LEDs and the Future of Light

GE Lighting recently published in a blog entry Gary Allen, Principal Engineer and Physicist at GE Lighting’s views on future LED lightingtrends. Though the upfront costs are currently high, the future of LED light bulbs is bright. Gary Allen of GE Lighting notes the trend of falling costs per lumen—and what that means for the accessibility of the LED bulb.

What initially interested you about LEDs?

I’ve been doing R&D, Innovation, and New Product Introduction (NPI) in Lighting for 26 years—24 of those with GE. My sole focus has been helping to provide lighting solutions that push the envelope toward the ideal light source. Efficacy, color quality, life of the light source, cost, controllability, and infinitesimally small; LEDs are approaching most of those criteria probably 10x faster than any previous light source technology had progressed.

So for me, the opportunity to design new lighting products by leveraging these breakthrough capabilities of LEDs, in combination with the energetic and creative talent that we have within our Innovation and New Product teams at GE Lighting, is a career-long dream come true.

What makes LED lights particularly great as grow lights for plants?

Probably the two most desirable attributes in today’s plant-growing applications are the control of the spectral content of the light and high efficiency (low heat load and low operating cost).

Presently, most plant growing is done with blue and red light, but a recently emerging field in horticulture is the discovery that the ideal spectral content, and the ideal timing of both brightness and colors through the day and the seasons, is different for various types of plants. So, whereas most plant growing now uses blue and deep red LEDs, the future ideal horticultural light sources might have any number of tunable wavelengths adjustable to the specific plants being grown. No legacy light source can provide the combination of high efficiency, tunable spectral content, and controllability of LEDs.

With all the advantages of LEDs, will there continue to be a market for compact fluorescent light bulbs?

LEDs have many advantages over CFLs, but today’s higher cost of LEDs mean that for many consumers CFL is presently the best choice. CFLs are a phenomenally good investment for consumers right now based on electricity savings. The true cost of the 100W incandescent light bulb isn’t the US$ 0.50 price of the bulb. The true cost also includes the electricity used over the 1000-hour life of the bulb, which averages about US$ 12 for US consumers. So, each 100W incandescent bulb costs US$ 12.50, not US$ 0.50.

A typical CFL bulb lasts as long as eight incandescent bulbs. If the consumer buys eight incandescent bulbs instead of one CFL, the real cost of those eight incandescent is US$ 100! CFL buyers understand that. They’re saving about US$ 70 of that US$ 100 for every 26W CFL that they buy. Putting one or two CFLs into your shopping cart might pay for everything else in the cart!

LED lamps that provide as much light as a 100W incandescent bulb are becoming available over the next year or so. They will use about 20-25 watts and will last 25x longer than the incandescent, but they might cost US$ 50 or more. So, the payback time will be about five years versus the three to six months for the CFL.

Interestingly, gas-hybrid cars have about a five-year payback, too. Nonetheless, our intense focus among LED lamp manufacturers is to bring those prices down as quickly as possible. In five years, the cost of LED light bulbs should not be a concern for most consumers. They’ll get a nearly perfect light bulb at an affordable price, and each one will save them US$ 100 or more.

Haitz’s Law says that every decade LEDs will become cheaper by a factor of ten. Do you think this will continue to be true?

Those incredible rates of progress for LEDs have been constant—hardly wavering—since the first visible LED was invented at GE’s Global Research Center by Nick Holonyak in 1962.

That means that over five decades, the cost per lumen has come down by 105. That means that a US$ 1 LED today would have cost US$ 100,000 50 years ago.  Those of us who remember those days can attest that LEDs then were used only in expensive, esoteric applications, e.g. in space and in science. That cost trend suggests that today’s US$ 1 LED will cost 10 cents in 10 years. That is a generally accepted projection in the industry, and we’ll probably get there. That forthcoming reduction in cost will make LEDs affordable in almost all applications, and they will probably be the dominant light source in most applications by 2020.

How long do you think it will be before LEDs replace incandescent light bulbs entirely?

The automobile still has not entirely replaced the horse and buggy, people still burn candles for light, and I hope that incandescent lamps are never entirely replaced. Apart from poor efficiency, they are a beautifully elegant product, and some consumers will always love them for special occasions. But, the industry projections suggest that in five years, INC lamp sales will be only about one percent of all lamp sales for general lighting applications. Edison’s iconic invention will have had a 135-year-plus run.  I think he would have been extremely pleased.

