News Updates for the Week of November 25

1.      LED Lighting Market Value in 2014 to Reach US$17.8 Billion, Says LEDinside - The total shipments of LED lighting products will reach 1.32 billion units, representing 68% on-year growth. LEDinside pointed out that the global LED lighting product replacement tide is caused by falling LED product prices. With replacement lamps being the most obvious, bulbs and tubes are the most popular ones in the market, which account for 38% and 24% of LED lighting product demand in 2013, respectively. In addition, the demand for LED luminaires in the future will gradually rise. According to the data, the growth rate of LED lighting market demand volume in North America is expected to reach 72% in 2014; in Latin America 64%; in Europe 69%; in China 86%. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20131120PR204.html

2.      Top-10 Vendors to Occupy 69% of 2013 Global LED Lighting Sales - The 10 largest vendors will together account for 69% of global LED lighting product sales in 2013, according to Taiwan's Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA). The 10 largest vendors and respective global shares are Philips 20%, Osram 15%, Panasonic 8%, Toshiba 7%, Cree 4%, Endo 4%, Zumtobel 3%, Koizumi 3%, Iris Ohyama 3% and Sharp 2%, PIDA indicated. According to LEDinside, global LED lighting production value in 2014 will reach US$17.8 billion and corresponding shipments will increase 68% on year to 1.32 billion units. On-year growth in LED lighting sales volume in 2014 will be 72% in the North America market, 64% in Latin America, 69% in Europe and 86% in China. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20131118PD200.html

3.      OLED Lighting Opportunities 2013-2023: Forecasts, Technologies, Players - OLED and LED lighting are both solid-state technologies and offer overlapping value propositions per market segment. They will therefore compete directly in many instances. This report is divided into two parts: (a) technology and (b) market assessment. The first offers a comprehensive yet detailed overview of both LED and OLED lighting, going through fabrication processes, material compositions, technology roadmaps, and key players. The device attributes of each technology are also critically assessed, examining parameters such as color warmth and controllability, flexibility, efficiency, surface emission, lifetime, wafer size, and luminaire design.  The second section offers a blunt market assessment. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/clk772/oled_lighting

4.      Zhaga Publishes New Downlight and Rectangular LED Module Specifications - The Zhaga Consortium has published its Book 7 and 8 specifications for LED light engines (LLEs), essentially placing the standards into the public domain for usage by any company. The new specifications, for modules focused on linear/square fixtures and downlights respectively, join Books 1, 2, and 3 that Zhaga previously made available for public use. Modular solid-state lighting (SSL) technology in general, and Zhaga-based modules in particular, are meant to accelerate product development and in the case of Zhaga allow lighting manufacturers to choose from compatible LLEs offered by multiple vendors. There are now Zhaga specifications, that the consortium calls books, to serve in a variety of indoor and outdoor fixtures types. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/11/10

5.      DOE Publishes A Caliper Report and Subjective Study on LED PAR38 Lamps - The US DOE has published two reports on LED-based PAR38 retrofit lamps including an updated quantitative Caliper report on the lamps and a subjective report on light quality in which lighting designers rated various products. The Caliper report is an addendum to Report 20 in the DOE Caliper series that was initially issued in 2012, and the addendum covers six additional lamps and three additional benchmarks focused on the performance characteristics of the LEDs. The subjective report has been called Caliper 20.1 and covers the evaluation of beam quality, shadow quality, and color quality by lighting professionals. The report concluded that all 38 models of PAR38 lamps tested surpass halogen lamps in terms of energy efficiency. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/11/16

6.      ENERGY STAR® Center Beam Intensity Tool Update - The U.S. EPA has released an update to the Center Beam Intensity Tool for the ENERGY STAR Lamps specification to better reflect the Tool’s capabilities and limitations. The Tool was built using published data for common incandescent and halogen PAR and MR lamps in the market. The Tool’s underlying calculations remain unchanged, but now it will be clear when values entered are not supported by the underlying dataset. These updates were made to ensure that values generated by the tool reflect the intention of the tool and the incumbent technology dataset it was built from. Download at Light Bulbs for Partners

7.      Philips and Desso Announce Partnership to Develop Light Transmissive Carpets - Lighting maker Philips and carpet maker Desso said the partnership will further unlock the potential of LED integration into surfaces and will transform the way people interact with information and their environment in offices, hotels, conference centers and other public buildings. The LED light emitting carpets will provide many benefits in the areas of information, direction, inspiration and safety, such as guiding people around buildings, including safety exits and routes; enhancing the ambiance and atmosphere of the interior of buildings combining lighting with design and color; and helping to de-clutter spaces by making information visible only when needed. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20131119PR204.html

