How Does the IIoT Deliver Real-World Value?

Posted on June 4, 2018

Digital Lumens

People often talk about the Internet of Things (IoT) as a Jetsons-style future state, but the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is already delivering real-world value, to a wide range of commercial, and industrial businesses. Retailers, for example, use beacon technologies that communicate with customers’ smartphones to provide location-specific offers and promotions, enhance the effectiveness of these programs and delivering a new source of data-driven intelligence on consumer behaviors.

Meanwhile, fleet operators are using sensor data to track delivery vehicles and improve the overall efficiency of logistical operations. Yet as interesting as some of these applications are, the larger potential for the IIoT is to deliver wholly new ways to leverage technology for increased productivity. IIoT solutions combine smart sensors and software applications to create smart buildings.

The installation of intelligent LED lighting containing embedded sensors paired with a lighting software application can achieve up to 90% in energy savings. Facility-wide environmental monitoring enables temperature and relative humidity readings to safeguard perishable products and improve workplace comfort. Usage data indicates when machinery or a facility itself needs preventative maintenance, helping to reduce downtime and unexpected repair challenges and costs.

The wide-ranging adaptability of IIoT technology provides great opportunities for businesses. Regardless of your industry or facility type, IIoT solutions seamlessly pivot for varying production schedules, environmental conditions, and more.

For example, foot traffic data insights can inform decisions about the best location for inventory storage units or if a change to regulatory temperature levels occurs, the smart building technology will alert you. IIoT automation is designed to evolve with changes in your facility and business.

This blog post is excerpted from the white paper, “How the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Can Improve Your Business Operations,” which can be downloaded in full through the button below.

Report: IoT Vertical Standards to Emerge and Then Merge

Written by Courtney Bjorlin

• 13 Aug 2018

  According to research from Georgia Tech, IoT vertical ecosystems -- in which verticals develop their own standards but later combine with others’ -- and design thinking are keys to IoT success.

IoT will grow in industry-specific “clusters,” each adopting vertical standards and, eventually, the separate spheres will seek to talk to one another and merge, according to new research from Georgia Tech.

Defining the IoT’s “end game as the interconnection of intelligent things,” Alain Louchez, the co-founder and managing director of The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT), said industries such as agriculture, health care and manufacturing will each act as their own IoT ecosystem, smoothly functioning with their own standards. At some point, the different IoT vertical clusters will seek to share information and even combine, with standards and regulation emerging to enhance their ability to work together on a common platform, according to the whitepaper.

Louchez likened it to the development of the U.S. electrical grid, where small clusters were using a standards approach and continued to combine until the separate grids communicated with each other.

“We’re still at the very beginning of something huge that will unfold over decades,” Louchez said.

Defining IoT as a “metaphor that captures something big that’s going on,” Louchez and CDAIT researchers and members recently released the comprehensive white paper, “Driving New Modes of IoT-Facilitated Citizen/User Engagement.” The paper, intended to educate and spur conversation across academia, industry and government on IoT technologies, defines IoT, provides a list of current standards bodies and security resources, and examines how connected technologies can play out in a user-centric manner in the context of smart cities.

CDAIT brings together academia and industry, with working groups led by the leaders of global companies such as Honeywell, Coca-Cola and Georgia Pacific. Those working groups aim to tackle the main dimensions of IoT, including education and training; startups; IoT thought leadership; security and privacy; and standards, including those for IoT verticals, Louchez said.

In this paper, researchers look at the potential for IoT in cities, examining IoT use cases and their results in places like Barcelona, Los Angeles and Tokyo.

They call special attention to the impact of design thinking on smart city projects.

Developing user-centric solutions will be crucial to the proliferation of the IoT, the researchers contend. As such, they recommend leveraging design thinking, for both its principles and supporting methodologies. Agile development processes will help cities, for instance, test and launch small projects, and evolve them quickly with user needs, while the focus on empathy ensures that the user is intrinsic to the development process.

“It has to be focused on the user. You cannot be successful in the IoT if you center whatever you’re doing on technology,” Louchez said. “You have to include the human dimension.”

To help smart cities adopt this approach, researchers created a model – EPIC, short for Ethics, Profit (economic and social), Intimacy and Connectivity — to review the opportunity and impact of investing in IoT. EPIC screens the IoT effort through the four variables for which it was named. Cities can use EPIC as a grid and take the project through the criteria to see how it fares, Louchez said.

In all, the team hopes to foster a dialogue around issues crucial for IoT proliferation and success, along with the understanding that it will be a long process.

