News Updates for the Week of November 19

1.      Osram Sylvania Wins Race to Offer 100W-Equivalent LED A-Lamp - Just a few weeks back, Philips Lighting announced that it was readying to ship its 100W-equivalent and that the lamps would be in Home Depot by December 1. So the race is mainly for bragging rights, but the availability of 100W-equivalent LED lamps is a positive move for the industry.  The Osram lamp is selling for $50 at Lowe's now. Philips has said that Home Depot will price its product at $55.  The Sylvania product outputs 1600 lm with efficacy of 80 lm/W. It has a CRI of 80 color temperature of 2700K, 25,000-hr rated life, and is dimmable to 10%.  Philips says its lamp will deliver 1780 lm and is a 22W lamp. Both are A-21. Back at LFI, GE Lighting said its lamp would deliver 1600 lm and consume 27W and will be A-19. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/6

2.      LIGHTFAIR to Move to San Diego in 2016 - The 2016 staging at the San Diego Convention Center marks the San Diego premiere for LFI, which is produced alternately annually in large east- and west-coast venues. The San Diego location follows LFI’s long-running staging in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center, its west-coast venue beginning in 1998, continuing in 2001 and then recurring in even years 2004-2012. LIGHTFAIR^® International 2013 is set to produce the single-largest trade show and conference in its 24-year history April 21-25 in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center, which will house important new category additions accommodated by expansion to an additional exhibit hall. www.lightfair.com

3.      World LED Lighting Markets (2012 Update) - The LED lighting market is growing, driven predominantly by supportive legislation phasing out inefficient lighting technologies. Frost & Sullivan research service examines the global LED lighting market, providing specific breakdowns for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World. Decreasing prices, improving quality, and increasing technical advantages are significant influences on the market’s anticipated growth trajectory. The study period is 2008-2018, with a base year of 2011 and a seven-year forecast period of 2012-2018. Key market drivers and restraints, market engineering measurements, and forecasts and trends for the total market, are analyzed. http://www.frost.com

4.      Google Investing in Green Energy in Greene County, Iowa - Google invested $75 million in a 50 MW wind farm in Rippey, a small town in Greene County, Iowa, bringing the company just short of $1 billion in investments in green energy projects. The wind farm, developed by RPM Access, is expected to produce enough energy to power over 15,000 Iowa homes. It uses turbines produced by Nordex USA at their Jonesboro, Arkansas facility. The energy produced by the wind farm has been contracted to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, an Iowa-based utility that will deliver the energy to local consumers. http://www.google.com/green/energy/investments/

5.      LEDucation Expands Expo Floor for 7th Annual Educational Event/Expo on MARCH 20, 2013 in NYC - The new larger expo space at the Penn Plaza Pavilion allows for additional exhibitors to join the long list of veteran exhibitors from previous years. Exhibit hours for 2013 will begin with expo doors opening at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. LED presentations will begin at 11:00 a.m. thru 7:00 p.m. Visit theLEDucation website (leducation.org) for details on attending, exhibiting, and educational sessions or visit the host website at (www.dlfny.com).

6.      Lighting for Aging Vision & Health - Robert Dupuy, IALD, LC & Eunice Noell-Waggoner, LC provide an in depth perspective on the subject of lighting for aging vision & health for the November session of the Human Centric Lighting Committee. http://humancentriclighting.com/?p=738

7.      White Paper: Choosing the Right LED Product for Industrial Applications - If you’re using HID or HPS fixtures, your lighting energy costs are probably in the range of $1 per square foot per year--meaning that your 200,000 square foot facility likely costs $200,000 annually. The way to reduce that massive energy expense is to upgrade to industrial LED lighting, which can reduce lighting energy use up to 90%. This white paper by Digital Lumens provides a comprehensive overview of the industrial LED alternatives—from plain LED fixtures to Intelligent LED Lighting Systems. http://ecmweb.com/whitepapers/white-paper-choosing-right-led-product-industrial-applications

8.      PECO Develops Additional Programs to Help Customers Save Energy and Money - On November 1 PECO filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for enhanced PECO Smart Ideas energy efficiency programs for residential and business customers. Following PUC review and approval the new programs would be available beginning in June, 2013. Included in PECO's filing are seven new programs for residential and business customers as well as the continuation of six existing programs. The programs are part of the company's ongoing support of Pennsylvania Act 129 and specifically the second phase of Act 129 energy efficiency and conservation targets. To view PECO's filing visit www.peco.com. To learn more visit www.peco.com/SmartIdeas.