8.      LED vs. Everything Else: Interior & Exterior - Instructed by Stan Walerczyk, L.C., C.L.E.P.  Yes, LEDs are new, rapidly improving and have the 'wow' factor, but how do they currently compare with high performance incumbent technologies and some other new technologies in interior and exterior applications? How will these comparisons change in just one or two years? What are the best applications for currently available LED products? When should interim technologies be used before LEDs are really ready for prime time in some applications? 8-Hour Distance Learning Seminar; Earns 0.8 CEU / 8 PDH; Presented in four 2-hour live online sessions; New Program Starts January 13 AEE Seminars registrar@aeecenter.org

9.      History of the Light Bulb - http://energy.gov/articles/history-light-bulb  Incandescents and existing lighting fixtures use designs that date back to Edison’s days. Replacing the old bulbs with LEDs is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to saving energy on lighting. LED lighting systems designed to take full advantage of LED’s strengths have even greater energy-savings potential than forcing LEDs into 19th century fixtures. It’s hard to tell where lighting technology will go in the future, but one thing is clear: it won’t be your grandfather’s light bulb. To learn how the Energy Department is working to accelerate the efficiency and quality of LEDs, visit the Solid-State Lighting Program’s website

10.  Price of Electricity Hit Record for October; Up 42% in Decade - The price of electricity hit a record for the month of October, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That made October the eleventh straight month when the average price of electricity hit or matched the record level for that month. The average price of electricity in October was 13.2 cents per kilowatt hour (KWH), up from 12.8 cents per KWH in October 2012—and up from 9.3 cents per KWH in October 2003. Americans now pay 42 percent more for electricity than they did a decade ago. - See more at http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?ap

11.  2013 SSL Market Introduction Workshop Presentations Posted - More than 200 attendees gathered to share the latest updates and strategies for successful market introduction of high-quality, energy-efficient SSL solutions at the eighth annual DOE Solid-State Lighting Market Introduction Workshop, held November 12–14 in Portland, OR.  The workshop presentations and materials have been posted on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/portland2013_materials.html

12.  http://www.globalconevent.com/

 

News Updates for the Week of July 30

1.      U.S. Economic Growth Slows to a Rate of 1.5 Percent in the Second Quarter - High unemployment isn’t going away—not as long as the economy grows as slowly as it did in the April-June quarter.  Weak consumer spending held growth to an annual rate of just 1.5 percent, even less than the 2 percent rate in the first quarter. And few expect the economy to accelerate in the second half of the year as Europe’s financial woes and a U.S. budget crisis restrain businesses and consumers. The growth estimate Friday from the government suggested that the U.S. economy could be at risk of stalling three years after the recession ended. Economists generally say even 2 percent annual growth would add only about 90,000 jobs a month. That’s too few to keep up with population growth and drive down the unemployment rate, which is stuck at 8.2 percent. 7/27 Washington Post

2.      Universities Will Receive More Than $1M in Energy-Efficiency Grants - Mississippi universities will direct $1,175,000 toward increasing their energy efficiencies over the next few years. The USDOE will allocate $7.9 million to help 13 states develop cost-saving, whole-building retrofit programs in public facilities through its Advancing Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings category of competitive grants. Mississippi's grant was the largest in the category. 7/26 Mississippi Daily Journal http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-building-energy-efficiency-investments-twenty-two-states

 

3.      2012 Profile of the Electrical Contactor - For the past 50 years, Electrical Contractor has surveyed its readers every other year to get a snapshot of the industry and pinpoint emerging trends, opportunities and other changing dynamics. This 26th biannual survey, the 2012 Profile of the Electrical Contractor, reveals new markets, shows how once-emerging trends have become ingrained, and provides guidance. July 2012 Electrical Contractor http://www.ecmag.com/

4.      Will The Plastics Industry Kill LEED? - The latest skirmish in a decade-old battle broke out this week, as 20 trade groups announced a new coalition to challenge the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system as the dominant standard for buildings. The new coalition, the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition, includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Vinyl Institute, the Vinyl Siding Institute, the Flexible Vinyl Alliance, the Society of the Plastics Industry and 20 other industry associations. The group is lobbying the U.S. General Services Association, which requires the LEED standard for all federal buildings, to reconsider, opting instead to require the Green Globes standard (“The Practical Building Rating System,” according to its website), considered to be friendlier to industry, including the plastics industry, which has invested heavily in the building products space. http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/07/19/will-plastics-industry-kill-leed