“IoT is not a technology. It’s just an outcome brought about by many, many moving parts, many IoT-enabling technologies,” Louchez said.

5 Common Questions About the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

New to IoT? Here are answers to some of the most common IIoT questions from industry leader Digital Lumens

What do a robotic vacuum cleaner and industrial LED fixtures with embedded sensors have in common? Both operate using the Internet of Things (IoT), a revolutionary network of connected objects driven by sensors which output data into corresponding software applications. Beyond the consumer IoT (wearable fitness trackers, automated home thermostats, and more) is the IoT’s place in the industrial business world called the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Manufacturers and other standard production environments are set to adopt IIoT technology at massive rates, with one report forecasting manufacturing to make up one-fourth of the total IoT market by 2020.

Even though the IIoT can greatly improve your operational efficiency while reducing overhead costs, many decision makers have questions about the available technology, how to introduce it, and how it can benefit their business.

Here are answers to some of the most common IIoT questions:

1. What is a Smart Building?

A smart building is a facility containing sensors throughout which connect to a secure and shared network (the IIoT) for the purpose of generating data insights to inform operational improvements. The sensors monitor specific functions like lighting usage, power metering, temperature and relative humidity levels, activity level around specific assets and predictive maintenance on machinery. The centralized server or cloud-based platform stores, analyzes and, sends the data to a user-friendly software application where facility managers can view a range of historical and real-time data points to maximize energy savings and efficiency.

With a smart building system, organizations save manpower through the automation of manual tasks like walking through a facility with a clipboard to write down environmental conditions. IIoT connectivity also allows facility managers to evaluate insights not generated by manual tracking like employee foot traffic patterns or the best locations to store inventory which can inform lighting usage and make working processes more productive.

2. What are Best Practices for Introducing Smart Building and IIoT Solutions?

With so much potential opportunity, it can be difficult to know where to start with an IIoT implementation. The best approach is for facility managers, sustainability managers, or EHS managers to identify a small pilot project that will demonstrate the effectiveness of one IIoT solution such as, energy savings, facility-monitoring or asset tracking. Many pilot projects focus on sensor-driven lighting because it yields tangible results in a relatively short time period. Whether you have a food and beverage processing plant, warehouse or manufacturing facility, intelligent lighting can produce optimal results in a pilot project.

For those spearheading a pilot project, it is crucial to set and meet specific goals in order to demonstrate the value and potential of smart building technology. For example, if testing the effectiveness of sensor-driven LED lighting coupled with a software application lighting control like SiteWorx Tune over a manufacturing production line, some key measurements to note before and after the pilot test are:

• Energy savings

• Energy usage

• Productivity levels

Based on facility specifications, smart building solution providers can guide you in launching and setting goals to maximize results of your pilot test.

3. Why is Lighting a Key Part of the IIoT?

The implementation of industrial LED lighting fixtures with embedded sensors is a common first step for many enterprises investing in IIoT technology. These sensor-laden lighting fixtures working in tandem with software application controls often yield the quickest return on your investment. Given that they are evenly spread out across a facility, the IIoT-enabled lighting fixtures are the ideal source for instrumenting a broader smart building network that can easily expand to non-lighting applications like power monitoring, machine usage and, facility environmental conditions.

If a full lighting upgrade isn’t in the plans, your existing light fixtures can be connected to the IIoT for a fraction of the costs. Digital Lighting Agents (DLAs) contain smart sensors, affix to virtually any LED light fixture and, deliver actionable facility data to smart building software applications.

4. How Do I Use the Data Generated From the IIoT?

Your IIoT solution is set up. The sensors are deployed and communicating their findings to a software application you check multiple times a day on your desktop and smartphone. How can all of the data be used to improve your facility and operations?

It depends on how you plan to use the data. McKinsey reported:

“Currently, most IoT data are not used. For example, on an oil rig that has 30,000 sensors, only 1 percent of the data are examined. That’s because this information is used mostly to detect and control anomalies—not for optimization and prediction, which provide the greatest value.”

If your main goal is to spot potential problems, it’s possible you may not need to look at all of the data insights. With optimization of processes and facilities, the data often requires a closer look.

While there will be a lot of data, smart building solutions software like SiteWorx, make it a lot easier to understand and leverage for facility improvements. On the SiteWorx dashboard, there are options to analyze real-time data, compare to current findings to historical data and view results in a variety of formats including charts, bar graphs, line graphs and diagrams. The software is a simple and intuitive tool meant for facility and operations professionals to spot trends and anomalies. Of course, it is important to remember data analyzation basics like comparing similar data sets or apples to apples, normalizing data and getting help from analysts or consultants for large projects like database restructuring.

