just got a whole lot dimmer. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will move next week to a government funding measure, a step that will further delay consideration of the efficiency legislation. And it’s not even a sure bet that the Senate will come back to the efficiency bill, which has been plagued by delays for almost two weeks. 9/20 Politico

8.      Most Energy-Efficient Cities in the U.S. - According to a new report conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the top five most energy efficient cities are:

1)      Boston

2)      Portland

3)      New York and San Francisco

4)      Seattle

5)   Austin

      The full report is available: http://aceee.org/press/2013/09/report-ranks-us-cities-efforts-save-

9.      CRS Electronics Announces New QuantumLED™ Sales Team - CRS Electronics Inc., a developer and manufacturer of ENERGY STAR® certified commercial LED lighting products, announced the addition of four Regional Sales Directors to its' QuantumLED Lighting team. Travis Jones, CRS Electronics President & CEO: "We are building a solid foundation of excellent personnel and products. We are searching for similar candidates for the Northwest, Mountain and Texas regions." http://finance.yahoo.com/news/crs-electronics-announces-quantumled-tm-132352170.html

10.  Lightfair Call for Speakers: Deadline Extended September 23, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. EST - Lightfair International (LFI) has issued a call for speakers from top lighting and design practitioners looking to participate in the trade show and conference to be held in Las Vegas from June 1-5, 2014. http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/index.cvn?id=10301

11.  LEDs and the Transformation of the Lighting Industry - The lighting industry is on the verge of a major transformation. Falling prices and improving quality for LED technology have begun to drive widespread adoption of this technology. Navigant Research (formerly Pike) forecasts that, by 2021, 63% of lamps sold to retrofit projects worldwide will be LED-based. Beyond a simple swap in lamp type, this rise in LEDs is expected to impact every aspect of the lighting industry. A webinar (Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 2:00 pm EDT) will examine the market changes that LED lights have already wrought, and provide forecasts for the future transformation of the industry.  http://www.navigantresearch.com/webinar/leds-and-the-transformation-of-the-lighting-industry

12.  2013 DOE Solid-State Lighting Market Introduction Workshop - Benson Hotel, Portland, OR
November 12–14, 2013.  Join DOE at the eighth annual SSL Market Introduction Workshop for two days of in-depth discussions on key topics led by industry experts. Ask all your questions about LED lighting. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/portland2013.html

News Updates for the Week of February 25

1.      Webcast: “Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking” Campaign - On Thursday, February 28, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST, Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) will hold a webcast on the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) campaign. Intended for parking lot owners and managers, utilities, and other organizations committed to promoting high-efficiency parking lighting solutions, the webcast will highlight successes and lessons learned by innovative parking garage and lot owners in implementing high-efficiency lighting, and may be of interest to those considering solid-state lighting for those applications. To register: visit the BOMA website

2.      Cree Announces a New Laboratory LED Efficacy Milestone - The 276 lm/W LED Cree has tested in the lab eclipses their previously announced high of 254 lm/W announced last April. The lab demo did use the epitaxial technology that underlies the third-generation silicon-carbide-based manufacturing platform that Cree calls SC3 (SC cubed). Back in April, Cree had said that elements of the SC3 technology enabled the 254-lm/W demonstration. Back in December, Cree announced the 186-lm/W XM-L2 single-die LED and the 200-lm/W four-die MK-R LED that were based on technology used in lab demonstrations announced in December 2009 and February 2010 respectively. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/2/16

3.      World Demand for Lighting to Surpass $78 Billion in 2016 - World demand for lighting is projected to climb more than 12% annually through 2016 to $78.3 billion, according to “World Lighting: Lamps & LEDs,” http://www.freedoniagroup.com/DocumentDetails.aspx?DocumentId=602974 a new study from The Freedonia Group. Sales will be driven by an increase in economic activity, personal income, global motor vehicle output and construction spending. Even more significant will be the ongoing shift to higher value, more efficient lighting technologies, especially as incandescent lamps are phased out. This shift is being propelled by the rising availability of LEDs and other high efficiency light sources at more affordable prices. Prices for CFLs and LEDs are expected to fall significantly. 2/21 HCN

4.      $200 Million in Energy Efficiency Funding - President Obama will propose $200 million in his next budget for a "Race to the Top" program rewarding states that pursue energy efficiency, asking Congress to put teeth on an initiative to help the US use less electricity. The proposed energy-efficiency funding would "support state governments that implement effective policies to cut energy waste," specifically measures such as modernizing utility rules and building codes to encourage efficiency and standardizing financing for energy-efficiency upgrades. Congress would have to vote to fund the initiative, but the administration believes it can work with lawmakers to implement the new effort under existing law, without authorizing any new programs. http://www.mondaq.com

5.      2013 ENERGY STAR Products Partner Meeting - To be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 7-9, 2013. The three day meeting will include sessions with policy and program updates at the national, regional, and local levels; topical sessions to expand on certain plenary topics and address a range of product-specific issues; campaign and communications sessions; an ENERGY STAR product expo; and the opportunity to organize and conduct one-on-one networking meetings and interact with other ENERGY STAR stakeholders. https://www.energystar.gov/partnermeeting

6.      LIGHTFAIR International April 21 – 25, 2013 Pennsylvania Convention Center - As the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference, LIGHTFAIR® International blends continuing education courses with innovative products ranging from high-end design to cutting-edge technology. Experience LIGHTFAIR 2012 with these short videos:

• LFI 2012 Breaks All Records' 
• LFI 2012 Excitement Continues... 
• LFI 2012 Welcomes Huge Crowds in Las Vegas LFI 2012 Prepares to Open Trade Show Floor

http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/

 

7.      Efficiency Sales Professional Certification - 3 Chances to Attend - Turbocharge your success at one of the following, 6-day action-packed boot camps. http://www.eefg.com/esp-cert

• March 4-9 Sacramento, CA. Sponsored by SMUD. (SMUD’s generous support reduces the tuition for 50 qualified attendees.)
• March 18-23 Efficiency Sales Professional Institute in San Francisco, CA (Special early bird pricing going on now.)
• April 8-13 San Diego, CA. Sponsored by SDG&E. (SDG&E’s generous support reduces the tuition for 50 qualified attendees.)

The program is taught by Mark Jewell, a nationally recognized subject matter expert, author, coach, and speaker focused on applying energy efficiency to create value.