5.      AD Encourages Affiliates to “Go For The Green” - AD held its second annual Clean Energy Summit July 23-25 in Chicago. The meeting featured a Clean Energy Expo, one-on-one strategy sessions, supplier training sessions and updates on AD’s Clean Energy Initiative, marketing, and program enhancements. http://www.tedmag.com/

6.      Lighting Efficiency Can Reduce Costs Up To 30% - New energy-efficiency requirements have created a large market for energy-efficient lighting equipment in the U.S., and can reduce electrical costs by up to 30% per month. Consumers are eager to not only adopt products that have the least impact on the environment, but also reduce energy consumption. Despite the vast opportunities in the market, intense competition and the higher initial costs of advanced lighting products are limiting revenue growth and market penetration. The slowdown in construction activity has further dampened the growth rate of the market. In the last few years, due to the challenging economic environment, customers have started inspecting more cost-effective systems. However, once the economy recovers, the market is anticipated to witness steady growth until 2016. 11. http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/25/lighting-efficiency-can-reduce-costs-up-to-30/

7.      2012 Better Buildings Federal Awards - The Better Buildings Federal Award recognizes the Federal Government's highest-performing buildings through a competition to reduce annual energy use intensity (Btu per square foot of facility space) on a year-over-year basis. The Federal building that achieves the greatest percentage energy intensity savings for that year wins. The competition is on! Featured here are the eight finalists competing in this year's race to reduce their building's fiscal year 2012 energy intensity. The winner will be decided after September 2012, the last month of the competition. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/betterbuildings.html

8.      Better Buildings Federal Award 2013 Guidelines for Entering - Agencies should consider nominating a building based on how well it expects the building to perform in 2013 as compared to 2012, taking into account a wide range of innovative or comprehensive energy management practices being undertaken by the building, including energy-saving projects and technologies as well as educational and outreach activities that encourage behavior change. The winner is the Federal building that reduces its energy intensity the most as compared to the previous year.  http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/bbfa_about.html

9.      SSL Market Introduction Workshop Presentations Posted - The seventh annual DOE Solid-State Lighting Market Introduction Workshop, was held on July 17–19 in Pittsburgh. Nearly 200 attendees gathered to share the latest updates and strategies for successful market introduction of high-quality, energy-efficient SSL solutions. The workshop was preceded by a series of tutorials for those new to SSL. The tutorial and workshop presentations and materials have been posted on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/pittsburgh2012_materials.html 

10.  Avnet Opens Lighting Lab to Help Customers Test LEDs - Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, a business region of Avnet Inc. and a distributor of LED components for use in general lighting applications, has opened a lighting lab in Chandler, Ariz., that will enable its customers to test and measure a wide range of LED applications. The Avnet Light Lab is a 900-square-foot facility designed to measure the key optical, electrical and thermal characteristics of high-power LEDs, modules and luminaires. http://avnetondemand.com 

11. Philips 2Q Revenue, Profit Rise Gains in Health Care, Lighting Divisions and Cost Savings - Improved sales of health care products and LED lighting at Royal Philips Electronics NV combined with cost-cutting measures to help the electronics giant post rises in revenue and net profit in the second quarter, LED light sales grew 37 percent compared to the second quarter in 2011 and now account for 20 percent of the company’s 2Q lighting sales of just over €2 billion ($2.44 billion). 7/23 Washington Post

News Updates for the Week of June 20

1. Panasonic Looks to Aggressively Ramp LED Lighting Sales - The company is targeting an increase in LED lighting up to 40% of all its lighting business by 2015 and 40% of the total will some from international markets. Panasonic is focusing on the China market due to the country's strong emphasis on conserving energy mapped out in the 12th five-year plan. Panasonic aims for its revenues from the lighting business in China to reach US$464 million in 2015, five times more the figure in 2009, and the sale of LED lighting in to reach 60% of total lighting sales in China. Furthermore, Panasonic will expand its lighting stores in China to 5,000 by 2015, extending to second- and third-tier cities. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110617PD215.html