5. Can My Business Afford to Implement an IIoT System?

Many companies operate on tight budgets in order to maximize profit margins within a competitive market spaces. Industrial lighting solutions are a good starting point thanks to their rapid payback.

Smart lighting software applications like SiteWorx Tune working with with sensor-driven industrial LED fixtures can yield up to 90% in energy savings. Using lighting strategies built into the software application such as dimming, daylight harvesting, and off-hour setback are large contributors to energy savings.

Intelligent lighting isn’t the only way the IIoT can help businesses justify the technology investment. Facility-wide monitoring functions including temperature and relative humidity readings, power load usage, and occupancy patterns allow managers to check conditions and activity 24 hours a day. This around the clock access allows operations managers to proactively prevent events like a burst pipe in a low-touch auxiliary room, temperatures falling below a regulatory level, and, machines running at a high power and wasting energy. The savings from protecting your facility and product from these events can be significant.

The IIoT offers unprecedented opportunity for industrial businesses. As hype builds and competitors adopt the technology, it is important to educate yourself on how it can benefit your organization.

Philips Lighting is now Signify

Signify is the new company name of Philips Lighting.  This communication arrived to us today! 

"We are excited to announce that Philips Lighting has changed its name to Signify. It is the most important milestone since Philips Lighting became a standalone company two years ago.

Signify is a name we chose carefully. It reaffirms the powerful purpose of everything we do – to unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. Its meaning fits with our rich heritage, extending back more than 125 years, as well as with the requirements of a new contemporary and international company with a great purpose.

While the company name has changed, all the things that you have come to trust in us – our commitment, service, and quality – will stay the same. We will also continue to use the name Philips, the most trusted lighting brand in the world, for lighting products.

We are proud of this step in shaping the company as an independent entity, and excited about the future that lies ahead.

For more information about Signify, we invite you to visit our www.signify.com company website."

Smart home lighting just got smarter with major Philips Hue app update

May 8, 2018

Smart home lighting just got smarter with major Philips Hue app update

• Available for iOS and Android devices this month

• Convenient shortcuts make it even easier to set your room’s lighting or adjust individual lights

• Instantly transform your space with 30 new colorful light scenes, handpicked by lighting designers

Somerset, New Jersey – Signify (AEX: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced that it will roll out a major update to its Philips Hue app for iOS and Android-based devices this month. Consumers will enjoy new features as well as enhancements of existing app capabilities, so they can easily and quickly personalize and control their home’s Philips Hue smart lighting system.

We’ve made our smart home lighting even smarter. Our new app is easier to use than ever. New features include shortcuts, which make setting up rooms a breeze, new color pickers as well as 30 new scenes that allow instant scene setting to match your mood or that special moment. In designing the upgrade, we took advice from lighting designers, user experience specialists and, most importantly, from our customers. The result is an app befitting the world’s most loved smart lighting system for the home.”

Jasper Vervoort

Head of Marketing and Product Management, Home Systems & Luminaires at Signify.

Simple navigation to light your home smarter

The app delivers a new look-and-feel and convenient shortcuts, so you can adjust your Philips Hue smart lighting in a few simple taps. For example, with a single press and hold on your room setup or individual lights, you can change the color or set your four last used scenes.

Set your desired ambiance effortlessly

Use the new color pickers feature to transform your lighting into an extraordinary experience. This allows you to group and ungroup lights in a room, and easily choose an exact shade of white or colored light from the palette.

The app also comes with 30 new scenes, handpicked from our lighting designers. With a simple tap, you can enjoy a sunset in Honolulu or a night out in London's Soho district, and match the lighting to your mood. The app update also gives you more scenes to choose from and lets you easily create your own personal scenes. The app extracts the relevant colors from your favorite pictures and intelligently applies them to your lights, bringing your pictures to life.

For an overview of all Philips Hue app updates and features, please visit meethue.com.

Stay tuned to MeetHue.com and our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Philips Lighting announces intention to change company name to Signify while keeping the Philips brand for its products

Somerset, New Jersey – Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced its intention to change its name from Philips Lighting to Signify. The choice of our new company name originates from the fact that light has become an intelligent language, which connects and conveys meaning.

The company will continue to use the Philips brand, the most trusted lighting brand in the world, under a licensing agreement with Royal Philips.

