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Editorial: Brooklyn Bridge project frames thoughts on ways to eliminate over-lighting
... Most public, and many commercial lighting projects are typically over-lit by about 30-60% to account for the future depreciation of the lighting sources due to lamp aging, lamp failures, and environmental factors (dirt, dust and such). While the lighting and transportation engineers usually have time-proven answers to how much...
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DOE Publishes Second Revision of SSL Energy Star Criteria
SSLDesign News StaffJuly 2, 2009...The U.S. Department of Energy has published the second revision of its Energy Star Criteria. The DOE again added Energy Star Criteria for: outdoor area pole-mounted and roadway
luminaires, outdoor wall-mounted area luminaires (“wall packs”), and parking
garage/canopy luminaires. Criteria for these luminaires appeared in the initial SSL Energy Star Criteria in August 2008, but they were later removed in the first revision because the DOE said that additional analysis was needed.
In a letter addressed to Energy Star stakeholders, the DOE explained their reasons for including the Criteria for roadway lighting, outdoor wall packs, and parking garage/canopy lighting at this time.
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LEDs Color Light-Art Concert with Future Lighting Solutions
SSLDesign News StaffJuly 2, 2009...Future Lighting Solutions assembled a team that engineered a light-art concert in Jena, Germany. 170 LED-illuminated weather balloons changed color on a preprogramed schedule that reportedly paralleled the mood and tempo of the music. The dynamic display used Luxeon Rebel RGB LEDs from Philips Lumileds, and a closed-loop color and brightness management system enabled color consistency from balloon to balloon.
Future Lighting Solutions supplied the Luxeon LEDs used in the artistic display. The company also provided tools and services to help ensure color uniformity in the LEDs themselves. Proprietary Future tools were reportedly used to calculate the achievable chromaticity coordinates to determine which color bins were required for the needed color values. Future’s binning program then ensured that every balloon would be illuminated by LEDs from the same bin of each color in Future’s managed inventory. Future Lighting Solutions News Release
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Joliet Junior College Commits to LED Usage
SSLDesign News StaffJuly 2, 2009...Joliet Junior College, the nation's first public community college, has made a commitment to LED lighting. Joliet Junior College is among numerous colleges and universities that have embraced LEDs through a partnership with Cree in Cree's LED University program.
Compact fluorescent and tube fluorescent fixtures in 12 restrooms on campus were replaced with six-inch LED recessed lights, LR6s from Cree. Cree says that energy consumption was reduced by 50 percent, from 3,384 watts to 1,692 watts. A total cost of ownership analysis, done by JJC, estimates a savings of more than $53,000 over the touted 25-year estimated life span of the LED fixtures. Cree News Release,
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PECO to Debut New LED-based Crown Lights on July 4th
SSLDesign News StaffJuly 2, 2009...PECO, an electrical and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation serving customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, will debut the company's new LED-based building top display in Philadelphia called the Crown Lights. While the 2-Million LED installation is new, the Crown Lights are not. PECO has reportedly been displaying messages atop its 23rd and Market Street headquarters since July 4, 1976. The lights were turned off on January 1, 2009 for the LED installation.
On July 4th at 9 p.m., the ceremonial “switching-on” will feature a special 7-minute launch show during the city’s annual Welcome America! festival.
The company notes that its new Crown Lights are part of a broader environmental and energy efficiency initiative for it and its customers. Company News Release,
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DOE Finalizes SSL Program and Stimulus Monies
SSLDesign News StaffJuly 1, 2009...The US Department of Energy recently finalized the ongoing energy efficient lighting programs and mandates that have been in the works since 2007. Under Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, the DOE has also added some $50 million in new funding from the Recovery Act to the existing DOE programs.
Contrary to what several news sources and press releases seem to imply, while some additional monies have been added under the Recovery Act, the Obama administration has specified the use of $346 million appropriated by congress for energy efficiency programs that actually date back to the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which amended for the second time the 1975 Energy Policy Conservation Act. That act established a national energy conservation program for household appliances. This program was first amended in 1992 and then again in 2007 with the 2007 Energy Indepedence and Security Act (EISA).
(Ref: Statutory Authority of Appliance and Commercial Equipment Standards).
Among the many provisions, the EISA legislates a phase out of incandescent bulbs in the United States. The EISA 2007 also requires that the Secretary of Energy to develop a unit sales forecast for 2010-2025 for five lamp types exempt from the general service incandescent lamp standards.
