Lighting Research and Development

HID Lighting Workshop Highlights November 15, 2005 HID Lighting Workshop Report (PDF 3.2 MB) November 15, 2005 SSL Program Planning Workshop February 1-3, 2006 DOE: Solid-State Lighting R&D LBNL: Lighting Research SNL: Solid State Lighting Building Toolbox: Choose Building Components Buildings Solicitations Building Energy Codes Appliance & Commercial Equipment Standards

Lighting Energy Consumption Figure 1: Total U.S. Primary Energy Consumption for Electricity for Lighting by Sector, 2001

Energy consumption for all lighting in the United States is estimated to be 8.2 quads, or about 22% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. Because lighting represents one-fifth of the national electrical consumption, the Department selected lighting as one of the principle target markets for the development of more efficient technologies.

The pie chart provides a break-down by end-use sector of the energy consumed in lighting our homes, offices and other installations around the country. More than half of the energy is consumed in the commercial sector, where lighting coincides with peak electrical demand and contributes to a building's internal heat generation, increasing air-conditioning load.

Consumers and businesses spend approximately $58 billion a year to light their homes, offices, streets, and factories. The conversion of electricity into useful light is one of the least efficient energy conversion processes in buildings today. Advanced lighting technologies can significantly improve the energy efficiency of lighting and reduce building energy consumption and costs.

DOE is working in close collaboration with research and industry partners to increase end-use efficiency in buildings by aggressively pursuing new and evolving lighting technologies. DOE's technical objective is to develop and demonstrate energy-efficient, high-quality, long-lasting lighting technologies by 2025 that have the technical capability of illuminating our buildings using 50% less electricity compared to technologies in 2005.

To reach this objective, DOE has developed a portfolio of lighting R&D activities, shaped by input from industry leaders, research institutions, universities, trade associations, and national laboratories.

Solid-State Lighting Portfolio

DOE solid-state lighting (SSL) portfolio activities target improvements in the efficiency, performance, lifetime, and quality of light from both organic and inorganic light emitting diodes.

Conventional Lighting Portfolio

DOE conventional lighting portfolio activities focus on improvements in the efficacy and performance of fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) light sources; advances in fixtures, controls, and distribution systems; and the optimization of lighting quality.

	Lighting Advances Contribute to Zero Energy Buildings DOE's solid-state lighting research activities represent an essential component of the Department's strategy for achieving Zero Energy Buildings — buildings that produce as much energy as they use. The development of highly efficient, cost-effective solid-state lighting technologies, along with advanced windows and space heating and cooling technologies, can help reduce total building energy use by 60 to 70 percent. This improvement in component and system energy efficiency, coupled with onsite renewable energy supply systems, can result in marketable net zero energy buildings.

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