“We’re excited to announce our new company name as another step in our transformation journey,” said Philips Lighting CEO Eric Rondolat. “Our new company name is a clear expression of our strategic vision and a fabulous opportunity to introduce a new corporate look and feel that is uniquely our own and will serve to further unite our 32,000 employees. At the same time, we remain proud to continue to use the Philips brand on our products.”

Philips Lighting’s roots date back more than 125 years to the business founded by Frederik and Gerard Philips in 1891 in the Dutch town of Eindhoven. Throughout its history, the company has been at the forefront of many of the lighting industry’s major advancements. Today, it leads the industry worldwide in conventional, LED and connected lighting, with the largest connected lights network in the world.

The new company name satisfies the company’s contractual requirements under the Company Name License Agreement with Royal Philips, which requires that it changes less than 18 months after Royal Philips no longer has a controlling interest

In view of the renaming of the company, a proposal to amend the articles of association of Philips Lighting N.V. will be submitted to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 15. The Philips Lighting N.V. stock exchange ticker will remain (Euronext: LIGHT).

Source: Philips Lighting

Updated LEED ordinance will boost Atlanta's energy efficiency

Published on 6 Mar 2018

Written by Allyssa Calderhead

Atlanta's updated ordinance will benefit everyone.
In 2017, Atlanta City Council updated a city ordinance to include requiring LEED certification for new construction, as well as requiring existing buildings of less than 25,000 square feet to recertify to LEED standards once per decade. The new construction directive took effect immediately, but the LEED for Existing Buildings requirement will be phased in over 10 years. This change will not only foster greater energy efficiency in the city, but will also lead to a healthier environment for the community.

Starting with LEED standards
In 2003, Atlanta City Council approved their first-ever sustainable building guidelines, bringing environmental concern to the forefront of the city building design process. Originally, the guidelines required that all new construction, municipal buildings under 5,000 square feet, or involving major renovations, would be centered in the LEED Silver standard. However, merely meeting LEED Silver guidelines meant that city-owned buildings weren’t made to move through the formal certification process, so there was no way to collect data or evaluate performance.

Raising the bar to LEED certification
With Atlanta’s population at 6 million—and on track to grow 25 percent in the next 15 years—reassessing this policy to further sustainable growth was a key priority. By encouraging a building team to meet a standard rather than achieve certification, the city offered little incentive to participate and no enforcement.

Now, by embedding LEED certification into Atlanta’s green building ordinance, not only has a formal assessment been completed, but open-ended compliance also follows. The collection and analysis of performance data creates an opportunity for further energy and cost savings. On top of updating the ordinance to include LEED for New Construction, existing buildings of less than 25,000 square feet must recertify to LEED standards every 10 years under LEED Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M).

Although USGBC Georgia believes it’s important to verify new construction performance goals with design, certifying existing buildings in the city will significantly reduce wasted energy. By phasing in the LEED O+M requirements, the city gains foresight for budget concerns and capital improvements on older buildings with greater energy demands. Once implemented, LEED O+M certification for Atlanta means proactive management for facilities management and smarter spending when prioritizing upgrades. Additionally, having a sophisticated understanding of a building’s assets leads to annually reduced operations expenses.

These changes will continue to push the market for further efficiency in the Southeast. Vision for effective change means working smarter for the city and taxpayers alike. As a rule, healthier buildings create an atmosphere for occupants to thrive in while also lessening environmental impact, giving the community a return on their investment.

LED Lighting Cuts Carbon Dioxide Emissions By Half a Billion Tons in 2017

Source: www.semiconductor-today.com

“4 January 2018

LED lighting cuts carbon dioxide emissions by half a billion tons in 2017
The use of LEDs to illuminate buildings and outdoor spaces reduced the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of lighting by an estimated 570 million tons in 2017 (equivalent to shutting down 162 coal-fired power plants), according to analyst firm IHS Markit. LED lighting uses an average of 40% less power than fluorescents, and 80% less than incandescents, to produce the same amount of light.

“The efficiency of LEDs is essentially what makes them environmentally friendly,” comments Jamie Fox, principal analyst, lighting & LEDs group. “Therefore, LED conversion is unlike other measures, which require people to reduce consumption or make lifestyle changes.”

LED component and lighting companies were responsible for reducing the global carbon (CO2e) footprint by an estimated 1.5% in 2017, and that is likely to continue to grow as more LEDs are installed worldwide, says IHS Markit.

Another environmental benefit is that LEDs have a longer life span than traditional bulbs and fewer are produced, so the emissions and pollution associated with the production, shipping, sale and disposal of the products is reduced. Secondly, unlike fluorescents, LEDs do not contain mercury. LEDs also decrease air pollution, since most electrical energy is still generated by burning fossil fuels. “While other activities affect climate change more than lighting does, it is still a very strong contribution from a single industry sector,” Fox says.



