News Updates for the Week of February 10

1.      Jason Brown Stumbles, Yet Charms as U.S. Opens Final Day of Team Figure Skating Event - With the U.S. sitting third in Sochi’s team figure-skating competition, 19-year-old Jason Brown, son of Steve Brown, CEO of A.L.P. Lighting and grandson of the founder, Bill Brown. making his Olympic debut, got the Russian crowd clapping along for his Riverdance-style free skate to “Reel around the Sun” at the Iceberg Skating Palace Sunday but fell short of the marks he’s capable of after falling at the front end of three-jump combination.  Brown opened with a beautiful triple axel-triple toe into a camel spin. His program gained steam from there, but the fall followed.  After taking silver at last month’s U.S. Championships, Brown’s popularity has soared with over 3.5 million hits on his YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzpyI5oavEo&feature=youtu.be  He was introduced to the Olympic audience as "an internet sensation." Jason helped Team USA win bronze in Team Figure Skating… http://www.washingtonpost.com  

2.      DOE Early Lessons Learned in Bringing SSL to Market - The U.S. DOE has published a new report that documents early challenges and lessons learned in the development of the SSL market. Entitled Solid-State Lighting: Early Lessons Learned on the Way to Market, it summarizes early actions taken by DOE and others to avoid potential problems that were anticipated based on lessons learned from the market introduction of CFLs. The report also identifies issues, challenges, and new lessons that have been learned in the early stages of SSL market introduction. The report is available at www.ssl.energy.gov/tech_reports.html. A webinar on the report will be presented on Thursday, February 20, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information on the webinar: DOE SSL website

3.      Zhaga References NEMA Dimming Spec for LED Drivers, Notes Safety Requirements - The Zhaga Consortium has formally added requirements that LED light engines with integrated control gear support the NEMA SSL 7A-2013 dimming specification and also noted that socketable modules must meet new UL safety standards. The Zhaga Consortium has announced that it will now require dimmable LED light engines that include driver electronics—what Zhaga terms integrated control gear—to perform in compliance with the NEMA SSL 7A-2013 standard for phase-cut dimming. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2013/10/zhaga-references-nema-dimming-spec-for-led-drivers-notes-safety-requirements.html

 

4.      LEDs Change Thinking About the Light Bulb - Lights are no longer just for lighting. With the development of LED lamp technology, the lowly light bulb is doing more than turning on and off. A lamp can be the centerpiece of an environment meant to improve health, moods and even food. LEDs can create light in multiple colors, generate less heat and use a fraction of the energy of older types of bulbs. And LEDs can be controlled remotely from a PC or smartphone app, as programmable as a television. Philips sells a range of energy-enhancing lights, including the goLITE BLU, a panel of blue LEDs. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/technology/personaltech/leds-change-thinking-about-the-light-bulb.html?_r=1

5.      Lighting Up LEDs - "Out with the Romex Wire: In with the Category 6 Cable"  The relentless penetration of IT has a long history of changing building systems; transforming analog phones to digital phones, changing analog surveillance cameras, IP-enabled access control, IPTV as well as a host of other systems. The next building system to transform to an IT structure is low voltage LED systems; it's been in the making for a few years and led by some of the innovative companies and early adopters. It's now at the point that where we can project that the IT structure for LED lighting systems will become the new norm. http://www.smart-buildings.com/

6.      2014 LED Industry Directory & Market Database - The LED Industry Directory from LED Journal is an annual reference guide to LED manufacturers and suppliers.  It contains important market information organized in a way to make it a valuable reference tool for industry analysis and contacts including business development and lead generation efforts. Readers, purchasers, and users of the directory include:

• Manufacturers of LEDs
• Manufacturers of LED Packages/Modules/Arrays 
• Manufacturers of LED Applications/OEM Integrator/LED Systems 
• Dealers of LED Products 
• Service Providers                                      

 http://www.ledjournal.com/main/order-a-directory/

7.      DOE 2014 SSL R&D Workshop Presentations Posted - Held on January 28–30 in Tampa, FL. 200 attendees explored such topics as creating added value with intelligent lighting and using spectral control to shape the lighting experience. The workshop offered a rich mix of perspectives and insights from manufacturers, research institutions, industry, academia, and government—and a unique forum to discuss innovative concepts, new directions, and key barriers that stand in the way of moving the technology to the next level. The workshop presentations and materials have been posted on: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/tampa2014_materials.html

8.      The Electrical Industry's Top Ten News Stories of 2013 - Two of the Top Ten stories in 2013 relate to what’s happening in energy:

#4. Lighting manufacturers acquire niche product manufacturers to fortify their positions in the LED market. It would be tough to name another product market that has undergone such a complete transformation as the lighting business’s fast march toward LEDs. LED new products are obsoleting entire product categories, an entire generation of new players are moving into the lighting market from the semiconductor industry, and household names in the lighting business are trying to reinvent themselves to compete in the solid-state era.

