The types of crops grown indoors are evolving as agricultural technology advances and the demand for local food increases across North America. Crops typically grown in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facilities include: Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and other salad greens are some of the most commonly grown crops in CEA facilities. Herbs: [...]

At LightFair, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. This is the final article, Part 7, of the series. Dozens of states and municipalities have begun adopting energy benchmarking regulations that include fines to building owners who fail to meet either emissions or energy efficiency requirements. New [...]

  IALD LERN is a new continuing education program that will connect professionals involved in lighting design and specification with high-quality design education. IALD is seeking partners to become early adaptors and help shape the future of the program. IALD LERN will provide a platform to connect content providers’ educational material to IALD members. Partners, [...]

  At LightFair, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. This article is Part 6 of the series. In Part 3 of this series, the drivers of deeper energy efficiency retrofits were discussed, including: Rapid rises in electric utility rates that will likely continue for some time. [...]

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) and an announcement of a public meeting about DOE’s proposed new and amended standards for ceiling fans. Some important things to note: Standard and hugger ceiling fans with representative values of blade span >53” will likely have [...]

  SKYX Platform Corporation, the company producing SkyPlug, an alternative luminaire mounting system, has announced that Eric Jacobson has joined the company as Senior Product Standardization Advisor. Jacobson recently resigned as President and CEO of the American Lighting Association (ALA). Hiring Jacobson is the latest move by SKYX to achieve industry adoption of its alternative [...]

  At LightFair, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. This article is Part 5 of the series. Electrification of building heat, hot water, cooking, as well as the transportation sector will create tremendous stresses on the electrical grid and utilities. This is already beginning to happen [...]

At LightFair, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. This article is Part 4 of the series. Two of the biggest consequences of electrification will be the mass adoption of electric vehicles as well as the rapid increase in renewable energy generation. Both of these will create [...]

The ALA Engineering Committee recently released a guidance document designed to assist residential consumers in understanding the differences between socketed and integrated LED light fixtures. The document, created by members of the ALA Engineering Committee, is designed to assist consumers in navigating the purchase process, by explaining which factors are important to consider in socketed and integrated LED [...]