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    1. LEDs & SSL Design
    2. Modular Light Engines

    Zhaga opens certification to more SSL Books, aligns with the GLA

    June 17, 2013
    The Zhaga Consortium and the Global Lighting Association will partner to distribute information about Zhaga LED light engine standards, and the organization has begun certification for Books 4, 7, and 8 covering more LED lighting applications.

    The Zhaga Consortium has authorized three test organizations to issue certifications for solid-state lighting (SSL) products that meet Books 4, 7 and 8, thereby formally starting the certification process for those specifications. The organization also signed a liaison agreement with the Global Lighting Association (GLA) that will entail Zhaga regularly updating the GLA on Zhaga activities so that the GLA can communicate the benefits of the standards to more than 5000 lighting manufacturers globally.

    New Zhaga books

    Zhaga calls its specifications for modular light engines Books, and the industry coalition continues to expand the applications covered by the specifications. Book 4 covers a non-socketable light engine with separate control gear or driver. The intended applications are high-output fixtures including street lights and industrial high-bay luminaires.

    Book 7 targets applications such as office lighting and defines a non-socketable light engine with separate driver. And Book 8 defines a socketable light engines with integrated driver for applications such as downlights. The term socketable implies a light engine that can be replaced or installed in a fixture without tools.

    Zhaga announced that Dekra, UL, and VDE are authorized to issue test reports on the new specifications, and UL was quick to add its own statement about the new Books. "UL is proud to be a trusted authorized Zhaga Test Center and member of the Consortium Steering Committee," said Todd Straka, global director of UL Lighting. "These additional book authorizations illustrate our growing commitment to assisting in the global adoption and use of high-quality and efficient LED Lighting products."

    Zhaga said that the full specifications will be published on the organization's website soon. The organization had previously published Books 2 and 3. Certification testing for Books 5 and 6 should come soon. Book 1 is not a light engine specification, but rather a specifications of terminology and characteristics used throughout the other Books.

    GLA partnership

    The liaison agreement with the GLA, meanwhile, could help accelerate adoption of the modular Zhaga approach to SSL. The GLA is chartered to promote sustainable energy-efficient lighting and is a top-level organization that includes leading national and regional lighting industry associations in Europe and elsewhere.

    The liaison agreement carries the implicit message that the GLA is endorsing Zhaga's belief that modular LED light engines can lower R&D cost for lighting manufacturers and provide a broader choice among interchangeable products from multiple vendors.

    For Zhaga, the agreement will provide a conduit for it to spread its message. "The lighting industry operates on a global scale, and the specifications being developed by Zhaga are for global use," said Menno Treffers, secretary-general of the Zhaga Consortium. "It is very important for Zhaga to be able to share the results of its work throughout the international lighting community, and the liaison with GLA provides a clear route to achieve this goal."

    Zhaga has previously signed similar liaison agreements with other organizations including the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a non-profit research institute based in Taiwan, and the Istanbul-based Turkish Lighting Luminaires Manufacturers Association (AGID).