On May 18, LightNOW reported that Cleveland was considering a 10-year deal giving Sunpu-Opto Semiconductor Ltd. exclusive rights to sell millions of LED lights to the city in exchange for the company making Cleveland its North American headquarters, creating an estimated 350 jobs. The proposed deal naturally irritated GE Lighting, which is based in Cleveland.
Associated Press subsequently reported that Mayor Frank Jackson had yanked the deal, but still wanted a lighting deal and would reopen the process. The deal reportedly involved potentially large numbers of LED T8 replacement lamps (as well as outdoor lights), so in axing the deal Cleveland probably dodged a bullet.
Now the Plain Dealer is reporting that a deal is back on the table. As promised, he has reopened the process. Give us a North American headquarters and at least 350 jobs, Cleveland is basically saying, and we will give you a 10-year contract for LED lighting. The difference is this time instead of handpicking the company, Cleveland will be using the City Charter’s competitive bidding process. Meanwhile, all of the other terms from the previous ordinance remain the same.
City Councilman Brian J. Cummins wrote to me to advise that he would continue to oppose the ordinance for several reasons. From a lighting point of view, 10 years is a long time to commit to a single LED company when the technology is changing so rapidly. Additionally, there is a lack of quality requirements in the new ordinance, he writes on his blog.
The fact is there is a requirement for ENERGY STAR, but several of the categories of product Cleveland wants to buy are not currently not covered by ENERGY STAR, such as LED T8 replacement lamps. Ironically, the Department of Energy’s LED guru Jim Brodrick has essentially said T8 replacements are not ready for ENERGY STAR because repeated testing has shown they are poor performing compared to the fluorescent lamps they are intended to replace. In fact, the contract is for LED traffic lights, LED bulbs (by which I assume they mean individual LED arrays), linear fluorescent replacements and streetlights. As far as I know—my knowledge may a bit outdated, and finding commercial-grade SSL product on the ENERGY STAR site is like exploring a labyrinth—ENERGY STAR criteria have been developed for none of these categories.
LightNOW’s take: A friend of mine who is president of a lighting control manufacturer once said to me, “If you want a deal bad enough, you get a bad deal.” Cleveland may get its jobs, but may subsequently have to suffer through the cost of poor lighting choices.