LED Lighting Improves Sustainability for Specialty-Crop Producers

A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture blog entry introduces Purdue University's research resulgs on LED grow lights. Banks of LED illuminate plants in greenhouses. Purdue University researchers discovered that LED lighting can provide a more beneficial light spectrum to greenhouse plants than conventional lighting while using 75 percent less electricity. 

Banks of LED illuminate plants in greenhouses. Purdue University researchers discoverd LEDs can provide a more beneficial light spectrum to greenhouse plants than conventional lighting while using 75% less electricity. (Courtesy of Celina Gomez)

This post is part of the Science Today feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

For about 2,000 years – since Roman emperor Tiberius demanded fresh cucumbers for lunch year ‘round – farmers have been looking for better ways to extend the growing season. Now, a team of researchers led by Purdue University has found a way to grow more produce and save money doing it.

Greenhouses and other structures protect crops from harsh environmental conditions. Over the last 50 years or so, some growers have added artificial lighting to compensate for shorter winter days or when conditions are cloudy. However, the problem with most lighting systems is that they are relatively costly to install and do not provide the light spectrum that is most efficient for photosynthesis in plants.

The Purdue-led team of academic and industry scientists from Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Jersey is using grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to investigate the use of LED to address this problem. The researchers have designed LEDs that produce the exact light quality plants need to thrive while using only a fraction of the electricity used by high-pressure sodium lamps—the current industry standard. In experiments in West Lafayette, IN, the team’s LED systems used 75 percent less electricity to produce the same product yield. There are currently about 4,200 acres of greenhouses in the United States that use supplemental lighting. If LED systems were installed in each of these greenhouses, energy use could be reduced by 3.5 billion kilowatt hours.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a reduction of that much energy would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 3 million tons per year.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues that impact people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.

The Seoul government will all use LED Lighting

Recently, the South Korea capital Seoul has announced plans to invest to install more LED Lamps and lanterns in public places, and encourage the private sector to futher expand the scope of installation. 

Public places such as subway stations and streets, the municipal government plans to use LED Lighting all before 2018, in the hope to reduce energy consumption and aid the LED lighting industry.

For more information about LED Lighting industry, pls visit:http://www.ledpanel-light.com

Philips Lumileds Ramps Up Efficacy and Flux in Latest High-Power LED

The new LUXEON Q from Philips Lumileds delivers superior performance in a high-power emitter that serves as a direct drop-in replacement for products that use the standard 3535 surface mount package. LUXEON Q is the first high-power LED based on LUXEON Flip Chip die, Philips Lumileds high performance Chip Scale Package (CSP) device architecture.

Efficacy for the LUXEON Q emitter is 135 lm/W at 5700K 70 CRI and 115 lm/W at 3000K 80 CRI (@85˚C and 350 mA). Kathleen Hartnett, Product Line Director for LUXEON Emitters notes, “Our LED is especially competitive when it’s driven harder. For instance, at 1 Ampere, a flux of more than 300 lm at an efficacy of 102 lm/W at 85˚C is achieved in neutral white at 4000K. The high efficacy at high drive current of the LUXEON Q emitter is achieved as a result of the industry leading wall plug and conversion efficiency of Philips Lumileds next-generation CSP architecture.”

The LUXEON Q takes advantage of a fully developed ecosystem for 3535 components, including a wide range of optics, to speed the time-to-market for omnidirectional indoor and outdoor luminaires. Applications include high bay and low bay luminaires, downlights, outdoor wall packs, replacement lamps and specialty luminaires. “Customers are starting with a familiar LED package and can quickly build their products from there using readily available optics and other compatible components,” says Hartnett.

The LUXEON Q emitter line is available in CCTs of 2700K, 3000K, and 3500K at 80 CRI and CCTs of 4000K and 5700K at 70 CRI.

 For more information about LED Lighting information, pls visit: http://www.ledpanel-light.com

The New 2013 Low Energy Lighting Catalogue from Megaman

The latest Megaman UK product catalogue, is larger and more comprehensive than any previous edition. As well as providing full technical data for all our product families, in the latest edition thery have included useful background information on its working partnerships with B.A.G and LightwaveRF, as well as a new section dedicated to OEMs.