Stephen Chu made this sales forecast available.
Of the $50 million appropriated for solid state lighting research and development, $8 million is for Round IV of the Solid State Lighting Core Technologies program; Another $11.5 million is for Round VI of the Solid State Lighting Product Development program, and some $22 million of it is for Round I of Manufacturing for US. Solid State Lighting, which aims to reduce manufacturing costs through improved equipment, processes, and techniques. DOE Revises L-Prize Competition to Allow Broader LED Sourcing Options
SSLDesign News StaffJune 30, 2009...The U.S. Department of Energy has revised the requirements for the L-Prize, a government sponsored competition to accelerate the development of efficient solid state lighting products to replace standard A-19 and PAR-38 light bulbs. The new rules have made it possible for non-USA based LED suppliers' products to be eligible as components in the winning LED lightbulbs. The previous rules required that the LED die or chip must be made in the United States, essentially limiting the competition to U.S. companies using LED die from one or possibly two U.S.-based companies.
The revised rule now states, "A majority (≥75% by count) of the LED die or chip... must be manufactured in the United States. Or, the LED must be packaged in the United States. Packaged LED (also known as an LED device) refers to an assembly of one or more LED dies possibly including the mounting substrate, encapsulant, phosphor if applicable, electrical connections, and optical components along with thermal and mechanical interfaces. "
A third "or" condition in the rule revision effectively opens the door to non-US die and components by stating, "... Or, a majority (≥75% by subsystem and assembly cost) of the final product assembly/integration must be carried out within the United States. This includes all of the applicable: final assembly of the LED die or chip, packaged LED, optics, heat sink or cooling components, and driver and electronics." Eligibility is still restricted to US-based businesses, stating,
and In the case of a private entity, the entity shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States; and in the case of an individual, (whether participating as a single individual or in a group)."
The rule leaves open the possibility of a U.S. based company purchasing die, packaged chips, or components from a company outside the U.S. and then either packaging 75 percent or more of the die or assembling 75 percent or more of the final lamp product (by cost) in the United States. With the revised rules, many more companies will likely enter their LED-based bulbs for the opportunity of a share in the $10 million prize that the US Congress has required the DOE to put on the table. The revisions also include new requirements in which the correlated color temperature specification is now accompanied by specifications for chromaticity, as well as refinements to the required center beam candle power (CBCP) with regard to PAR-38 entrants. DOE's L-Prize Rule Revision Dallas Renaissance Property Lights Up Garage With 302 Albeo C-Series LED Light Fixtures
SSLDesign News StaffJune 30, 2009...Albeo Technologies, an LED lighting manufacturer of Boulder, Colorado USA,
reports that its C-Series solid-state light fixtures were used to retrofit the parking garage at the Renaissance on Turtle Creek (Dallas, TX). For the retrofit, Albeo's 302 C-Series LED fixtures replaced 175 Watt HID fixtures. Albeo says that the installation reduced the energy consumption by 55 percent.
The company also contends that the retrofit project improved both the light distribution and increased the light levels in the garage. Albeo Technologies, an LED lighting manufacturer of Boulder, Colorado USA,
reports that its C-Series solid-state light fixtures were used to retrofit the parking garage at the Renaissance on Turtle Creek (Dallas, TX). For the retrofit, Albeo's 47-watt 302 C-Series LED fixtures replaced 175 Watt HID fixtures. Albeo says that the installation reduced the energy consumption by 55 percent.
The company also contends that the retrofit project improved both the light distribution and increased the light levels in the garage.
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Lighting Science Group Hires Gorm Teichert as Vice President of Custom Solutions
SSLDesign News StaffJune 30, 2009...Gorm Teichert has joined Lighting Science Group Corporation as the Vice president of the company's Custom Solutions business unit.
According to the company, Teichert will be responsible for managing, organizing and developing LSG's project and custom solutions for the global LED (lighting emitting diode) architectural design market.
Teichert previously worked seven years with Martin Professional A/S of Aarhus, Denmark where he was most recently International Sales and Marketing Director, Architectural, responsible for global sales, product development and marketing. Before Martin Professional, Teichert held marketing and sales positions for Erco Lighting in London, England and for Louis Poulsen and Lightmakers A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"Gorm Teichert brings with him an extensive experience in the lighting and design space. He has the vision and technical skills to make an impact on the future of LEDs in architecture. We are happy to have Gorm on board," said Zach Gibler, Chief Executive Officer of LSG.
