David Shiller

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) experienced some high-profile bankruptcies and closures and a deep decline in VC funding in 2022 and 2023. However, there are now signs that the CEA market is improving. Investment Trends VC investments in indoor farms declined 90% year-over-year. Several high-profile vertical farm companies went bankrupt and ceased operations. By contrast, 2024 [...]

  Earlier this year, the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) published LED Lighting and Controls Guidance for Federal Buildings. The guide was authored by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The document provides guidance for Federal agencies to select the most cost-effective and energy-efficient lighting systems available. It [...]

Quantas Airlines is receiving its first delivery of ultra long-haul aircrafts from Airbus in mid-2026, the Airbus A350-1000. The new planes, dubbed Project Sunrise, will enable flights from Sydney to London and New York. Among many new features on the Quantas A350s will be a new circadian lighting system with claims that helps passengers arrive [...]

  The other day, I heard a repeat of an old Planet Money radio show episode on NPR about the history of light. Rather than just focus on the changes in technology over thousands of years, it really focused on the economic history of light. The story interviews a Yale economics professor who studied how [...]

Since early May, global ocean freight container rates have been increasing steeply. The Drewry World Container Index (shown above) has increased nearly 400% since mid-December. The rapid increases exist from Shanghai to Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Genoa, and New York (see graph below). The causes for the current spike are numerous: Troubles in the Middle East, [...]

  From 2009 to 2019, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), that includes greenhouses, vertical agriculture, hydroponics, aquaponics, and other controlled production methods, saw significant growth in both the number of operations and production of fresh produce in the United States. Indoor farming can control factors such as temperature, wind, lighting, and precipitation. These systems help to [...]

In May, UL published the Sixth Edition of ANSI/UL 1993, dated May 17, 2024. UL 1993 is the most important safety standard for lamps / light bulbs. The standard covers both self-ballasted lamps and self-ballasted lamp adapters rated 120-347VAC nominal for connection to screw-base, pin-base, or recessed single contact (RSC or R7) lampholders. These devices [...]

  In May, LightArt launched the industry’s first optically clear, 3D-printed pendants, the Clear Coil Collection. The collection upcycles discarded materials like clothing, carpet fibers, dense plastic containers, and packaging into beautifully designed, long-lasting, clear light fixtures. The collection comprises six new pendant shapes, expanding the multi-award-winning Coil family. The company also offers a Coil [...]

  One of the latest crazes in sleep gadgets is red light sleep devices. The trend was inspired by NASA red light sleep devices for astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS system turns on blue lights to simulate morning and help astronauts wake up, white light to create daytime, and red light [...]