Today’s lighting industry is a fast-moving, ever-changing scenario, and within it Megaman continues to lead the field in terms of product design and performance. Megaman continue to make customer satisfaction a key priority, for instance by testing compatible dimmers and drivers for all there LED lamps, with the results issued on its website.

This year they have introduced a number of exciting new products, including:
• 6W and 8W MR16 LEDs, both with improved lumens.
• Additional products for our LED 15,000 hour Economy range (launched in May 2013) – including a 3.5W R50 and 7.5W R63.

• Integrated LED downlights - Low energy products featuring an integrated driver for easy installation, with high system efficacy of up to 76lm/W (over 60% better than conventional lighting).

The catalogue also has sections on its partnerships too:
For instance, Megaman have been the sole wholesale UK distributor for B.A.G control gear for two years now, and this outstanding working relationship is going from strength to strength. To support this thet are now providing tools to make selecting the right B.A.G product simple, like the B.A.G search tool.

Megaman are also the exclusive wholesale UK distributor for LightwaveRF who are delivering a revolution in heating, lighting and power control. LightwaveRF offers a great range of intelligent dimmers, radiator valves, sockets and sensors that are just that little bit smarter. Whilst they look and work just like ordinary dimmers, valves or sockets, they will fundamentally change the way heating, lighting and power are

controlled in the home forever.

Download the Megaman 2013 Low Energy Lighting Product Catalogue for all of their LED energy saving lamps, CFL energy saving lamps and fixtures including indoor downlighters and outdoor equipment.

Taking Light to the next level: how light impacts everyday life

Light is at the heart of our communities, our technological advances and our sustainable world. Speeding up this new age of digital light will unlock even greater health, well being, sustainability and economic benefits for society as a whole. This is the conclusion of an independent report - ‘The Future of Light’ – published today by think tank PSFK Labs and supported by Philips. The report is available on www.psfk.com, and accessible as a SlideShare slide show and as an iOS or Android app.

Based upon expert interviews and more than 50 case studies, the report summarizes 12 trends which have been grouped into four themes showing the way lighting can be used to create experiences, tell stories, convey information and promote wellness.

“We are at the forefront of a digital revolution in lighting. As part of our commitment to creating a healthier and more sustainable world, Philips will continue to shape the future in lighting. Our insights, expertise and ground-breaking innovations create a positive impact on people’s lives and help our partners realize their vision,” comments Rogier van der Heide, VP and Chief Design Officer, Philips Lighting. “The ‘Future of Light’ is a fascinating opening salvo – and will bear fruit over the coming years as people take inspiration from the report.”

The PSFK report highlights projects which collectively demonstrate the numerous benefits of light, ranging from healthy sleep patterns and feelings of safety, through to macro issues, including the readdress of resource scarcity and climate change. The projects profiled span from a derelict gas station transformed into an art installation to high-profile design work like the 75th anniversary lighting of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.

A number of Philips innovations are profiled in the report including Philips CityTouch which helps cities deliver intelligent public lighting, Philips’ SchoolVision and Healwell solutions, both proven to have a positive impact on people’s physical and emotional states, and Philips Hue, the smart connected LED bulb which in a paradigm shift in experiencing light at home. 

“Light’s importance in daily life cannot be overstated. It has the ability to enhance feelings of well-being, build vibrant communities or set the stage for a grand reveal, yet it is often only noticed in its absence. With this report, PSFK showcases the vast potential that light has to positively impact people’s lives across the globe,” said Piers Fawkes, President & Founder, PSFK.

whether LEDs can help Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate wins?

The whole city in Pittsburgh's baseball fans will be able to celebrate with their team regardless of whether or not they can make the game. The Gulf Tower, located downtown, will light up when the Pirates score runs and win games.

The weather beacon on top of the 44-story tower has long been a landmark for Pittsburgh residents - for years, the lights have flashed various colors to represent current weather. Originally, there were four settings: Orange meant fair weather and blue meant precipitation, consistent light meant rising temperatures, flashing light indicated temperatures were falling.

For many years, the building used copper incandescent lights, then neon, then high-pressure sodium. Finally, on July 4, 2012, the city installed RGB LED lights. The new lighting system is not only brighter and more energy efficient, but it allows for more specific weather predictions, with the top three floors indicating temperature, the 41st floor indicating precipitation, the 40th floor showing humidity levels and the 39th displaying wind speeds.

