Guest post by Jim Brodrick, reprinted with permission from Postings: from the desk of Jim Brodrick
Life is good this week on the West Coast. I’m in Vancouver, Washington for the second Department of Energy (DOE) SSL Manufacturing Workshop. The weather is supposed to be beautiful — 75-80 degrees. After the waterlogged last couple of weeks on the East Coast, those of us traveling from that direction will welcome the reprieve.
While I try to respond to as many of your individual Posting comments and questions as possible, I often get a slew that really should be dealt with in a Posting. I’ll try to bring clarity to several of the most recent questions.
Have DOE and EPA worked out the ENERGY STAR jurisdictional issues over solid-state lighting? There has been a flurry of activity since our new Assistant Secretary, Cathy Zoi, took office just last week. While I have not been involved in those interagency discussions, my understanding is that the two agencies are working on several issues related to ENERGY STAR, not just SSL.
Perhaps of more important interest to Postings readers is the action taken last week by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As most of you are aware, both the House and Senate are working feverishly on sweeping new energy legislation, a big portion of which affects energy efficiency. The American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009, which contains new requirements and responsibilities for ENERGY STAR, was amended on June 19th to include the following language in Section 222: Energy Star Program: (ii) in accordance with the commercialization support provisions of section 912 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16192), the Department of Energy shall assume all responsibility for the implementation of an Energy Star program for solid-state lighting.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, spurred on by SSL industry stakeholders, has been a proponent of DOE’s sole management of the SSL ENERGY STAR Program, and this language insert serves to clarify its position. Since this legislation is still a long way from becoming law, the two agencies must continue to work on their differences. However, the Senate action provides a clear message on how it will act if the preferred resolution is not adopted.
How many SSL lighting manufacturers have become ENERGY STAR Partners, and how many products have been qualified to date? My understanding is that over 120 manufacturers have joined the DOE SSL ENERGY STAR Program, a clear sign of industry support. It is unclear how many have subscribed to the EPA Program, but I don’t believe there are many. Twenty-eight (28) SSL products have qualified for the DOE Program, and about the same are in the queue for qualification. To access a list of the qualified products on the ENERGY STAR web site, please go to either Commercial or Residential LED Products and click on “Find a Product” in the right nav bar. I don’t believe EPA has received any products as yet for qualification under its criteria.
The DOE SSL Quality Advocates Program is also growing quickly. As of today, 84 manufacturers, 24 retailers and distributors, and 34 stakeholders (including utilities, energy efficiency sponsors, and lighting designers) have taken the pledge to either label products with the Lighting Facts label, or to specify to manufacturers that only products with the label will be accepted. Thirty-eight (38) products have been approved for the label and six (6) of those also qualify for the ENERGY STAR. Approval means that the manufacturers of those products must submit an LM-79 report for review and must agree to provide information on the Lighting Facts label that agrees with the LM-79 test results. This program is gaining a great deal of traction within the industry and is another sure sign that manufacturers and buyers alike are in agreement with DOE’s approach to solid-state lighting and to its ENERGY STAR Program.
There is a great deal of talk about state and local funds for energy efficiency through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Have any of those funds been designated for solid-state lighting? As part of the Recovery Act, there are two major DOE funding sources that could impact the SSL industry — State Energy Program Grants (~$3.1 billion) and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (~$2.7 billion).
The first is an existing grant program that helps fund state-wide energy programs. The 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories are eligible to receive funding.
The latter program, which may be more applicable to the SSL community, provides funds to units of local and state governments, Indian tribes, and territories to develop and implement projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions in their communities. Specific examples cited in the grant program information include:
• Retrofitting existing government and nonprofit facilities to improve energy efficiency;
• Replacing traffic signals and street lighting with energy efficient technologies, including light emitting diodes; and other technology of equal or greater energy efficiency.
Applications for the Block Grant Program are due later this week, and from the press clippings I’ve received over the past several weeks, many local governments are contemplating spending a portion of their funds on either LED traffic signals or street lighting. At this point I’m not aware that the contents of the applications will be made public, but I will pass along any pertinent information as it becomes available.
For more information on these and other potential funding opportunities for those in the SSL industry, we have created a new space on our web site in which we will strive to keep you up-to-date on such opportunities as they exist or become available. The site includes information on DOE programs, as well as those from other federal agencies, and also on federal tax incentive programs. We will also provide information on new legislative initiatives that will have a financial impact on the industry.