IHS Markit has tracked the market share for top LED component suppliers for many years. Based on an analysis of this data, Nichia can claim credit for having saved the most carbon overall — accounting for 10% of all LED lighting reduction achieved in 2017, which translates into 57 million tons of CO2 (about the same as 16 coal plants). Cree followed Nichia with 8%, while Lumileds, Seoul Semiconductor, MLS, Samsung and LG Innotek each have a share of 4-7%.

Savings achieved by each company relate to the energy saved by the use of its components while installed in lighting applications. It does not include a whole lifecycle analysis, which would likely lead to a small additional positive benefit, due to the longer life of LEDs.

“LED component companies and lighting companies have transformed their industry,” Fox comments. “They are fighting climate change much more effectively than other industries, and they should be given credit for it. Unlike in other industry sectors, workers at LED companies can honestly say that by selling more of their products, they are helping to reduce global warming.”

IHS Markit notes that its figures are only based on the lighting market. They do not include energy saved by LEDs that replaced other technologies in other sectors, such as automotive and consumer technology.”

What is a LED?

LED stands for ‘Light Emitting Diode‘, a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light. Super energy efficient and long lasting , LEDs use approximately 85% less energy than halogen or incandescent lighting, which means significant savings on your power bills.

Why LED Light Technology?

Since 2006, LED Light Technology has provided professional LED lighting services for industrial, commercial and office-based clients. LED Light Technology founders have spent their careers in the general lighting and LED integration. Collectively our executive team has over 70 years in the lighting business coming from companies such as GE, Philips and Cree.  We have a vast amount of experience and knowledge of both traditional and LED lighting products and applications.  LED Light Technology is a certified women-owned company supporting corporate diversity programs.

As lighting professionals, it is our responsibility to inform our customers of ideal methods to implementing LEDs into their facilities. It is in our best interest to bring you the most cost-effective solution while meeting your primary objectives of improving the quality and performance for your lighting systems.

We offer a complete assortment of LED for all lighting applications.  Our team conducts energy audits to determine the most cost-effective solution for each project location. The audit results in a financial analysis showing detailed owning and operating cost savings/avoidance including all benefits realized by converting to maintenance-free LED lighting products.

We are focused on fortifying our clients’ balance sheet by reducing facility energy consumption and HVAC load while eliminating time and maintenance associated with traditional lighting systems. We offer environmentally friendly LED bulbs, retrofit kits and new fixtures for most every lighting application.

LED Light Technology supplies a full range of traditional and LED bulbs and fixtures including recognized brands such as Philips, GE, CREE, A-Line, Brownlee, Day-Brite, Digital Lumens, Green Creative, Hubble, Levition, Liteline, Lighting Science Group, LSI, Lunera, Maxlite, MSI, Revolt Lighting, TCP, Terralux and WattStopper…as well as our house brand…LED Light Technology.

Our professional lighting experts will perform a complimentary site survey of your facility or produce the financial analysis and conversion recommendations if provided with a PDF or DWG drawing of the facility and a Lighting Fixture Schedule.

In addition to LED Lighting conversions, we offer complete Energy Services to address every aspect of your energy needs.

The intelligence features added to the LED lighting and control systems have reduced owning & operating costs by 97%.

It’s easy and affordable to convert your lighting systems to LED.

CFL Light Bulbs Are Dangerous When Broken

CFL Bulbs contain a small amount of mercury one of the most poisonous substances on earth.  Breaking them results in a hazardous material clean up.

Fluorescent light bulbs contain the toxic compound mercury, which could cause mercury poisoning in varying degrees if you handle broken bulbs without protection. According to the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) some symptoms of mild exposure to mercury include, but are not limited to insomnia, headache, mood changes, muscle atrophy, irritability, diarrhea, vomiting, swollen gums, a metallic taste in your mouth and breathing difficulties If the condition is not treated, permanent lung or brain damage and kidney failure is possible.

Many light bulbs on the market contain elemental mercury. All HID light bulbs including metal halide and high-pressure sodium light bulbs contain certain levels of mercury. 250-watt metal halide and high-pressure sodium light bulbs contain around 38 mg and 15 mg of mercury.

All fluorescent light bulbs contain the toxic compound mercury. The amount of mercury present in your fluorescent light bulb is very small in most cases–some bulbs contain as little as 3.5 mg per bulb no matter what the wattage is.

NBC report of the dangers when a CFL bulb breaks because of it's mercury content.