Now, the Gulf Tower will be programmed to light up every time the Pirates score a run. The tower will feature two separate in-game light sequences. One will indicate Pirates home runs and another for runs scored at home games. The sequences will both be a black and gold pattern and will last for one minute. In addition, every time the Pirates win a game, either at home in PNC Stadium or on the road, the tower will display a unique light sequence that will run for the rest of the evening. 

The color changing LED lights will help the city cheer on its baseball team through the end of the 2013 baseball season as the Pirates pursue the playoffs.

Robin Hood Services Halves Lighting Energy Consumption with British made LED Lighting

AWARD-winning lighting manufacturer, MHA Lighting, is helping a leading independent service station to slash its lighting energy bills by 50% with British designed and manufactured LED lighting.

The project at Robin Hood Service Station, Chatham, instantly halved lighting energy bills and is set to save over 100 Tonnes of Co2 and in excess of £30,000, over the product’s lifetime.

Greater Manchester-based MHA Lighting replaced traditional fluorescents throughout Robin Hood Services’ shop floor and food preparation areas, with a selection of award-winning TiLite 40/700 fittings.

Robin Hood Service’s Owner, Steve Fox, said: “We’ve been around for almost 40 years and this is the third time we’ve undergone a refurbishment.  I was keen to utilise LED lighting because of the huge energy savings that can be achieved – not to mention the fact that we were constantly up ladders replacing bulbs. This just wasn’t practical and was very time consuming.”

With Robin Hood Services’ 24 hour day cycle, MHA Lighting is able to provide an ROI of 289%, by reducing annual lighting energy consumption from 39,033kW/h (average annual cost of £3,093) to 20,364kW/h. Average annual energy bills have been reduced to £2,036.

The new lighting system utilises 120 lumen LEDs and is extremely low maintenance, running for 60,000 hours of continuous use. This made the ideal solution for Robin Hood Services’ 16 hour a day, seven days a week operation – as the lights will not need replacing for eleven years. This creates additional savings of £313 per annum, bringing total product lifetime savings to £31,541.

Steve continued: “We all know the energy savings that LED lighting can achieve and there is no doubt it is the future. When we were looking for a supplier, we selected MHA Lighting because of their successful installation at our forecourt in 2010, which first introduced us to LED lighting. We have been in contact ever since and their knowledge in this industry is second to none.”

In 2010, MHA Lighting replaced the canopy lights at Robin Hood Services with a selection of CLites The C Range is available with both symmetrical and asymmetrical reflectors. This allows for flexible lighting design so light can be directed back into the forecourt instead of causing light pollution in external areas. All our products meet LG4 and LG6 standards.

Steve added: “MHA’s LED lighting has moved us to the next league up and breathed new life into Robin Hood. Not only increasing sales, safety and security for our customers – but significantly reducing our on-going energy costs, which for me is essential.”

I was particularly impressed with how uniformly distributed the light is, especially on the produce. The feedback from customers and staff is already showing that they feel their surroundings are extremely well-lit.”

MHA Lighting’s patented TiLite technology installed inside the Robin Hood Services, achieves an impressive colour rendering of 80CRI and 4,500 kelvin colour temperature. This particular combination offers the optimal colour for displaying produce, subsequently enhancing the shopping experience for customers and increasing sales.

An additional benefit comes as the sealed units do not attract dust or insects, making them the most hygienic option for any shop floor. The lack of heat given off by the units also means that produce stays fresher for longer and the chillers and air conditioning doesn’t need to work as hard, saving further energy usage.

MHA Lighting’s Managing Director Tom Harrison said: “We are delighted that Steve chose MHA Lighting to renovate the existing lighting scheme at Robin Hood Services. I am proud to say we are helping them to achieve a 50% reduction in their lighting energy bills, whilst improving the shopping experience for their customers.”

Philips Hue Brightens the Mood at London Design Festival

Philips Hue, has been installed at the Photon Project’s Photon Pod at the London Design Festival. The all-glass pod is a prototype for the Photon Project that will collect invaluable data and insights on the links between light, and health and wellbeing over a planned four-year period. The Photon Project is a scientific study initiated by glass engineering company Cantifix, and Oxford University, to explore in detail the effects of light on the biological clock – which in turn affects the health, wellbeing, mood and behavior of each of us.