2. LED Lighting Prices to ‘Plummet’ By 2015 - VantagePoint Capital Partners, the Silicon Valley investor, expects prices for LEDs to “plummet” within three years as competition intensifies to satisfy surging demand for energy-efficient lights. It may fall 90 percent by 2015. VantagePoint has invested about $750 million in 32 clean technology companies. Those include four that make LED products: Switch Bulb Co., Bridgelux Inc., Huga Optotech Inc. (8199) and Glo AB. 6/16 Bloomburg

3. Five Million Smart Meters Installed Nationwide as Part of Grid Modernization Effort - Nearly 90 percent of the meters installed to date are in Florida, Texas, California, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan and Nevada. http://www.energy.gov/news/10362.htm

4. Voices for SSL Efficiency 2011 DOE SSL Market Introduction Workshop - July 12–14, 2011 • Seattle, WA - As more and more high-performance, high-efficiency solid-state lighting (SSL) products flood the market, what do buyers and specifiers need to know to make informed choices? What is really needed to accelerate adoption and realize significant energy savings? Join the U.S. DOE and our nation's leading voices for efficiency at the sixth annual DOE SSL Market Introduction Workshop, where we'll share the latest updates and strategies for successful market introduction of high-quality, energy-efficient SSL solutions. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/seattle2011.html

5. The Aftermath of the Tragic Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan - The Fukushima Daiichi power plant has caused an immediate impact on U.S. nuclear power generation. There have been calls from political figures for a moratorium on new plants, and escalated fears surrounding plants in seismically active areas. However, as the situation in Japan stabilizes, and more information is understood, we will find that nuclear power generation remains an important and safe clean energy solution for the country. http://www.energybiz.com/

News Updates for the Week of April 25

1. UD Collaborating With LG Innotek On Advanced Solar Cell Research - The UD solar institute, a U.S. Department of Energy University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education, recently won a three-year, $780,000 contract from LG Innotek to pursue pioneering research on wide band-gap solar cells, which absorb less sunlight, but produce a higher voltage than solar cells currently on the market. LG Innotek is among the top-10 electronics manufacturers in the world, producing LEDs used in flat-screen TVs, semiconductors for automobile motors, and camera sensors for mobile phones, including Apple's latest iPhone, lighting, among other products. http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2011/feb/solar-cell-research-022411.html

2. DOE Publishes Updated SSL R&D Plan – The DOE has published the March 2011 edition of the Solid-State Lighting (SSL) R&D Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP). The report provides a description of the activities the Department plans to undertake over the next several years to implement its SSL mission, and informs the development of annual SSL R&D funding opportunities. The document reviews SSL technology status and trends for both LEDs and organic OLEDs, and offers an overview of the current DOE SSL R&D project portfolio. Significant updates to the Technology Research and Development Plan include revised efficiency projections, priorities, task descriptions, and metrics to align DOE targets with progress made to date and industry trends. To download a PDF copy of the updated Plan, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html

3. Housing Starts in U.S. Increased to 549,000 in March, Exceeding Forecasts - A gain in March housing starts failed to make up for ground lost the prior month, as U.S. home builders continue to struggle almost two years into the economic recovery. Work began on 549,000 houses at an annual pace, up 7.2 percent from the prior month and exceeding the 520,000 median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. 4/19 Bloomberg News

4. Existing Home Sales Gain Raises Cautious Hope - Home resales volumes bounced back in March, a hopeful sign for recovery in the housing market, but prices continued to decline. The housing market is struggling to find its footing as a wave of foreclosed properties keeps supply up but prices down. The housing sector led the economy into its worst recession since the 1930s in 2007-2008 and is now lagging recovery in the broader economy. Existing home sales in March rose 3.7 percent from February to an annual rate of 5.10 million units, the National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday. Economists had expected a smaller increase to a 5.0 million-unit pace. 4/20 Reuters

5. Leading Indicators Point to Strengthening Economy - US leading indicators up in March for 9th straight month, but consumers worry about inflation. The Conference Board, a private research group, said U.S. economic growth should strengthen by summer, but cautioned that consumer concerns over rising gas and food prices could drag on the expansion. Its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.4 percent in March. The index, which is a measure of future economic activity, has increased for nine straight months. 4/21 AP