DOE Report on Energy Reporting Capability of PoE Connected Lighting Systems

“DOE Publishes Report on the Energy Reporting Capability of PoE Connected Lighting Systems

DOE has published the first part of a study to explore the energy reporting capability of commercially marketed Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected lighting systems. The new report provides a brief background on the development of the various PoE technologies, ranging from standards-based to proprietary, and illustrates the convergence of PoE power sourcing capabilities and LED luminaire power requirements. It then classifies PoE system devices in relationship to how they’re used in systems — introducing clarifying terminology as needed — and briefly describes different PoE system architectures implemented by various lighting manufacturers. A discussion of existing standards and specifications that address energy reporting is provided, and existing test setups and methods germane to characterizing PoE system energy reporting performance are reviewed.

Connected lighting systems that can report their own energy consumption can deliver increased energy savings over conventional lighting solutions by facilitating data-driven energy management. PoE technology — in which a single Ethernet cable is used to both provide low-voltage DC power and enable network communication — has the potential to bring this capability to mainstream lighting applications, and has become increasingly viable for LED lighting.

For a closer look at the findings, download the full report.

Best regards,
Jim Brodrick

”

— Jim Brodrick

Atlanta Commits To 100 Percent Renewable Energy By 2035

“Atlanta Commits To 100 Percent Renewable Energy By 2035
The city becomes the 27th in the U.S. to pledge to go totally green.
By Chris D’Angelo
WASHINGTON — Atlanta lawmakers approved a measure on Monday aimed at powering the city entirely on renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, by 2035.

A resolution introduced by city council member Kwanza Hall and unanimously approved commits city government to develop a plan for transitioning all of its buildings to clean electricity sources by 2025, and for the entire city to go green a decade later.

“We know that moving to clean energy will create good jobs, clean up our air and water and lower our residents’ utility bills,” Hall, who’s also a Democratic candidate for mayor, said in a statement. “We never thought we’d be away from landline phones or desktop computers, but today we carry our smart phones around and they’re more powerful than anything we used to have. We have to set an ambitious goal or we’re never going to get there.”

Atlanta becomes the 27th U.S. city and the first in Georgia to pledge a 100-percent renewable energy goal, according to the Sierra Club.

“Just days after hundreds of thousands marched for climate action across the globe, city leaders here in Atlanta are answering the call,” Terry said in a statement. “Today’s commitment will inspire bold, ambitious leadership from cities throughout the United States and pave the way for a healthier and stronger Atlanta.”

Monday’s vote comes less than a month after Hall came under fire for voicing skepticism about climate change.

“I got a question mark on the global warming thing,” he said at a forum last month, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “I do believe in sustainability. I’m a science-minded person and I have a science background. But stuff is in the media too much. … It’s hard for me to be convinced sometimes.”

One day after his controversial remark, Hall issued a press release spelling out his goal to make the city run on clean energy and clarifying his previous comment.

“I did not articulate where I am coming from clearly, at all,” he said. “I believe in science, and the overwhelming scientific consensus that tells us that our planet is warming and it is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. What I’m not sold on is the politicization of big issues like climate change. A lot of it is senseless propaganda, and it comes from both sides.”

Atlanta’s commitment follows a similar pledge by the city of South Lake Tahoe, California, last month. ”

— http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/atlanta-renewable-energy_us_5907ca45e4b05c397681b81b?utm_hp_ref=climate-change

From SSL Postings: All Fired Up About Down-Conversion

“April 19, 2017
All Fired Up About Down-Conversion
As you probably know, the process of down-conversion by phosphors has been central to the development of white-emitting LEDs. That’s because, for most white-LED systems, the LED emits blue photons, most of which are converted to green-yellow and red by a layer of phosphors that typically rests on top of the LED, with the resulting color mix perceived as white by the human eye.

This process, by which photons are converted from more-energetic colors to less-energetic colors, is known as down-conversion. And while down-conversion phosphors have progressed considerably over the past decade, they still need significant improvements in order to meet the performance targets described in the DOE SSL R&D Plan. That’s especially true for red phosphors, which could benefit from being less thermally sensitive and having a narrower spectral width to better match the eye response. With DOE R&D support, GE has commercialized a promising narrow red phosphor, PFS, that’s making its way into GE lighting products with excellent color quality and efficacy. Another narrow red phosphor that has made it into LED products with similar benefits is the SLA phosphor developed by Lumileds.