9.      Maine Ripe for Energy-Efficiency Savings - Maine homes and businesses could trim their overall electricity consumption by 16 percent over the next decade by installing more-efficient lights, equipment and appliances, a new study for Efficiency Maine Trust has concluded. Efficiency Maine, an independent agency, was set up three years ago as a trust to guide and administer energy-efficiency and alternative energy programs in Maine. It spent $45 million in its first two years, with the money coming from a small surcharge on electricity bills. That spending leveraged as much as $50 million in private participation.  http://www.efficiencymaine.com/about

10.   An Afterlife for the Electric Car - Advocates of electric cars and renewable energy have talked for years about repackaging the battery packs built for cars as home energy storage devices once they can no longer hold enough charge to run a vehicle. The idea behind the prototype is two-fold: to provide a market for past-their-prime batteries, giving them a resale value that will lower their cost of ownership, and providing distributed storage that could be used to shore up weak spots on the grid or to absorb energy from intermittent sources like solar panels and wind machines and deliver it in a steady stream suitable for the power grid. A battery pack from a Chevy Volt. A new prototype lashes five of them together in an array that is supposed to provide two hours of electricity for three to five average houses. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

11.  Ford, Toyota Will Lead Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales in the U.S. Through 2020 - Assembly lines in Japan and the United States produced more than 20,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in 2011, an all-time record for such vehicles.  But optimism about the market for PEVs has gradually been replaced with a better understanding of the practical challenges of launching new models and expanding PEV sales to mainstream consumers unfamiliar with the technology.  Nevertheless, according to a recent report from Pike Research, sales of PEVs in the United States will climb steadily over the remainder of this decade with Ford and Toyota leading the way in the U.S. from 2012 to 2020. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/plug-in-electric-vehicles

Something to Think About

Social Marketing: Key Trends and Tools for B2Bs and B2Cs - http://www.marketingprofs.com/

More than three-quarters (76%) of marketers say their brands are conducting social media marketing, and an additional 16% plan to begin doing so by the end of 2012. Most of the marketers surveyed are focusing their social marketing efforts on the three largest US social networks: Facebook (89%), Twitter (77%), and LinkedIn (63%).

However, breaking those out into B2C and B2B pureplay responses proves more interesting:

• Among the pureplay B2B marketers surveyed who are conducting social marketing, LinkedIn is the channel of choice (85%), outpacing both Facebook (77%) and Twitter (77%). 
• Among B2C-only marketers who are conducting social marketing, Facebook is most popular at 94%, Twitter hovers at 78%, but LinkedIn drops to 39%.

More than two in five B2B and B2C marketers share video on social websites such as YouTube and Vimeo: 43% and 45%, respectively.

B2C marketers are more focused on Pinterest: 39% report using the image-sharing site for marketing, compared with 20% of B2B marketers. 

Notably, Pinterest adoption indexes even higher among various consumer verticals: content publishers (67%); entertainment companies (56%); and retailers (45%).

News Updates for the Week of November 12

1.      E Source Finds U.S. Businesses Annually Waste $60 Billion on Energy - A new E Source report reveals that U.S. businesses waste more than $60 billion annually on energy, presenting significant opportunities for utilities to increase enrollment in energy-efficiency programs. The report includes energy-use data from a variety of industries, including restaurants, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, data centers, education, and government.  E Source found that restaurants are among the worst offenders, with nearly 80 percent of the $10 billion spent annually by the commercial food service sector lost to inefficient cooking methods. Another sector of note is healthcare: On average, hospitals use twice as much energy per square foot as office buildings. For more information: http://www.esource.com/Blog/ESource/9-27-12-Waste

2.      Energy-Efficient LED Lighting Hits the Streets: 95 Percent of Cities Satisfied - There are more than 50 million streetlights in the United States. From parking lots to park trails to bridges, these ubiquitous lights permeate our night lives and go largely unnoticed by the sustainability-inclined city dweller.  But this necessary technology comes with a whopping energy cost. A 2009 University of Pittsburgh study shows most streetlights use high-pressure sodium bulbs. A 2012 survey by Northeast Group LLC was published in October, claiming 95 percent of U.S. cities that have tried LED streetlights are satisfied with the results, saving nearly 60 percent in costs. Yet, LED lighting currently accounts for only about 1 percent of the streetlights in the country. http://www.motherearthnews.com/energy-matters/led-streetlights-zb01210zrob.aspx

3.      400 Builders Commit to ENERGY STAR Homes in 2012 - Although we wonder how many new homes will be built in 2012, 400 of the nation's builders pledged they will meet newly upgraded ENERGY STAR standards, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 400 builders include six of the country's largest - Ashton Woods Homes, Beazer Homes, KB Home, Meritage Homes, M/I Homes and NVR, Inc. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23139