Company News Release Bangor to Switch About 300 Streetlights to LEDs
SSLDesign News StaffJune 25, 2009...The city council of Bangor, Maine USA, approved a staff recommendation to switch 319 of its street lights to LED-based street lights, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News.
The article indicated that $523,000 of funding for the replacement will come from a combination of federal stimulus funding and downtown tax increment financing money.
However, the city expects to save about $34,000 per year in electricity, the article indicated.
This apparently would be in addition to the savings in maintenance costs and bulb replacement that would have been required to have the conventional high pressure sodium street lights.
The city reportedly plans to test six different LED-based street lights before the installation.
According to the article, the cost for each replacement would be about $1600.
City Manager, Edward Barret said that some of the streetlights will need retrofitting and others will need completely new heads.
Not all of the city's street lights will benefit from the switch. The article points out that the street lights that are metered will benefit, but the street lights that the city is charged a flat fee for will not. Presumably, this is because the low flat rate is estimated to be less expensive for these over the streetlight's lifetime. Debenhams to Retrofit Department Stores with Array LED Lamps from Nexxus Lighting
SSLDesign News StaffJune 25, 2009...Nexxus Lighting reports that it has received an order for more than 4,000 Array LED lamps for Debenhams department stores of the UK.
The lamps are to be installed in Debenhams' flagship Dublin store as part of Debenhams' ongoing commitment to responsible energy management.
Nexxus says that after an initial order of its Array LED lamps was installed in Debenhams' Waterford store, the store got positive feedback about its new LED lighting. After that, the department store chain ordered over 4,000 additional Array™ LED lamps. The order is a mix of Par 30, MR16, and G4 lamps.
"Our retail and commercial customers have been seeking products to help implement their green policies and save energy costs,” stated Steve Mallory of Atmospheric Zone LTD, Nexxus Lighting’s U.K. distributor, who worked with Debenhams project management team. "Now with a major U.K. retail store taking the lead, we are excited about the Array line of LED lamps and their patent-pending Selective Heat Sink method.” Nexxus Commercial Lighting News Release
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Commentary
& Perspectives...
Brooklyn Bridge project frames thoughts on ways to eliminate over-lighting
Tom Griffiths - PublisherJuly 2, 2009...Most public, and many commercial lighting projects are typically over-lit by
about 30-60% to account for the future depreciation of the lighting sources
due to lamp aging, lamp failures, and environmental factors (dirt, dust and
such). While the lighting and transportation engineers usually have time-proven
answers to how much light is comfortable, or which creates a safer roadway environment,
there probably hasn't been much of a discussion about the drawbacks of over-lighting
the site, since up until LED lighting's arrival, there hasn't been much of an
option. In a recent discussion with Stephen Horner of Tillett
Lighting Design, that company's approach to providing functional art highlighted
some of the issues, plus it was a pretty neat application success story for
solid state lighting.
The background of the story is set on the historic Brooklyn Bridge that connects
Brooklyn to Manhattan in New York City. In the past, if someone were to stroll
across the bridge to Brooklyn, they would walk down a set of step that takes
them to the street level, give a quick look around the dark and somewhat foreboding
underside of the structure, and head back up to get out of there and back to
"where the action is". A group of merchants in the "DUMBO"
(Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) got together to try and change that
with a sort of "there is more than just the bridge here in Brooklyn"
messaging strategy. The concept was for an artistic treatment and information
presentation that enticed people to take a few more steps, and enjoy some interesting
shopping and dining as part of their 'beyond the bridge' experience. Working
with Emphas!s Design and artists Linnaea Tillett & Karin Tehve the DUMBO
Improvement District subsequently commissioned the design of a functional art
project entitled "This Way".
