The 349 solid-state lighting R&D projects DOE has funded since 2000 have resulted in 483 patents applied for or awarded and a huge industry footprint, with literally millions of SSL products currently on the market that are based on at least some DOE-funded R&D. Those products have contributed to an estimated 185 billion kWh in annual energy savings, equating to 79 million metric tons of carbon dioxide prevented and more than $20 billion in U.S. energy cost savings so far—a remarkable return on the total DOE investment of about $500 million. DOE SSL R&D funding involves a broad mix of partners—from universities to national laboratories, to big businesses to small businesses, and to familiar names in the lighting industry to new players.
But the impacts of DOE’s SSL program go well beyond funding individual R&D projects. DOE’s advanced lighting science and technology research, conducted primarily by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, focuses on next-generation efficiency potential of SSL to deliver the right amount, spectrum, and distribution of light to the right place at the right time. This research focuses on applications where existing lighting energy usage is high or where rapid growth in lighting energy usage is expected.
ANSI/IES TM-37 DETAILS CAUSES OF SKY GLOW, EVALUATION METHOD, RECOMMENDATIONS
DOE technical support and leadership assist broad efforts to understand and quantify the unwanted effects of electric light in the night sky. TM-37 Impacts Summary
R&D INVESTMENTS HELP OLEDS BECOME VIABLE ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPLEMENTS TO LEDS FOR GENERAL ILLUMINATION
In research projects partially funded by DOE, OLEDWorks is successfully addressing the two biggest barriers to OLED lighting: cost and performance. OLEDWorks R&D Impacts Summary
DOE SPOTLIGHT, TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPUR INDUSTRY TO ADDRESS FLICKER
DOE and industry efforts drive development of guidance, standards, and tools related to the issue of flicker. Flicker R&D Impacts Summary
IES TM-30 OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM FOR EVALUATING COLOR RENDITION OF LIGHT SOURCES
DOE technical support and leadership assist industry efforts to develop new color-rendering methods and metrics. IES TM-30 R&D Impacts Summary
L PRIZE COMPETITION DRIVES TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, ENERGY SAVINGS
In challenging manufacturers to develop high-quality lighting products that set leading-edge performance benchmarks for the industry, the L Prize® became a gift that keeps on giving. L Prize R&D Impacts Summary
INNOVATIVE PHOSPHORESCENT OLED TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING TO MAKE OLED LIGHTING MARKET-READY
Thanks to research partially funded by DOE, Universal Display Corporation’s OLED technology is increasing the efficacy and reducing the cost of OLED lighting. Universal Display Corporation R&D Impacts Summary
R&D INVESTMENTS BUILD ON EACH OTHER TO BOOST PERFORMANCE, LOWER COST OF HIGH-BRIGHTNESS LEDs
Ten years of research projects partially funded by DOE have already paid off in millions of energy-saving products on the market. Lumileds R&D Impacts Summary
FROM CHIPS TO DRIVERS TO LUMINAIRES, R&D INVESTMENTS LEAD TO MULTIPLE BREAKTHROUGHS
More than a decade of Cree research projects has led to advances in solid-state lighting that have improved the performance and lowered the price of millions of products on the market. Cree R&D Impacts Summary
INNOVATIONS IN LED MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT CUT COSTS, BOOST QUALITY AND U.S. MARKET SHARE
A new generation of equipment manufactured by Veeco is cutting the cost of producing high-brightness LEDs by improving the efficiency and yield of a key step in the process – and, in so doing, is helping to strengthen the U.S. role in a key part of the multibillion-dollar LED manufacturing supply chain. Veeco R&D Impacts Summary
CUTTING-EDGE REFLECTOR COATING BOOSTS LED FIXTURE EFFICIENCY WHILE REDUCING COSTS
An innovative reflector coating is boosting the efficiency of LED fixtures by directing the light where it is needed and reducing the amount that gets wasted. Higher efficiency means fewer LEDs need to be used, which reduces cost. WhiteOptics R&D Impacts Summary