However, phosphors aren’t the only materials that can be used as down-converters. For quite some time now, scientists — some of them funded by DOE — have been working on developing alternative down-conversion materials called quantum dots (QDs), which are more tunable than phosphors in terms of emitted wavelength, and can be spectrally purer (that is, they have a narrower spectral width). In addition, QDs have demonstrated very high conversion efficiencies that match or exceed those of existing phosphors.

QDs are engineered materials that convert light through a different process than do phosphors, which are limited by their own material emission and absorption properties, whereas QDs re-emit light as a function of their size. What’s more, the ability to develop specific sizes of QDs gives them the potential for greater spectral control. For the past few years, QDs have been used in TV displays, because their narrow emission expands the color gamut, resulting in a more vivid image. However, the rapid degradation of QDs under on-chip LED operating conditions — notably, high temperature, humidity, and blue-flux intensities — has been the biggest barrier to their use as a narrow-band red solution for white LEDs in general illumination applications.

That barrier appears to have been overcome — or, at least, to be toppling. Scientists at Lumileds, reporting in the journal Photonics Research, say they’ve used red QDs with tunable peak emission and narrow spectral width to demonstrate the first commercial production-ready white QD LEDs for the general illumination market. This has resulted, they say, in LED efficacy improvements of 5-15% over commercial phosphor-based LEDs, at CCTs that range from 2700K to 5000K — and without the degradation that plagued previous attempts.

In other words, up until now, no one had been able to successfully deploy QDs on chips, because of the degradation from the flux, temperature, and moisture. Lumileds has succeeded by using QDs that are developed by Pacific Light Technologies and are able to withstand the extreme environment of a conventional LED package, while showing similar stability as the phosphors that they’re displacing.

This is an important breakthrough, because it puts a whole new technology in the LED lighting toolbox, enabling higher luminous efficacy and even more-refined control of the emission spectrum for down-converted LEDs. DOE is currently funding an R&D project at Columbia University that aims to further improve the manufacturability of the QDs that were used to get this result, and Lumileds is planning to commercialize the breakthrough.

The development of quantum dots illustrates the importance not only of taking an integrated approach that considers all elements and requirements of the system, but also of casting a wide net for R&D that takes into account alternative approaches that can help improve SSL performance.

Best regards,
Jim Brodrick

As always, if you have questions or comments, you can reach us at postings@akoyaonline.com.

”

— Jim Brodrick

LED Light Technology’s LED Plug N Play Plus™ tube is ballast and line voltage compatible!

LED Light Technology’s LED Plug N Play Plus™ tube is an innovative approach to the standard LED tube replacement. Our tube works in conjunction with the existing ballast and direct line voltage. The tube allows for a simple bulb change when using the current ballast or a quick rewire for direct line voltage, which generates even more energy savings. The tube is guaranteed to lower operating costs and reduce energy usage. Customers have seen a drastic reduction in upfront cost when upgrading to our LED tube that works off the ballast and then switching to direct line voltage at the ballasts end of life. Please contact Sales@LEDLightTech.com to receive a promotional quote for this product.   Click here for Product Specification Sheet

compatable

Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A. Inc. Installs Intelligent Energy Efficient LED Lighting

LED Light Technology provided Del Monte an innovative and intelligent LED lighting system at their Galveston Port Facility. 

Similar facilities that install LED Light Technology’s Intelligent LED Lighting System will obtain an estimated $132,225.00 in annual energy savings, which equates to removing 68 cars from the road and planting 9,213 trees every year.  Candidates for this system will recoup their investment within one to two years and will benefit from years of maintenance-free use and measureable validation of their investment.

“We want to thank you for all yours and Amy’s efforts on this project and we are very happy with the performance of the product. Being able to monitor the performance and cost savings using the software system is truly amazing and takes facility lighting to a completely differently level. We look forward to the higher performance and lower costs that LED’s provide and believe we made the right decision when we chose your company to make the conversion.”

— Joe Wiley, Port Manager, Galveston, TX

Who is LED Light Technology

LED Light Technology offers unique products which convert existing light fixtures in most cases without replacing or removing the original fixture from the ceiling. Facility energy audits are conducted to determine the most cost effective solution. The resulting energy and maintenance cost savings will strengthen our customers’ balance sheet.

LED Light Technology founders have spent their careers in the general lighting and LED integration business. We are a female owned company supporting diversity programs.

We are focused on assisting customers in increasing bottom-line savings and eliminating time and maintenance associated with traditional lighting systems. We offer environmentally friendly LED solutions for reduced energy and maintenance savings.

LED Light Technology sells a range of LED bulbs and fixtures in addition to traditional lighting products.

