Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions will provide a total of $19,500 in LED lighting equipment to the teams representing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland, who will compete to design, build and operate the most livable, energy-efficient, completely solar-powered house. The 2007 Solar Decathlon takes place 12-20 at the National Mall in Washington, DC.
This event marks the latest in Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions' efforts to educate both the professional lighting community and the general public about the future role of LEDs as an energy-saving technology. According to Strategies Unlimited, the market for high-brightness LEDs in illumination applications was $205 million in 2006, and is projected to reach $1 billion by 2011. This growth may be driven in part by increasingly stringent regulations, government initiatives and greater public consciousness of the need to curb energy strain - trends that collectively make energy-efficient LED sources a more attractive choice, particularly as the technology continues to advance.
"It's well known that electric lighting is a chief energy drain in buildings, yet LED sources are only just starting to garner public attention as a potential long-term solution," said Bill Sims, CEO, Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions. "It won't happen overnight, but we envision a future where LED systems will deliver both energy savings and digitally controllable illumination on a broad scale - bringing 'intelligence' to light in everyday applications. Education and demonstration are an important part of the adoption curve, and events like the Solar Decathlon help to inspire entirely new approaches to illumination through LEDs."
Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions collaborates with the U.S. DOE in several ways. As a member of the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance, the company is helping the Department develop a technology roadmap and Energy Star criteria for LED lighting. The company also has been awarded a $1.7 million grant to develop LED-based replacement lamps for 60-watt incandescent sources that, at 80-lumens per watt, would meet or exceed the efficacy of nearly all conventional light sources.
(Jim Evans)
