I have taken a quick pass of the trade floor and the over 20,000 pre-registered attendees, as reported by LIGHTFAIR organizers, are in store for some very interesting product displays from already known and some new SSL exhibitors when the show opens and celebrates 20 years on Tuesday morning at 10:00 am.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT TODAY: Monday, May 4
From 8:00 am. to 5:00 pm., the DOE’s Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEA) Lighting / Controls Supplier Summit – Retrofitting Existing Buildings will be held in Room 1E15 in the Javits Convention Center. There will be brief presentations from representatives of the three alliances (Retailer, Commercial Real Estate and Hospital), who will present on behalf of their respective alliances. SSL will be covered in 3 breakouts, Interior Lighting (general, display and signage), Outdoor Area (site) Lighting and Retrofit Technologies, highlighting Home Depot, Target and WalMart projects.
The afternoon session will consist of manufacturer speed-dating interviews and a full session where CBEA Project Reports will be presented, including LED Site Lighting Performance Specification presented by Michael Myer of PNNL. Membership in the Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEA), including the Retailer, Hospital, and Commercial Real Estate energy alliances, is open only to owners and operators of buildings within those sectors. However, the DOE recognizes the critical part that manufacturers play in the effort to reduce energy consumption in all commercial buildings and encourage their participation.
Monday’s ‘must attend’ workshops include "LED Luminaire Design," a full day workshop that commences at 9:00 am. and "SSL (LED) Technology - New Standards, Effectiveness Benchmarks, and Performance Data for a Rapidly Emerging Industry," a half-day workshop which also commences at 9:00 am.
- Successful LED fixture design requires the integration of four engineering disciplines: optical design, electrical design, thermal management and mechanical design. Optimizing performance in any single area can mean compromising performance in the others. Learning objectives:
1. Develop a broad understanding of the inter-disciplinary trade-offs needed when designing with LED light sources.
2. Understand how LED brightness and color binning work, their strengths and limitations.
3. Develop the ability to read between the lines of LED manufacturers’ specifications.
4. Learn the role that proper thermal management plays in determining brightness and lumen maintenance.
5. Learn how to compare manufacturer’s claims on an apples-to-apples basis.
6. Learn how to specify an LED Fixture: “12 Questions your LED Fixture Manufacture must answer”.
- New light sources or technologies require new metrics, standards, test methods and guidelines. Programs that support the application of technologies with benchmarks and performance information such as the DOE ENERGY STAR® for SSL and CALiPER also emerge to provide benchmarks for effectiveness.
Attendees of this workshop will learn about the new standards and test methods being developed through IESNA, ANSI, and others (e.g., LM-79, LM-80 ANSI C78.377) that relate to SSL luminaire performance, life, color, and testing parameters. In the past, the ENERGY STAR rating has provided a metric for acceptable performance for fluorescent and CFL products. Attendees will be provided with details of the ENERGY STAR LED program and how it sets a benchmark for effective LED product application through its categories, definitions, and specifications.
- Through hands-on demonstration and application to today’s environment, this workshop will introduce state-of-the-art LED technologies, demonstrate new ideas for lighting spaces with LEDs, and combine fixture styling with solid thermal management. It will also provide key points for maximizing energy savings in LED fixture design and LED system integration.
Events on Sunday May 3 included "Sustainable Lighting Charrette: Creating an Environmental Performance Metric for Lighting Products" presented by Nick Ferzacca and Meg Smith. Ferzacca and Smith discussed technology footprint through the manufacturing and production process, including the IESNA and the IALD DG-22, the purpose being, “meeting the qualitative needs of the visual environment with the least impact on the natural environment.” They discussed the elements of sustainability and the effect on the design of lighting in process and product.
Going into detail about environmental metrics, they touched on 3rd party collection of data and Life Cycle Analysis in architecture, the only issue being the resistance to share items protected by intellectual property. The concept of an Environmental Product ‘Declaration’ was highlighted along with the potential environmental impact of the various phases of the life cycle. They presented an informal analysis of the 2004 IES Lighting Update. Components have to be considered in assessing the environmental impact of manufacturing and production, along with the energy use during the phases of manufacturing and production.
Sunday's luncheon keynote address was delivered by actor and noted environmentalist, Ed Begley, Jr. Begley’s compelling address entitled "Live Simply So That Others Can Simply Live," applauded lighting industry attendees for their efforts in technological advancement.
Begley commented that in order to bring initial costs down, "governments should subsidize the new technology, such as LEDs." Begley and his wife, Rachelle Carson will tour the tradeshow floor on Tuesday and visit with many of the LED manufacturers. I had the opportunity to meet with Begley in the Press Room previous to his luncheon address and we discussed the SSL industry and what to look for -- and look out for -- when reviewing LED lighting products. Last week he was in Toronto, Canada for our Energy Conservation Leadership Summit and the Green Toronto Awards, of which greenTbiz has been recognized for its efforts with an award of Excellence twice in the Award’s history to date.
