Industry Perception But will Zhaga be able to make an impact and transform the LED discussion? Looking at the list of lighting companies that have signed on as Zhaga members, one does get the sense that momentum is in the consortium’s favor when it comes to further and more widespread adoption. Interestingly, most of the companies appear to want to offer products that meet the Zhaga specification protocols, but to also leave room for products that continue along the lines of single-manufacturer specifications. The idea for this is that it is better to let the specifier decide which route he or she wants to take based on the client’s wishes and the project’s needs.
This might seem to be at odds with establishing the consortium in the first place, but given how quickly LED technology is changing, giving specifiers and manufacturers a Zhaga and a non-Zhaga option does allow for greater flexibility. It will be interesting to see if the push for interchangeability between LED products makes technology upgrades more likely to be adopted in what are still very traditional approaches to project scheduling and purchasing of equipment. The question remains how important these intermittent performance upgrades are to specifiers, as opposed to the overall lighting system solution. And it raises important questions about what the criteria should be for technology upgrades and product replacement in the long term.
Design Freedom Even though the consortium’s intent stems from the need to provide a better form of communication between companies working in the LED sphere, if interpreted the wrong way, standards do risk interfering with the design process and inhibiting creative freedom. Great product design focuses on incremental details. Designing to a particular platform—Zhaga or any other standard—potentially eliminates that.
It is then up to lighting designers to know when they should or shouldn’t avail themselves of a particular framework for product solutions. Manufacturers are also not immune to this phenomenon. One would hope that they continue to push themselves to innovate and create lighting options that provide quality lighting solutions while meeting today’s energy requirements—and even anticipate more stringent energy criteria.
Next Steps Zhaga, as an initiative, is addressing the challenges of LED market adoption and product development, all while trying to solve a serious problem. The lack of a common product and specification language has been somewhat problematic and especially frustrating for specifiers who are always trying to achieve the greatest flexibility in the design of their lighting solutions. But just how much the issue of interchangeability and the possibility to upgrade comes into play in the overall specification process is hard to say.
Perhaps rather than focusing on market adoption of LED products, companies should focus on how they can make better products and incorporate more sustainable manufacturing processes into luminaire design. This is particularly relevant when it comes to LED luminaires. SSL gives our industry so much flexibility—and the potential for good that an initiative like Zhaga can have is huge. It would be a great step if Zhaga embraced a “cradle-to-cradle” platform as it thinks about LED specifications and interchangeability of light engines.
Thinking about the entire manufacturing process and supply chain is in keeping with the move by lighting companies to offer total-lighting solutions. The Zhaga consortium has the opportunity to make an even greater statement in advocating for LED market adoption by thinking more broadly. The group just needs to take this logical next step.
Thomas Wensma is a design and lighting consultant, as well as founder of Ambassador Design in the Netherlands.