Attendees at the London Design Festival are able to experience "life under glass" with the Phonton Project.

The stunning glass pod installation showcased at London Design Festival invites the public to experience ‘life under glass’ and take part in a series of simulations that measure levels of alertness or relaxation in different light settings – illustrating the future research plans. Within the Photon Pod, visitors can also interact with Philips Hue providing a personal light experience. Tuneable white light from Hue can be controlled via a simple app to instantly match the mood and moment, and through pre-settings light can be set to help concentrate, relax or energize. The Photon Project and its founders at Cantifix share the belief that the results of the research can potentially contribute to improving the lives of millions, through new standards and light-related solutions for all sorts of buildings.

Sean Carney, Philips Chief Design Officer, will attend the Photon Project’s symposium at the London Design Festival and speak about the future possibilities of light. Sean comments: “With Philips Hue, we are only beginning to understand the endless creative possibilities digital lighting will bring. As we acquire new insight into the physiological and psychological effects of light, programmable digital light sources such as Hue will allow us to apply light in ever more meaningful ways. Whether supporting our bodies’ own natural balance by simulating daylight or achieving something much deeper, promoting feelings of wellness.”

Relax App Screen

Speaking at the launch of the Photon Project, Brent Richards, architect and designer responsible for the concept and implementation of the Photon Project and unique design of the Photon Pod says: “Understanding how people feel in different light settings means applying designed light in ways that harmonize with natural light and benefit people when they’re at home, at work – and anywhere else, at any time. Philips Hue is much more than a lamp with mood settings – it is the tip of the iceberg of what we can do with more dynamic lighting, as the Photon Project will show.”

What kind of ways the buyers they use to find a supplier in LED industry which manufacture LED Downlight, LED Panel Light,T8 LED Tube, etc.

1  International lighting fair
Most company ,especially big brand or company will visit to big size professional LED show, such as German Frankfurt Show, US Les Vagas LED show, Hong Kong international lighting fair to search led products such as Dimmable LED Downlights, LED Flat Panel Light, T8 LED Tube Light. You can received very warm reception when you entered any company’s booth, and salesman try to introduce their best product to you, quiting you price and invite you visit their factory is you are available. you can’t judge how big the company it is on the show.

2  B2B platform or website
Since the Internet Technology has been developed rapidly, there are many B2B websites helping overseas buyers find proper suppliers from China, such as Alibaba, Made-in-China, Tradekey,
EC21 etc. The buyers, especial for small buyers, such as distributers, wholesalers, dealer or on line shop owners  will send many inquiries to different companies, and he will receive many quotations in various price level. Buyers can make comparison among those price list he got to select the properest the like, but there is a big risk for him to cooperate. Why there is such a big difference in pricing, What’s really it behind the lover price? Can they guarantee the quality of products?

3 Google engine or some local search engines
Most people would like to search product on the Internet, because they used to do and like to do in such a Internet era, It is the quickest and easiest way to find the manufacturers via computer or even cellphone. Meanwhile, there are too much information on the Internet, Most buyers can’t  judge which one they need trust, which one they need eliminate?  Another problems, buyer has great patience to scan the information shown in Page 1, Page 2, Page 3. When it reach to Page 4, theirs patience has been used up to go on .While not all good companies in China spend money on Internet marketing, they are good at produce high quality product and service, but their company homepage are not shown in Page 1 , 2 or 3. The buyers will miss such a good opportunity for cooperate them .

4 Professional sourcing agent service
Some companies, especially big company want to place a order to a company, they are unsure the details of their partners to be, they will ask some professional souring agent to know more about the partners, such as register capital, register year, the amount of sales annually, the size and management. Then, they will decide which one is properest for them to cooperate among the companies souring agent recommended.

5 Business development letters
Every buyers will receive many unexpected business development letters from Chinese LED manufacturers if their mail address can be found. This is a really a annoying problems the buyers are facing now. We can’t guarantee all information is useful to buyers, while there are some contents in the mail do really arise buyer’s interest to make the business further. So we can say it is good way for buyers to find new good product and make profit.

To sum up, there are many good manufacturers who attach great importance on quality and service. On the other side, there are many valued buyers from overseas looking for reliable supplier and many ways he can use as well. How can we match the reliable supplier and real buyers perfectly. That’s the issue I will talk next time. thanks.