6. Transparent Photovoltaic Cells Turn Windows Into Solar Panels - A new class of transparent photovoltaic cells has been developed that can turn an ordinary windowpane into a solar panel without impeding the passage of visible light, scientists said Tuesday. The cells could one day transform skyscrapers into giant solar collectors, said Richard Lunt, one of the researchers on the project. Previous attempts at transparent solar cells have either failed to achieve high efficiency or blocked too much light to be used in windows. But the new cells, based on organic molecules similar to dyes and pigments, are tailored to absorb only the near-infrared spectrum and have the potential to transform that light into electricity at relatively high efficiency. The largest challenge in developing commercial applications for the new solar cells will be longevity. The cells could be packaged in the middle of double-paned windows, which would provide protection from the elements. But the longevity of the cells would still need to approach the life span of the windows themselves, which would not be replaced for decades. 4/20 NY Times Green

7. University of Hawai'i Community Colleges Selects Johnson Controls to Implement $58 Million Energy Savings Program - University of Hawai'i Community Colleges (UHCC) and Johnson Controls today announced the start of a comprehensive energy efficiency and conservation program projected to save the university more than $58 million in energy and operational savings over the life of the 20-year performance contract. Solar hot water, energy efficient air conditioning and lighting retrofits are among the solutions provided by Johnson Controls. 4/21 PRNewswire

8. Appalachian Power to Launch Energy Efficiency Incentives and Rebate Programs - Appalachian Power, engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power, has announced that it is launching a series of energy efficiency incentive and rebate programs to help West Virginia residential and business customers offset rising electricity costs and become better consumers of energy. The SMART Lighting Program offers customers the opportunity to buy compact-fluorescent light bulbs at reduced prices. The program also offers discounts on other forms of smart lighting. For commercial and industrial customers, the Prescriptive Program is designed to generate energy savings for all commercial and industrial customers through the use of high efficiency lighting, HVAC and motors. 4/21 Datamonitor

9. KU Asks to Expand Energy Efficiency Programs - Kentucky Utilities has asked the state Public Service Commission for permission to expand its energy efficiency programs. If approved, the request would create three new offerings and tweak five existing ones. To learn more about existing energy efficiency programs: www.LGE-KU.com/ee

10. Financial results: Philips, Cree - LED products accounted for 14% of Philips’ lighting sales in the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, shares in Cree and SemiLEDs have been hit by poor recent performance. Packaged LED sales by Philips Lumileds represented 45% of total LED product sales, or around $717 million, for the year ending March 2011. Sales of LED lamps and luminaires accounted for around $876 million. Philips’ lighting sales $10.9 billion in the 12 months representing growth of 6%. The company expects that the global lighting market will grow at a CAGR of 7-9% during 2010-2015. Cree, Inc. has announced revenue of $219.2 million for the quarter ended March 27, 2011. This is 6% down compared to revenue of $234.1 million for the same quarter last year, and a 15% decrease compared to the previous quarter. For its fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 ending June 26, 2011, Cree targets revenue in a range of $225 million to $245 million. 4/20 LEDs Magazine

11. Energy Saving Light Bulbs 'Contain Cancer Causing Chemicals' - Fears have been reignited about the safety of energy saving light bulbs after a group of German scientists warned that they contain cancer causing chemicals. Their report advises that the CFL bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on. Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.” British experts insisted that more research was needed and urged consumers not to panic. Dr. Michelle Bloor, senior lecturer in Environmental Science at Portsmouth University, told the Daily Express: “Further independent studies would need to be undertaken to back up the presented German research.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8462626/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals.html

Something to Think About...

Which LED Products Should Be Selected? By Stan Walerczyk, CLEP, LC, Lighting Wizards

As you are probably already aware, there is a big range of excellent to very bad LED, which are also called solid state lighting (SSL), products. Some manufacturers are well known with proven track records and deep pockets, which may be necessary to handle potential large warranty issues. Other manufacturers may be relatively unknown, small, and under-funded, reselling imported products, and only in business for a year or two, so how good would their warranties be?


For those of you that have been in lighting long enough, you can remember that numerous electronic ballast manufacturers went out of business in the late 80s and early 90s, because they could not handle taking care of warranties. I have done a lot of research on SSL over the last three years, keeping track of performance and pricing improvements and evaluating how the best SSL products compare with high performance traditional products. I am also on the DOE CALiPER Guidance Committee.


With this expertise, I can usually provide very useful information at a very reasonable cost. My consulting fee can be a drop in the bucket compared to the problems from installing wrong products from wrong manufacturers.