#8. Excitement over renewables dies down a bit. With the exception of the states in the Wind Belt that extends from the Dakotas down through Texas and those areas where local utilities are building massive solar farms, it seems like most folks in the electrical business aren’t quite as jazzed about the sales potential of solar and wind. The local financial incentives that help support solar in some states are drying up. http://ewweb.com/news/electrical-industrys-top-ten-news-stories-2013

9.      Cary, NC installing 8,000 American Electric Lighting (Acuity Brands) LED Streetlights - The project, done in partnership with energy provider Progress Energy, will replace the majority of the city’s streetlights with LED streetlight fixtures. http://www.newstreetlights.com   

10.  How LED Streetlights Will Change Cinema (And Make Cities Look Awesome) - The decision by the city of Los Angeles last year to replace its HPS streetlights—known for their distinctive yellow hue—with new, blue-tinted LEDs might have a profound effect on at least one local industry. All of those LEDs, with their new urban color scheme, will dramatically change how the city appears on camera, thus giving Los Angeles a brand new look in the age of digital filmmaking. http://gizmodo.com/led-streetlights-will-change-hollywood-and-make-every-c-1514840416

News Updates for the Week of December 16

1.      Smart Lighting Markets and Opportunities 2013 - This report is NanoMarkets' latest analysis of the worldwide smart lighting market. It offers guidance on where new smart lighting business revenues will be generated over the next few years and beyond. The report shows how new value is being created in the lighting market by adding enhanced electronics and intelligent luminaires and how such product strategies will be able to build on the massive trend towards introducing LED lighting.   Also included in this new report is an analysis of the smart lighting strategies of the firms that NanoMarkets expects to see as major players in the smart lighting space. For more information: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/mlo68qz/smart_lighting_markets_and_opportunities_2013  

2.      New Law Leads to Light Bulb Hoarders - As of Jan. 1, federal legislation will ban the manufacture of bulbs rated at 40, 60, 75, and 100 watts. Even though the manufacturing of 40-watt and higher bulbs will shut down, stores will be able to sell existing inventories that could last months, and specialized or lower wattage bulbs will still be permitted. 12/06 The Beaumont Enterprise

3.      Cree Ushers in the End of the Incandescent Light Bulb - Home Depot has been selling 60w and 40w Cree bulbs for about $10. Now Cree has reached another milestone with the introduction of a 75-watt replacement bulb. At $24 per bulb, it’s going to take a while to catch on, but the thing uses just 13.5 watts to produce 1100 lumens of light. And it is cheaper than a competing offering from Phillips at $30. Shares in Cree have been on a roller coaster ride in recent months, but are up nearly 350% in five years, and 79% in the past year. 12/09 Forbes

4.      BD+C Publishes Special LED Section - by Craig DiLouie - BUILDING DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION recently published a special LED section in its November issue. The special section talks about the relationship between LED technology and sustainability building practices, which was a general theme for the issue, and presents several projects that exemplify good design using LED lighting. http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=182550&p=83

5.      DOE Excludes R20 Short Lamps from Coverage Under the EPCA Energy Conservation Standards - DOE is granting the NEMA's petition specifically, to exclude the lamp at issue, a 100-watt R20 short (having a maximum overall length of 3 and 5⁄8 or 3.625 inches) IRL (“R20 short lamp”). http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2010-BT-PET-0047

6.      Fluorescent Bulbs - 2013 Global Strategic Business Report - This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Fluorescent Bulbs in US$ Million. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2010 through 2018. The rapid penetration of LEDs due to its rising efficiency and declining price is forecast to dent prospects of other energy efficient replacements of incandescents over the coming years. For the present however, fluorescent lamps, including linear fluorescent and CFLs, dominate the global lighting market in value terms. The report profiles 77 companies…click on: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/mb441ak/fluorescent_bulbs_global_strategic_business

7.      Schools Face a Potential PCBs Threat from Dated Lighting Fixtures -EPA released a management guide for PCB-containing fluorescent lighting fixtures. School administrators and maintenance personnel should take time to inspect fluorescent lighting fixtures as some may have ballasts that contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The EPA has released information that provides guidance on what to do if this is the case. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/ballasts.htm

8.      LED Street Lighting the Newest Challenge to Old Utility Business Models - In most cities around the country, the local electric distribution company provides overhead street lighting as a basic service at a flat monthly rate per light, which includes the light itself, maintenance, and electricity. Therein lies the rub—regulated utilities often have little incentive to invest in more efficient streetlights, which offer a reliable, consistent, and often lucrative revenue stream that comes at a time of day (or night) when demand is low. http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2013_11_26_Street_Fight

9.      EW's LED Product Picks of the Week - In this week's Electrical Wholesaling's Product Picks we highlight some of the more interesting LED products that hit the market recently. Making the EW Product Picks for this week are products from GE Lighting, McGraw-Edison/Cooper Lighting/Eaton, Cree, Lutron, Kichler Lighting and Modern Forms/WAC Lighting. http://ewweb.com/gallery/ews-led-product-picks-week-12112013

10.  Cree Supplies LEDs to Baytown, TX - Baytown, TX became the first city in the state of Texas to light freeways with LED fixtures mounted on double-arm 54-ft poles spaced at 270 ft. The company also announced the new LEDway High Output (HO) family that extends maximum output to 26,800 lm, enabling easy retrofit of 400W HID fixtures. Caltrans, meanwhile, is installing LED lighting on the new eastern span of the San Francisco, California Bay Bridge. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/12/8

11.  Build a Greener Adirondacks (BAGA) - The older housing stock and cold winters in the Adirondacks mean that even more energy is wasted in this region than in others. The Build a Greener Adirondacks (BAGA) conference and workshops provide information for local contractors, builders, code officers and others in the building trade to learn more about how new building technologies and ideas can erase energy waste for home owners and allow builders to offer real options for their clients. The BAGA conference on January 30th and GPRO training on January 29th are great places to join your fellow building professionals in learning what works in the Adirondacks. http://www.wildcenter.org/baga

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/