Mitsubishi Improves LED Color Rendering to Produce More Natural Looking Light

The maturing of the LED lighting application market has not only seen LED manufacturers aggressively increasing LED luminosity, but also gradually placing more and more attention on the importance in color rendering performance for LED products. Mitsubishi has stated that in the past most sapphire wafers included yellow phosphor in order to create white light, but that the color rendering performance was lack luster. With the evolution of phosphor technology, sapphire wafers to create white light can now also contain green and red phosphor and the same effect happens when UV wafers are paired with red, blue, and green phosphor. This has a clear improvement on color rendering.

According to information presented by Mitsubishi during LED Taiwan conference, phosphor technology is continuing to improve driving the development of imitation sunlight LED light module technology. In the past, adding yellow phosphor to sapphire wafers was the most used technique for producing white light. Mitsubishi believes that this method not only produces low quality in color rendering performance, but also poor color reproducibility.

Due to the visible light wavelength composition of sunlight consisting of red, blue, green, and yellow light, LEDs need to be used in order to get a natural light effect and widen the wavelength of the light spectrum. Sapphire wafers paired with yellow phosphor compared with those paired with blue and yellow (or green) to create white light have a clear peak, but adding in red light weakens that peak. Therefore, when white light is cast onto a red object, such as an apple, the color instead can appear brown.

Mitsubishi has developed two different technologies to combat against the problems that occur when sapphire wafers are combined with yellow phosphor to create white light. The first is to increase the white LED color rendering to above 80. The other is to use UV LEDs with a wavelength of 400nm and add red, green, and blue phosphor to produce white light. Mitsubishi states that this will increase color rendering to above 90 and color reproducibility will be high.

Mitsubishi points out that UV wafers paired with red, green, and blue phosphor technology will have the same light composition as sunlight, with a color rendering index of about 95. When illuminated, light quality goals will be met without the appearance of a multiple array of colors. The application of this technology in areas such as residential indoor lighting, museums, commercial areas, and produce lighting all suit the use of LED lighting products which employ UV light paired with red, green, and blue phosphor to produce white light.

Samsung Display keeps lead in smaller panel market in Q2

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean display panel maker Samsung Display Co. kept its dominant position in the market for smartphone and tablet panels that are 9.1 inches or smaller in the second quarter, data showed Thursday.

Sales of smaller display panels by Samsung Display reached US$3.02 billion in the April-June period, accounting for 30.7 percent of the global market, according to the data by market researcher DisplaySearch. 

The second-quarter figure is up 16 percent from $2.62 billion in sales the previous quarter, the data showed.
The smaller liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light-emitting display (OLED) panels are usually used for smartphones and tablet computers.

Samsung Display's market dominance was boosted by strong sales of Galaxy smartphones made by its affiliate Samsung Electronics Co.

Samsung's OLED panel shipments increased 17 percent on-quarter to reach $2.76 billion in the second quarter, the data showed.

Samsung Electronics emerged as the world's largest smartphone maker in the first quarter of the year, beating Apple Inc. and Nokia Corp.

Taiwanese players Chimei Innolux Corp. and AU Optronics Corp. came in second and third, respectively, by chalking up 12.8 percent and 8.4 percent, the data showed.

Japan's Sharp Corp. ranked fourth with $795 million in sales and a 8.1 percent share, followed by LG Display Co. with $754 million and 7.7 percent, according to the data.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)

For more information about panel market, pls visit: http://www.ledpanel-light.com

Cooper Lighting SOURCE Awards Competition Call for Entries

Posted on September 6, 2013, 6:00 AM, by Craig DiLouie, under Awards.

Cooper Lighting recently announced it is now accepting entries for its 37th Annual SOURCE Awards national lighting design competition.

The competition, which focuses on furthering the understanding, knowledge and function of lighting as a primary element in design, is open to all lighting designers, architects, engineers, professional designers and consultants who use Cooper Lighting fixtures in interior or exterior design projects. Students currently enrolled in any of these disciplines are also eligible to enter projects based on conceptual lighting designs utilizing Cooper Lighting fixtures and will be judged in a separate student category.