On Sunday afternoon, John Curran and Shawn Keeney presented "A Lighting Specifier's Survival Guide to LED Technology." As always, Curran is a master of engagement with the audiences at LIGHTFAIR, last year having the largest attendance ever to a LIGHTFAIR seminar for his presentation entitled "100,000 Hours of Life & Other LED Fairy Tales." Curran and Keeney gave a comprehensive review of issues faced by specifiers with respect to lighting and LED, commencing with a quote from Nicola Tesla in 1932, “Surely my system is more important than the incandescent lamp, which is but one of the known electric illuminating devices and admittedly not the best. Although greatly improved through chemical and metallurgical advances and skills of artisans, it is still inefficient, and the glaring filament emits hurtful rays responsible for millions of bald heads and spoiled eyes. In my opinion, it will soon be superseded by the electrodeless vacuum tube which I brought out thirty-eight years ago, a lamp much more economical and yielding a light of indescribable beauty and softness," demonstrating that history repeats itself and the lighting industry has been in this position before.
The "Survival Guide" presentation was new this year and invoked question after question from the audience while both Curran and Keeney covered system components, measurements, solid-state lighting systems and applications as well as recommendations. They noted that there has been an explosion of manufacturers offering Solid State Lighting devices as well as luminaire products based on the technology, using statistics from LEDs Magazine;
• In 2006 there were 57 general lighting suppliers listed in LEDs Magazine
• In 2009 that number has grown to 493 In their recommendations, they presented a list of questions to ask manufacturers and supported the use of the Lighting Facts label from the Quality Advocates program. Curran gives an encore presentation of "100,000 Hours of Life & Other LED Fairy Tales" on Tuesday.
A great introductory presentation entitled "Candela, Lumens & Lux, Oh My! Lighting Fundamentals for Architects & Interior Designers" was given by Leslie North, where she reviewed lighting elements, nomenclature and how light is measured, while correlating the relationship between the difference measurement units
INTO THE LIGHT TOMORROW: Tuesday, May 5:
The day starts with the LFI Innovation Awards presentations at 8:30 am. before the opening of the exhibit hall. LEDs Magazine will attend a Press Conference hosted by Rudy Provoost, CEO of Philips Lighting Worldwide. At 10:00 am. LIGHTFAIR International honors 20-year exhibitors as it celebrates 20th Anniversary at the main entrance of the exhibit hall. GE hosts a Media Luncheon and LFI hosts an Appreciation Cocktail Reception. LEDs Magazine will also be attend an Osram Sylvania Media Event to again bring you’re the newest information. Charlie Jerabek, Osram Sylvania President and CEO and Tim Lesch, Osram Sylvania Vice President of General Illumination Sales and Marketing will discuss the intersection of business and the environment, environmental capital and Osram Sylvania’s leadership in sustainability.
Essential seminars on Tuesday include:
- 2:00 pm: 100,000 Hours of Life & Other LED Fairy Tales (Technologies Track)
- 4:30 pm: LED Roadway Lighting Case Study
11:00 am - DOE's SSL Commercialization Activities
11:30 am - ENERGY STAR – Version 1.1 Overview
12:00 pm - The Race for Super Efficient Light Bulbs – L Prize
12:30 pm - Specifying LEDs – Practical Guidance for Lighting Specifiers
1:00 pm - CALiPER Testing Update – Replacement Lamps
1:30 pm - What's Next with DOE SSL ENERGY STAR Specifications
2:00 pm - CALiPER Testing Update – Linear Fluorescent Replacements
2:30 pm - Understanding IES LM-79 & LM-80
3:00 pm - Learning from Critical Field Experience – Gateway Demonstrations
3:30 pm - Qualifying for DOE SSL ENERGY STAR
4:00 pm - Getting Involved with the SSL Quality Advocates Pledge Program
4:30 pm - Raising the Bar – DOE's SSL Design Competitions
We will review this great program of sessions and I will be speaking with DOE staff on Monday to find out where the ENERGY STAR conflict resolution now lies. Simply stated, DOE is here to stay, EPA please go away!
LIGHTS OUT:
Well, 45 days has come and gone with respect to the long awaited resolution to the ENERGY STAR agency debate between the DOE and the EPA which should have be reached prior to LIGHTFAIR. I wonder if David Rodgers meant 45 ‘business’ days instead of 45 ‘calendar’ days to have an agreement with the EPA as per his testimony to the Congressional Committee. How will Mr. Rodgers in his best ‘neighbourhood’ voice to the ‘boys and girls’ of Congress explain this one. I wonder what 2 weeks or 14 days notice of termination means when Congress deals with Mr. Rodgers in this matter. Maybe they will have to strike the "Commission on Omission."