Providing a lighting experience to ensure that our customer is comfortable and excited about their transition to LEDs.

New CALiPER Snapshot on TLEDs

“Linear fluorescent lamps — energy-efficient, long-lived, and relatively inexpensive — have been a staple of ambient lighting in offices, classrooms, and other commercial spaces, where they’re usually housed in troffers. Linear LED lamps, commonly known as TLEDs, typically draw about 60% of the power of linear fluorescents and have become a viable alternative, used mainly in retrofit situations. DOE’s CALiPER program has released a new Snapshot report on TLEDs that’s based on LED Lighting Facts® data.

Among the key findings:
• TLEDs now comprise more than 50% of all lamps listed with LED Lighting Facts, and more than 10% of all listed products.
• TLEDs offer the highest mean efficacy of any lamp type, and also include the listed product with the highest efficacy (190 lm/W).
• In aggregate, TLED efficacy decreases by 3 lm/W for every 1000K decrease in CCT.
• While the raw efficacy of TLEDs exceeds that of dedicated LED troffers, the reverse is true if TLED efficacy is adjusted to account for luminaire efficiency. In other words, dedicated LED troffers tend to exceed the efficacy of troffers fitted with TLEDs.
• Almost all (98%) of the listed TLEDs have a CRI in the 80s, with most between 80 and 85.
• A vast majority (97%) of TLEDs that are currently listed by LED Lighting Facts (and that report this optional metric) have a power factor of 0.90 or greater.
• Nearly 90% of the currently listed TLEDs (which include 2’- and 4’-long products) emit between 1,000 and 3,000 lumens. This is generally less than the emission of a typical 4’ linear fluorescent lamp. Of the more than two-thirds of TLED products that are identified as having a 4’ length, the mean output is 2,094 lumens.
As the numbers from LED Lighting Facts attest, TLEDs seem to be everywhere, and their numbers are growing rapidly. But while their rise to prominence is indisputable, they’re not necessarily a clear favorite when evaluating performance.

LED Lighting Facts data show that TLEDs consistently draw less power and emit fewer lumens than the linear fluorescent lamps they’re intended to replace. On balance, they have somewhat higher efficacies, but the energy savings achieved are in large part due to the lower power draw. Importantly, TLEDs offer more of a directional emission than linear fluorescent lamps, meaning they can make troffers or other luminaires more efficient, delivering equal illuminance to the work plane, with fewer lamp lumens. However, sometimes the increased luminaire efficiency can’t compensate for the reduced lamp lumens. In such cases, energy savings are derived from reducing the light levels, which may or may not be acceptable. The change in distribution, something that’s not obvious from the LED Lighting Facts data, presents yet another issue, as it can change both the appearance of the luminaire and the distribution of light within a space.

TLEDs are often compared to other LED options for replacing a fluorescent lighting system — such as using retrofit kits or dedicated LED fixtures. At first glance, TLEDs may appear to be superior, with higher efficacy and likely lower product and installation costs. But accounting for factors such as luminaire efficiency may tip the balance against TLEDs in some scenarios, and their long-term costs may be increased by factoring in the remaining life of existing fluorescent ballasts, if they’re to be reused.

Nevertheless, viable TLED options are increasingly available, which was not the case a few years ago. And as they push the efficacy limits for LED products, TLEDs can be compelling replacements for fluorescent tubes, as long as other tradeoffs are appropriately accounted for. But there are thousands of choices when specifying TLEDs. And as the new Snapshot report shows, there’s considerable diversity in performance, even when examining only basic attributes. The Snapshot doesn’t address the electrical and safety considerations when changing from fluorescent to LED lamps, nor does it examine features such as distribution of light or lifetime. It also doesn’t distinguish between the different types of TLEDs (UL Type A, those that can operate directly on a fluorescent ballast; UL Type B, those with an integrated driver; UL Type C, those with an external driver; and hybrids), because they don’t differ appreciably in photometric performance. Their distinguishing features, however, are very important considerations during specification and installation.

When evaluating TLEDs, it’s critical to examine the expected performance of the complete lamp and luminaire system, understand the complexities of installation, and be cautious in considering long-term performance.

For a closer look at the findings, download the full report. For additional guidance, see the DOE Fact Sheet Upgrading Troffer Luminaires to LED.

Best regards,
Jim Brodrick

”

— SSL Postings, US Department of Energy

Click here For the Department of Energy's Full Report of TLEDs:   

For the DOE Fact Sheet Click here: Upgrading Troffer Luminaires to LED.

Click here For information on Lighting Facts click here