Over the last decade, the U.S. lighting market has undergone a number of regulatory and technological “shocks” that are revolutionizing the way we think about lighting our homes and workplaces. The rapid evolution of solid-state lighting (SSL), also known as LED lighting, represents the most significant technological disruption that the lighting industry has experienced in generations.
The introduction of SSL raises an entirely new set of questions, concerns, and technical considerations for lighting designers, building owners, and efficiency program managers. The resulting confusion has left the industry vulnerable to the risks posed by substandard products, fly-by-night manufacturers, and exaggerated claims.
MEEA has developed and assembled knowledge and resources to facilitate the adoption of advanced lighting in homes, facilities, and utility programs across the Midwest.
For information about any of these resources or to join the Midwest LEDers Network, please contact Aimee Skrzekut at askrzekut@mwalliance.org or 312.673.2480.
Resources
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Midwest LEDers: The Midwest LEDers (pronouced “leaders”) group is a collaborative network of efficiency program administrators who are involved in, or are interested in becoming involved in, solid-state lighting. This group offers participants the chance to engage in peer-to-peer consultation and collaboration and to receive updates on industry news.
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MEEA Reports: As part of MEEA’s work on solid-state lighting, each year we survey program administrators and other industry stakeholders to develop a snapshot of the current plans for SSL being formulated across the region. The survey has been administered since 2010.
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Training and Public Outreach: MEEA staff members are available to provide the ‘LED 101’ training necessary to newcomers in the SSL arena.
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Vendor and Product Selection: MEEA can work with interested parties to identify respected vendors from which to solicit quotes and proposals that suit the application.
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Regional Workshops: In order to disseminate up-to-date information on solid-state lighting, MEEA organizes a series of annual workshops around the region. These workshops cover a range of topics and provide both technical guidance and real-world case studies to end users, the lighting industry, and others.
Additional Resources
Beyond MEEA, there are a number of high quality information sources on solid-state lighting that should be consulted.
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U.S. Department of Energy: U.S. DOE has a comprehensive program on solid-state lighting that provides industry, efficiency program administrators, and the public with many free resources including:
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CALiPER: The Commercially Available LED Product and Evaluation Reporting Program (CALiPER) performs independent laboratory testing of commercially available SSL products and presents the results in reports on specific products in each round of testing, as well as general assessments of how SSL products are performing from an historical perspective. Testing results and reports are available to members of the public who register with the program and agree to the terms of DOE’s No Commercial Use policy.
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CBEA Specifications: The Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEA) is a collaboration of DOE and large commerical building owners and operators. The organization’s Lighting and Electrical Subcommittee has developed a number of resources on SSL, including lighting specifications for applications well suited for municipal, institutional, or commercial use.
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Conferences and Workshops: Each year, DOE hosts SSL workshops around the country that provide attendees with cutting edge information about the technology. Separately focused on low-level research and development, manufacturing developments and challenges, and market impacts, these workshops offer information suitable for a wide range of audiences.
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MSSLC: The Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium is a group dedicated to sharing information among members and the public on integrating SSL into street and area lighting applications. Additionally, the group has developed a number of resources, including a model specification for LED roadway lighting. Membership is open to municipalities, utilities, and other efficiency organizations.
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GATEWAY Demonstrations: Solid-State Lighting GATEWAY Demonstrations provide real-world results for SSL projects, producing detailed case studies of projects put into place across the country. The program has explored a number of uses for SSL, including outdoor area and roadway lighting, lighting in the hospitality industry, commercial office spaces, and in museums.
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LED Lighting Facts: Lighting Facts is a voluntary program of U.S. DOE that is designed to recognize products produced by manufacturers that have committed to using industry-recognized testing methods and to publically reporting product results. The website provides a searchable product database that allows users to filter results with a number of performance criteria.
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L Prize: The Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) competition is designed to spur innovation in solid-state lighting by offering a cash-prize to the first manufacturer who develops and mass-markets LED lamps that meet a set of high standards. The first winner of the L Prize in the 60 W replacement category, which MEEA helped to test, is now on the market.
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Other Sources:
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U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR®: The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program has developed performance specifications for, and maintains a qualified product list of, light bulbs (lamps) and light fixtures (luminaires) for residential uses. ENERGY STAR qualification serves as a fundamental requirement of many utility incentive programs across the nation.
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DesignLightsTM Consortium: The DesignLights Consortium is an initiative by partners in the energy efficiency industry to develop performance specifications for commercial solid-state lighting products. The consortium also maintains a qualified product list covering a wide range of commercial applications.
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Illuminating Engineering Society of North America: The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) is a lighting industry organization made up of manufacturers, lighting designers, and others the field. IES has published several photometric testing and evaluation methodologies for solid-state lighting.
