LED WALL LETS VISITORS PAINT WITH LIGHT Philips Electronics recently unveiled its Imagination Light Canvas, a first-of-its-kind, interactive light-wall utilizing 1,420 LEDs, a touch screen, and the company’s control technologies. Located in the women’s and children’s waiting area at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers, Arkansas, the light-wall allows visitors to use their hands to draw on it using an entire spectrum of colors and shapes. Images remain visible for a few minutes, then fade. The company says the light-wall lets up to six people draw on it at a time while only using the daily energy equivalent of a toaster.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDS SOLID-STATE LIGHTING ADVANCEMENTS The DOE has selected 13 solid-state lighting (SSL) research and development projects to receive up to $20.6 million in funding to assist the development of SSL core technology and products for general lighting applications. Companies selected for product development project funding are: Arkema, Cree, General Electric, Osram Sylvania Development, Philips Lumileds Lighting, and Universal Display Corporation. Organizations selected for core-technology development funding are: Add-Vision, Cyrstal IS, Georgia Institute ofTechnology, Lehigh University, PhosphorTech Corporation, and the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
DOE UPDATES SSL TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP The DOE released the March 2008 edition of the “Multi-Year Program Plan FY’09-FY’14: Solid-State Lighting Research and Development” technology roadmap with updates of its plans to undertake from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2014 to implement its mission of accelerating advancements in SSL technology. A PDF version of the roadmap can be downloaded at www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/publications/publications-techroadmaps.htm.
DOE SSL WORKSHOP MATERIALS AVAILABLE ONLINE For those who could not attend the DOE’s Transformations in Lighting Solid-State Lighting R&D Workshop held in Atlanta in January 2008, the seminar, keynote presentation, and reference materials used by presenters and speakers are available for download at www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/AtlantaWorkshop.html.
REMCO DEVELOPS LED STREETLIGHT PROTOTYPE Remco Solid State Lighting has developed and tested a prototype LED-based streetlight using its patented solid-state lighting technology and 98 percent efficient LED light engine, which the company says delivers a truly equivalent LED replacement for conventional cobra-head streetlights. In application testing, the Remco prototype consumed 111W to generate 4770 usable lumens, a 20 percent energy savings. The company says the commercial product, when completed, will achieve 50 percent energy savings at 72W.
DOE SEEKS SSL DEMONSTRATION PARTNERS To showcase high-performance LED products for general illumination applications and glean solid-state lighting product performance and cost-effectiveness data, the DOE organizes annual Gateway Demonstration installations. The 2008 invitation to participate has been issued, and parties interested in forming a demonstration team—usually consisting of a product manufacturer, host site, and an energy-efficiency organization or local utility—may apply by visiting www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/techdemos.htm.
LED CITY INITIATIVE CONTINUES TO GROW Launched in 2006, the LED City initiative encourages cities around the world to promote and implement LED technology in their infrastructures to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment, improve light quality, and save tax dollars. Supported by industry partners Cree, Lighting Science Group, AmTech Lighting Services, and Progress Energy, LED City’s members include Raleigh, North Carolina; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Austin, Texas; Toronto, Ontario; and China’s Tianjin Economic Development Area in Tianjin province.
STUDY CONFIRMS GROWING DEMAND FOR LEDS Cree recently released the results of an independent market survey on LED lighting adoption, deployment, and benefits, which indicates strong growth for LED applications globally and also confirms market awareness of solid-state lighting’s benefits. The survey indicated that the adoption trend should continue through the end of the decade, according to Cree, and future growth in the LED market is expected to come from a variety of applications. Street/parking, residential indoor, retail/display, and office lighting applications were cited as the leading opportunities for LED market growth. For more information on the study, visit www.creelighting.com.
LIGHTING FOR TOMORROW COMPETITION The 2008 Lighting for Tomorrow competition, which recognizes excellence in the design of energy-efficient residential lighting fixtures, will invite solid-state lighting entries in three specific categories. Entry deadline is April 30, 2008, and winners will be announced at the American Lighting Association’s annual conference in September. Visit www.lightingfortomorrow.com for more details.
OSRAM INTRODUCES LED BINNING FOR UNIFORMITY Osram Opto Semiconductors has developed an advanced fine binning for its white LEDs to provide a more uniform method of specification. The binning corresponds to a three-step McAdams ellipse (the region on a chromaticity diagram in which the human eye cannot distinguish any of the merging colors from the color at the ellipse’s center) and is available throughout Osram’s Power TOPLED, Advanced Power TOPLED, and Dragon product lines, which are ANSI/Energy Star-compliant. The company also has improved the color rendering index of its warm and neutral white LEDs to 80–plus.