This year’s competition will once again seek creative uses of fixtures providing energy-efficient design solutions in addition to standard projects. Projects will be judged on a combination of aesthetics, creativity, technical performance and the degree in which the lighting meets project constraints and design concept goals. Entries must be postmarked on or before January 31, 2014, and winners will be announced in June 2014 at LIGHTFAIR International in Las Vegas. There will be no minimum or maximum number of awards given, as each project will be judged on its own merit. Selected entries will earn the distinction of Winner, Honorable Mention or Award of Recognition.

New Site Highlights Marriott’s Green Progress in Europe

Those interested in following Marriott’s sustainability-related efforts throughout Europe can now go towww.europeserve.com. The website includes news updates in areas including Environment, Community Engagement, Green Buildings, Sustainable Operations, and Sustainable Supply Chain. The site includes a message from Reiner Sachau, chief operations officer, Europe, and provides a means for Marriott associates in Europe to contribute their green news for publication. Marriott recently reported on three of its key green initiatives in Europe that will result in significant energy savings and carbon footprint reductions. First, in partnership with Siemens, Marriott is implementing an energy optimization program. Through the program, which is launching in a first phase of 20 hotels, Marriott and Siemens will audit energy usage and optimize building management systems to monitor energy consumption.

Additionally, hotel associates will be able to track energy use in real-time via Green Building Monitors. Following a trial at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Marriott Hotel, the program is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 10 percent to 15 percent per property.

A second initiative being trialed by Marriott is a program by KiWi Power designed to make smart, temporary reductions in energy consumption during times of peak demand on the National Grid. The demand response solution will enable hotels to temporarily reduce their non-essential services, such as cooling and air handling, during times when the electricity grid is highly congested. Most importantly, this can be achieved without impacting guest comfort levels. The program, which is being trialed in four Marriott hotels in London, has the potential to generate new risk-free revenue streams, provide hotel managers with greater insight into energy usage and actively contribute to Marriott’s sustainability goals. Marriott is the first international hotel group to adopt KiWi Power’s demand response program in the United Kingdom.

The third initiative will expand Marriott's combined heat and power and voltage optimization program in Europe to include an additional 20 properties. The estimated annual CO2 reduction will be equivalent to taking 6,000 family cars off the road each year.

for more information about LED Lighting, pls visit:www.ledpanel-light.com

The advantages and disadvantages of LED household lighting

As incandescent lamps phasing out gradually, LED lighting will inevitably occupy a larger share in the future market with its superiority. It is the inevitable result of the development of times for LED lighting flowing into the houses of ordinary people. However, as for the current market situation, the energy-saving lamp still occupies a large market share in household lighting and its market share is still higher than that of LED lighting. Ordinary energy-saving lamp is still the choice of the general public, while LED lamp is still relatively less.

 

As we all know, compared with the ordinary energy-saving lamp, LED lighting has a lot of advantages: first, energy saving. The brightness of a one-watt LED light is equivalent to an energy-saving lamp of 2 watts. Continuing to use a 5 watts LED lamp for 1000 hours consumes 5 KWH; second, long lifespan. The lifespan of a LED lamp could reach 50,000 hours; third, good applicability. Due to the fact that a single LED is very small in size, it can be made into any shape; fourth, quick in response. The response time used for LED lamp is ns (nanosecond), while for ordinary lamp is ms (milliseconds); fifth, environmental friendly. LED lamp produces no hazardous metal and its waste is easy to recycle; sixth, its color is very attractive. With pure luminous color and narrow spectral rang, the color of LED lamp can be made in mixing color or natural white by mixing the three primary colors: red, green and blue.

 

Although LED lamp has many advantages compared with traditional energy-saving lamp, there are still many disadvantages, such as its price, quality of products and the establishment of brand. To enter the house of ordinary people, LED lamp should foster its strong points and circumvent its weakness to make people willing to accept.

 

IF want to know more about resdential and commercial LED lighting, pls visit: http://www.ledpanel-light.com

 

The advantage of isolated driver LED Tube

LED fluorescent lamp which compared with the traditional fluorescent lamp can save energy at least 30% above while lifetime is 5~ 8 times than the traditional fluorescent lamp.

Currently the design of the fluorescent lamp limited mainly in two aspects: the thermal, and  power supply.The structure of Thermal design from all PC tube initial to half PC half aluminum tube currently, is gradually evolution, and each of the thermal design also has his merits.