If you are considering specifying or purchasing a specific SSL product, or if you want to know which SSL products or high performance incumbent technology products are the most cost effective solutions for specific applications, please call or email: 925-944-9481; stan@lightingwizards.com http://www.lightingwizards.com/ One freebie is avoid LED T8s…

On a related note, if you come to Lightfair this May, please attend my ‘How Do LEDs Compare With High Performance Fluorescent, Induction, Halogen, Plasma & HID’ workshop. http://www.lightfair.com/

News Updates for the Week of October 18

1. Rebate Programs Continue to Grow - 2010 has been an incredibly good year for businesses looking to take advantage of valuable rebates for installing efficient lighting systems. At the end of 2009, 60% of the US was covered by a lighting rebate or incentive. Now, rebates for energy efficient lighting in non-residential applications cover over 77% of the US; a 30% increase!
http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Oct10-1.html

2. ACEEE 2010 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard - California retained its #1 ranking for the fourth year in a row, outpacing all other states in its level of investment in energy efficiency across all sectors of its economy. The balance of the top 10 states: Massachusetts (#2, holding steady) ; Oregon (#3, up from #4); New York (#4, up from #5); Vermont (#5, up from #6); Washington (#6, up from #7); Rhode Island (#7, up from #9); Connecticut (tied for #8, down from #3); Minnesota (tied for #8, holding steady); and Maine (#10, holding steady). The four most-improved states - Utah (tied for #12, up 11 spots from 2009), Arizona (#18, up 11 spots), New Mexico (#22, up eight spots), and Alaska (#37, up eight spots). In general, the Southwest region demonstrated considerable progress from 2009 to 2010. The full report is available online at www.aceee.org/research-report/e107

3. CFL Mercury Content to Decline - Member companies of NEMA have agreed to cap mercury at 4 mg per bulb for those bulbs using 25 watts or less, and 5 mg per bulb for those of higher wattages. This is a 1-mg drop from the previous limit. 10/12 Philadelphia Inquirer

4. Release of ENERGY STAR Luminaires Draft 2 Version 1.0 - See the memo from the U.S. EPA announcing the release of Draft 2 Version 1.0 of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Luminaires. This specification, is intended long term to replace the existing Residential Light Fixtures (V4.2) and Solid State Lighting Luminaires (V1.1) specifications. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on this draft to EPA no later than Friday, October 29, 2010. Comments should be submitted to luminaires@energystar.gov, with “ENERGY STAR Luminaires Draft 2 Comments” in the subject line.

5. 2010 DOE SSL Market Introduction Workshop Report Posted - The DOE has published the summary report from the fifth annual DOE Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Market Introduction Workshop, held July 21–22 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A PDF copy of the report may be downloaded from the DOE SSL Web site at www.ssl.energy.gov/philadelphia2010_materials.html

6. WECC Distributed Lighting Control System Saves 75% or More in Energy Costs - The DLCS provides for dimming, dynamic scheduling, daylight harvesting, lumen maintenance, bulb/ballast fault detection, and on-site or remote aggregate control, and meets Title 24 instant-demand response requirements. DLCS technology can provide virtual lamp control for T5, T8, CFL, LED, HID and inductive lamps with on-site or remote access--wired or wireless. www.worldenergycontrol.com

7. Construction Industry Unemployment at Highest September Rate Ever Recorded - The number of people working in construction is approaching a 14-year low now that the industry lost 21,000 jobs in September, while construction unemployment is at a September high of 17.2% percent, according to an analysis of federal employment figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The construction industry continues to suffer from declining investments in construction and broad uncertainty about the future of many federal infrastructure programs and tax rates, association officials note. 10/15 EC&M

8. California Governor Announces Launch of Green Jobs Website - The Clean Energy Jobs website can be found at www.energy.ca.gov/cleanenergyjobs. It aims to provide resources to Californians that are geared towards promoting jobs related to recycling, clean transportation, renewable energy and other green opportunities. Currently, the site consists of 48 programs which offer training to Californians in these lucrative fields. The programs and training are offered through organizations like community colleges, local workforce investment boards and private industry groups.

9. Acuity Brands Unveils New Intelligent Lighting and Controls Training Center At Its Sensor Switch Facility - Located in Wallingford, CT, this facility is designed to provide hands-on training for Sensor Switch customers and business partners and to showcase the newest Acuity Brands intelligent LED lighting and lighting controls solutions. http://www.lightnowblog.com/