The project consisted of a few key elements, including walkway lighting down
to the street, signage that gave a bit of the Brooklyn pitch, roadway lighting
to keep it all enticing, and most importantly, some striking light-tube designs
that both pointed towards the stairway entrance, as well as visually took the
arriving bridge strollers 'out this way' to see the sights. (The South
Brooklyn Network website has a neighborhood-oriented overview of the project
as well as a good picture). We'd all love to hear that the whole project was
an LED winner, but alas, only part of the project was served by LEDs this time
around. Low profile and side emitting metal halides grabbed the stairway and
'this way' arrows (maybe chevrons is a better word), while Beta
LED's Edge luminaire took the downlight honors. According to Mr. Horner,
who was responsible for the lighting implementation, two key decision factors
made the difference to the designers. First was that the LED-based fixtures
did a good job of keeping the light going where they were supposed to, pretty
much eliminating undesirable glare levels. The second draw was that the Beta
luminaires offered a two-level setting for their output, which allowed them
to operate now at a level that didn't wash out the artistic features.
That's a very interesting development, as it provided a method of assuring
a minimum specified light level now, along with a mechanism to accommodate increasing
the light level in response to future degradation, presumably due to an accumulation
of dirt, mud and dust that historically affects all kinds of light fixtures.
Previously, luminaires met the Department of Transportation's requirement by
providing at least 60% more light than actually needed, basically in response
to the fact that any other form of high-efficiency lighting has just a single
light output level when first installed, which will then depreciate from there
as the lamp fades. The 60% margin is what the DOT has found gives them an acceptable
service life without having to do frequent bulb changes, or to regular a cleaning
cycle. The drawback is that it starts too bright, and wastes energy. LEDs provide
a simple answer... when more light is needed, they can turn themselves up. As
far as other challenges, Mr. Horner said, "Incorporating the LED lighting
really just required us to convince the DOT that it was a viable approach, and
that we'd done the due diligence required for that. They were positive about
the reduced maintenance, and were very pleased to have an opportunity for an
LED-based pilot program where someone else was covering the upfront costs."
While it's a simple concept, it is a revolutionary change to the high-efficiency
lighting realm (incandescents do this well, albeit with a notable shift to the
warm side of the color spectrum, but fluorescents resist dimming, and most others
types of light sources simply can't dim). According to Beta LED's East Coast
Regional Sales Manager, Michael Winegard, who started his career with Kramer
Lighting prior to it becoming part of the Ruud Lighting family as Beta-Kramer,
"We can finally get away from over-lighting our environments. The incumbent
technologies never gave us the kind of control over the target efficacy that
allowed us to deliver the light only where it was needed, and only in the amount
that was needed. Compared to the sharp lumen depreciation curves in metal-halide
and other systems, LEDs provide us with something more like 1/2% per year, pretty
much eliminating source depreciation as a concern."
In the case of the "This Way" project, the two-level system on Beta's
Edge offered a built-in contingency plan should the source depreciate more than
predicted, or if it gets really crudded over. In other installations, such as
parking structures, they make us of the two-levels to reduce the power consumption
when there is no activity going on around the garage. A motion sensor is employed
in those cases, allowing the luminaires to standby in a lower consumption power
mode, then switch instantly to full brightness when activity is detected. Other
manufacturers make use of feedback techniques to maintain output levels as the
LED fixture reaches into that last third or so of its lifetime when the actual
LED source depreciation may become noticeable. In those cases, the compensation
circuitry directs more power to the LEDs to simply "turn them up"
to a brightness level that maintains the spec, until they reach a point where
the amount of power needed makes it more cost-effective to replace the unit.
At that point, it switches them off (darkness being the universal signal recognized
by maintenance crews worldwide that a light should probably be replaced). In
interior architectural applications, we see similar techniques employed to maintain
color accuracy. Cree's LR-6 retrofits, and their recently announced PAR lamp
are examples of that capability as they add or subtract some red intensity to
compensate for any changes to the tone or intensity of the white LEDs that are
responsible for the blue-green-yellow portion of the fixture's output.
Regardless of the implementation, the understanding of this "target efficacy"
concept is going to continue to be an important driver in SSL adoption. In a
sense, it will take us back to searching out the truly basic criteria of, "How
much light do you need, where do you need it, and under what conditions do you
need it?" Lighting engineering manuals will see some major revisions as
lighting implementors won't have to think in terms of how to overlap in order
to minimize the hotspots or how much extra light you need to plan for degradation
or how to compensate for re-lamping schedules that lead to a certain number
of fixtures being dead at any particular point in time. In fact, we're not far
from the time when the LED luminaire sends a text message to the maintenance
group to inform them of when it will be failing, so they can efficiently schedule
in the replacement before the darkness comes. (But that's another story...).
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