At present,the entire industries pay more attention of the heat and thermal design which is  relatively mature than one year ago;

since it is a new generation of energy-saving products, the industry begin to putting forward higher request to power supply,mainly in high performance, long lifetime, small volume, low temperature rise, high reliability, etc.

Panel Led by North Carolina: 'Sit out at-risk Freshmen'

Jonar Sabilano | September 4, 2013 3:25 PM EST

If a panel formed by North Carolina would have its way, freshmen athletes granted special academicconsideration would have to sit out their first year. The panel, formed in the wake of an academic fraud scandal that led to the resignation of UNC's chancellor, made the "redshirt freshman" recommendation on top of others, covering academic support and athletic expenses.

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In an effort to lend academic credence to the panel, former UNC chancellor Holden Thorp appointed Hunter R. Rawlings III as its chair. Rawlings, concurrently the president of the Association of American Universities, emphasized that reforms are urgently needed at the collegiate level.

"Our panel believes we're at a tipping point in intercollegiate athletics ... There's so much revenue pouring into intercollegiate athletics and the budgets for universities' academics programs have been so tight in the past few years that it's out of balance," Rawlings said in a statement.

Other reforms that UNC seeks to push are the limiting of weekly training and competition hours, limits on operations expenses for particular sports, transparency regarding athletics budgets, and giving more power to admissions offices in determining which student-athletes are accepted.

The panel also pushed for an education program for coaches that covers topics from coaching ethics to schools' academic programs.

The former Cornell and Iowa president headed the panel that included Big Tencommissioner Jim Delany, Amy Perko of the Knight Commission, Robert Malekoff of Guilford College, and former North Carolina Supreme Court associate justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson.

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Rare earth prices soared weaken competitors, LED energy-saving lamps like LED Commercial Lighting took the opportunity to take off

The same as energy-saving light-emitting materials, the situation of earth fluorescent and LED is quite different-the latter sales rose, the former sharp contracted. The industry believes that the rare earth luminescent materials market's downturn provides an opportunity for expanding LED such as led down lighting fixture, led tube light fixture and led recessed ceiling panel lights.

Luminescent materials has gone through the incandescent lamp, energy saving lamp era, however, energy-saving lamps have halogen powder, rare earth fluorescent and LED lights like  retrofit led downlights, led light tube t8 and panel light led (also used rare earth, but only one thousandth of rare earth fluorescent). Rare earth fluorescent plays an important role in the alternative to traditional incandescent fluorescent, first-generation halogen powder energy-saving lamps. According to the data of Shanghai Illuminating Engineering Society, the current rare earth fluorescent lighting accounts for 70% market share in large cities.

However, this pattern is changing slowly. Reporters recently learned from Ganzhou Rare Earth  international forum and other channels that rare earth luminescent materials (more than 90% of rare earth fluorescent) sales of 4,500 tons in 2012, fell 43.8 percent as 8,000 tons in 2011;  first half of 2013, the sales of rare earth luminescent materials unchanged from last year.

According to market data shows that in 2012, the third generation of its competitors in energy-saving lamps LED total sales rose nearly 34%. The most noteworthy is that the LED (especially led down lighting fixture) in the less competitive civilian market erupted. 

At the first half of 2013, LED civilian market sales covering led down lighting fixture, led tube lamp and led light panel and sales grew more than 150% and 300%.

As a new generation of energy-saving light, the price of LED light such as led down lighting fixture is 6-10 times higher than the same lighting efficacy rare earth fluorescent, but LED lamp's energy-saving effect is better. it's much cost-effective to install led for large power consumption in public places.

In addition, the manufacture's quotation of rare earth fluorescent increases with the increasing rise fall with rare earth rare earth prices rocketed and rapid decline, however, the magnitude of price increases fast and frequent gradually shaken the confidence of customers, which resulting in orders plummeted.

Lighting Society director said, "Now the operating of rare earth fluorescent lamp industry is only four or five percent, businesses starting and stopping is the norm, very bad time. Now is the winter, the time the industry should hold together."

Rare CFL encounter crises nurturing a rare opportunity for rising of LED. Reporters learned that some manufacturers converting from rare earth fluorescent to LED. "Before 2011, the industry expected that the time to replace rare earth energy-saving lamps to LED light is 10 years, and now it seems do not need so long." Lighting Society said.