4.      Honeywell and Tinker Air Force Base Launch Landmark Efficiency Project - Honeywell today announced an $80.6-million energy efficiency project for the U.S. Air Force that will improve operations and cut utility costs at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) near Oklahoma City, Okla. The project is the Air Force's largest domestic energy retrofit funded through guaranteed savings to date. And, combined with previous Honeywell-led improvements and other on-base initiatives, it will help Tinker meet the mandated 30 percent energy reduction goal defined by Presidential Executive Order 13514. It should also remove Tinker from atop the list of the most energy-intensive Air Force bases. 10/30 PRNewswire

5.      New DOE GATEWAY Report on Occupancy Sensors for the Outdoor Lighting Market – The report, Use of Occupancy Sensors in LED Parking Lot and Garage Applications: Early Experiences, describes the results at four sites–two parking lots and two parking garages–where LED lighting was controlled by occupancy sensors. At this early stage, simply installing occupancy sensors in parking lots and garages don't guarantee you'll get energy savings, or that the energy savings you do get will be worth the initial cost. But the potential is there, waiting to be tapped by those who are willing to do their homework. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/2012_gateway_sensors.pdf 

6.      Cree-Powered LED in Best Buy Stores - An LED light bulb started selling in more than 1,000 Best Buy stores last week that’s made to look like a typical incandescent light bulb.  The bulb, called the Insignia LED bulb, is made with LED technology from Cree Inc., a Durham-based company.  This is the second consumer product made with Cree LEDs on the store shelves of a major national retailer, which also has an LED light that directs light downward selling in Home Depot stores.  The cost is $13.99 for an Insignia LED bulb that produces 450 lumens of light, and is meant to be equivalent to a 40-watt incandescent. An Insignia LED bulb that creates 800 lumens of light, and is equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb, is selling for $16.99. The Herald-Sun - Cree powered LED in Best Buy stores

7.      Rexel Acquires Munro Distributing Company - Rexel announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Munro Distributing Company, an electrical products and services distributor specializing in energy efficiency solutions in the Eastern United States and California. According to a Rexel press release, "Munro Distributing Company significantly reinforces Rexel's position in the U.S. as a premier provider of energy efficiency solutions. The combination of Rexel's robust energy platform within its Gexpro and Rexel Inc. banners and Munro Distributing Company will create an energy efficiency solutions offering of unrivaled scope in the U.S. market." http://www.tedmag.com

8.      Millions in Green Energy Grants, Loans Remain to Be Used - More than two years into a three-year government program to create jobs and boost energy efficiency in homes and businesses in three southeastern Wisconsin cities, many millions of dollars in grants and low-interest loans available for property owners remain uncommitted. Funded by federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $20 million program is focused on Madison, Milwaukee and Racine. And, while more than 500 homeowners and about 100 businesses have seen green updates under the program--known collectively as Wisconsin Energy Efficiency, or WE2, and as Green Madison locally--much opportunity remains in the program's last seven months. After that, any unused money must be returned to the federal government. 11/04 Wisconsin State Journal

9.      DOE Releases Feasibility Assessment of LED Roadway Lighting on the Golden Gate Bridge - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a technical feasibility assessment of replacing existing high-pressure sodium and low-pressure sodium roadway lighting on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The goal was to identify solutions which would reduce maintenance and energy use without compromising the quantity or quality of existing illumination. However, the historic status and high efficacy of the existing luminaires—as well as their accepted color characteristics—present challenges for energy-saving alternatives. The report is available for download at: www.ssl.energy.gov/gatewaydemos_results.html

10.  Election Results: What It Means for Energy in CA - Energy took the stage in Tuesday's elections, from the presidential race to California's long list of ballot propositions, and the results hold immediate and long-term implications for Southern California. The approval of Proposition 39 should funnel an estimated $500 million a year for five years into energy efficiency retrofits on buildings, starting with public schools and universities. As for Proposition 39, the measure closes at out-of-state tax loophole and is expected to raise up to $1 billion a year. Half of those funds will be dedicated to energy-efficiency retrofits.  That infrastructure investment is designed to pay off in long-term energy savings, adhering to existing state laws that stress conservation ahead of all other energy solutions. 11/8 North County Times

Monthly Special Feature

SSL Postings  postings@lightingfacts.com

OLEDs don't get as much publicity as LEDs, because they're a good five to seven years behind their inorganic cousins in terms of commercial deployment. But they have considerable potential to save energy, as well as a number of other advantages. So where do we stand with OLED technology today?

