During the LightFair International conference and exhibition in San Diego, CA, the latest commercial solid-state lighting (SSL) products submitted for the US Department of Energy’s annual competition featured two new product categories and showed overall improvement in efficacy from previous years.
This afternoon, at LightFair International (LFI), the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) honored 25 commercial LED indoor and outdoor lighting products for excellence in the eighth annual Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid-State Lighting Design Competition.
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Sponsored by the DOE, IES, and IALD, NGL was launched in 2008 to recognize developments in energy-efficient commercial LED lighting. The primary goal is to foster market acceptance of LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) for general illumination. Indeed, the market for LED luminaires looks promising according to Strategies Unlimited’s 2015 forecast, which anticipated 11% growth in the luminaire market from 2014 to 2022. (Stay tuned for our April/May issue coverage of updated packaged LED and luminaire market data from Strategies Unlimited that was presented at Strategies in Light, co-located with The LED Show, in March.)
Following last year’s model, the organizers combined the Indoor and Outdoor luminaire announcements, and the judges have recognized 25 out of 93 submissions, with only five taking home Outstanding honors. As NGL continues to follow trending technologies and applications, this year the organizers also tasked the panel of 11 indoor lighting and 10 outdoor lighting judges with scoring two new product categories: connected lighting for indoor use and sports lighting for outdoor use.
The Focal Point Nera linear pendant was designated an Outstanding Indoor product in the Next Generation Luminaires competition.
Although the panel did not perceive any one of the connected lighting entries to excel over another, they did note that each had merits in different applications. Submissions included Cree’s SmartCast Technology and Philips’ SpaceWise Technology, both of which have luminaires that feature integrated network controls; and the Enlighted Control Solution, which uses an external controller with networked luminaires
The panel also found that Eaton’s Ephesus Lighting Stadium Pro and KMV’s SUFA-A Sports Luminaire — the two sports lighting products that were evaluated — were Notable as they were appropriate for larger venues, but they did not judge the products to be appropriate for smaller recreational installations.
“The NGL bar is set high, and the tires get kicked often and hard,” said Jim Brodrick, DOE SSL Program manager, in a press statement. “So when the judges award a product, you know it was well earned.”
NGL judges scored all of the commercial LED luminaires on qualities such as glare control, illuminance, color quality, light distribution, dimming control, appearance, and value.
Related article: Focus On NGL Indoor Competition 2014
The judges noted that this year’s SSL products exhibited a higher level of lumen maintenance greater than 85% (L85) at 50,000 hours than in past years. They also pointed out that for the first time in this competition, 31% of submitted indoor luminaires had CRI greater than 90.
Landscape Forms’ FGP Path Light bollard received Outstanding honors in the Next Generation Luminaires Outdoor category.
In the 2016 evaluation process, controllability played a significant role across the spectrum of submitted indoor LED luminaires. Simple digital dimming was required for all entries in 2016; other considerations were dim-to-warm capability, tunable white lighting, and connected lighting systems comprising luminaires, sensors, and controls. In the outdoor SSL products, the panel evaluated garage luminaires for integrated sensors but, like the indoor products, many of the other outdoor categories also were required to incorporate simple dimming controls.
*All winners in alphabetical order by company within judging category for indoor and outdoor.
Indoor – Outstanding
Eaton, Portfolio dim-to-warm
Focal Point, Nera linear pendant
Kenall Lighting, White-tunable MedMaster Balance
Outdoor – Outstanding
Cree, RSW Series LED Street Luminaire
Landscape Forms, Inc., FGP Path Light bollard
Indoor – Recognized
Acuity Brands Lighting Inc.
Juno Lighting Group (2 products)
LED Linear GmbH
LF Illumination
LumenWerx
Meteor Lighting
Philips Ledalite (2 products)
QuarkStar (with Everlight)
Selux Corporation (2 products)
Visa Lighting
Outdoor – Recognized
Eaton
First Light Technologies
Kenall Lighting
Landscape Forms Inc.
Philips Gardco
RAB Lighting Inc.
Selux Corporation
For more information on the 2016 Next-Generation Luminaires Solid-State Lighting Design Competition, visit ngldc.org.