Over the past two decades, the widespread use of LEDs in calculators, cell phones, televisions, indicator lamps, and related applications has driven the combination of basic research and manufacturing development needed to produce LEDs that are commercially viable for general illumination. OLEDs, on the other hand, are relative newcomers and find themselves at a critical stage of their development when it comes to general illumination. While they've had success as displays in handheld devices and show great promise for use in flat-panel TVs, the commercial demand for them has not been anywhere near as broad as it's been for LEDs and has been much more recent, so that OLEDs haven't benefited from the same kind of investment. As a result, they still face a host of challenges in becoming adopted for lighting applications.

One of the biggest challenges is price. The current price of an OLED panel is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500/klm–compared with around $30/klm today and falling rapidly for an LED A-type lamp and $4/klm for a fluorescent T8 lamp and ballast. For OLED luminaires to be cost-competitive, the panel price needs to come down by at least a factor of 75 – to ~$20/klm or less – by 2020.

The root cause of this problem can be attributed to the nature of OLED devices. Because OLEDs are large-area, diffuse light sources, they require larger amounts of costly materials and precise manufacturing control and handling over large areas. Increasing the brightness of the OLED panels reduces the device area needed to achieve a given light output, which in turn leads to lower materials and manufacturing costs. Thus, developing an effective low-cost, scalable light-extraction approach would have the biggest near-term impact on efficacy and cost.

And while increasing the lumen density of the OLED panels can have a large impact on the cost of both panels and luminaires, this can't be done at the expense of panel lifetime. Developing stable novel materials and device architectures that have even higher efficiency and are suited to low-cost manufacturing are the other main challenges. In addition to increasing the efficacy of devices, materials costs need to be simultaneously reduced. In terms of materials, this includes substrates with light-extraction enhancement layers, the organic emission and charge transport layers, and the encapsulation materials and approaches. In terms of device architecture, a low-cost approach needs to be developed that yields consistent performance over very large areas. But merely improving the design of materials and device structures won't be enough to reach DOE and industry cost targets. Reaching those targets will require increased production volume and manufacturing experience.

What about OLED performance? Considerable advancement has been made in the past year or so, with efficacy up to 60 lm/W, CRI ~80, and brightness increasing to levels considered appropriate for general illumination. But OLEDs have the potential to become much more efficient, so significant headroom remains–particularly in light-extraction efficiency (which is now 70 percent) and reduced operating voltage. There's also room for improvement in the internal quantum efficiency and spectral efficiency of the panels, as well as in the driver and optical efficiency of the luminaire. Making all of these improvements will allow OLED panel performance to reach 190 lm/W, and OLED luminaire performance to reach DOE's 2020 target of 140 lm/W. However, these gains need to be developed while keeping costs competitive with other lighting technologies.

As for the future of OLEDs for general illumination, many feel that it hinges on differentiating them from other lighting technologies and demonstrating how they can be complementary rather than an either-or alternative. That shouldn't be a hard sell, given the inherent advantages OLEDs have. OLEDs can be configured as large-area, diffuse sources whose soft light can be viewed directly, with less need for shading, lenses, diffusers, louvers, or parabolic cells. This makes them ideal for general ambient lighting. On top of that, they can be molded to almost any shape when made on substrates that are thin and flexible, which allows them to be integrated more tightly into architectural designs. This not only shatters conventional conceptions of what a luminaire should look like, but even blurs the distinction between luminaire and light source and opens up such intriguing possibilities as windows that give off their own light at night.

A number of OLED products that are available on the market today show that the future has already begun. For example, Lumiotec came out last year with a portable flat panel equipped with a hook, which can be hung from any projection. And Acuity Brands now offers four separate families of OLED luminaires: Revel™, Kindred™, Trilia™ and Canvis™–the latter featuring a luminous surface that changes shape by interacting with building occupants through gestural control.

OLEDs are not likely to replace LEDs, but they clearly have the potential to become a viable part of SSL that makes us more energy-efficient while helping to transform the lighting landscape. And although it may take time, they're moving closer to that point with each passing year.

New Report on OLED Lighting Materials Market - Industry Analyst firm NanoMarkets has issued a new report on the OLED lighting materials market. In the report the firm projects that the OLED lighting materials market will grow from its current value of approximately $1.7 million in 2012 to over $1.1 billion in 2019 and surpass $1.3 billion in revenues in 2018 as OLED lighting moved beyond luxury luminaires and designer kits and into larger, general illumination applications. Additional details about the report are available on the NanoMarkets website at: http://www.nanomarkets.net/index.php/market_reports/report/oled_lighting_materials_market_forecast_2013