The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made a long-term commitment to advance the
development and market introduction of energy-efficient white-light sources for general illumination. Solid-State Lighting (SSL) differs fundamentally from today's lighting technologies, and its unique attributes drive the need for a coordinated approach that guides technology advances from
laboratory to marketplace. DOE has developed a comprehensive national strategy to support R&D that advances SSL technology, products, and the underlying science, conducted under several programs: the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Program, the Advanced Research Projects Agency– Energy (ARPA-E), and the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) SSL Program. Of these, the SSL Program within EERE BTO is the only program that exclusively funds SSL research and development (R&D). For more information on BES and ARPA-E efforts, please visit the following, respectively: www.science.energy.gov/bes and www.arpa-
e.energy.gov.
5.1.1 DOE Solid-State Lighting Program Goals
The SSL Program was created in response to a directive in Section 912 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to “support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities related to advanced solid-state lighting technologies based on white light emitting diodes” [11]. Accordingly, DOE has set forth the following mission statement and goal for the SSL Program:
Mission: Guided by a government-industry partnership, DOE’s mission is to create a new, U.S.-led market for high-efficiency, general illumination products through the advancement of semiconductor technologies, to save energy, reduce costs, and enhance the quality of the lighted environment.
Goal: By 2025, develop advanced solid-state lighting technologies that — compared to conventional lighting technologies — are much more energy efficient, longer lasting, and cost-competitive by targeting a product system efficiency of 50 percent with lighting that accurately reproduces sunlight spectrum.
Guided by this mission and goal, DOE annually develops a portfolio of SSL activities, shaped by input from industry leaders, research institutions, universities, trade associations, and national laboratories. The program strategy is comprehensive, with three distinct, interrelated thrusts (and accompanying roadmaps): Core Technology Research and Product Development, Manufacturing R&D, and Market Development Support.
This Multi-Year Program Plan guides SSL core technology research and product development over the next few years and informs the development of annual SSL R&D funding opportunities. This plan is a living document, updated annually to incorporate new analyses, technological progress, and new research priorities as science evolves. The SSL Manufacturing Roadmap and Market-based Technology Advancement Multi-Year Plan are published as separate documents at
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_manuf-roadmap_sept2013.pdf and apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_5year-plan_2012-16.pdf, respectively.
5.1.2 Significant SSL Program Accomplishments to Date
RECENT PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
The following is a list of the SSL Program’s recent highlights and relevant dates. More information on each can be found by following the accompanying URL.
Highlight Date Link to More Information
DOE Announces Collaborative OLED
R&D Testing Opportunity February 2014
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/ssl/oled-testing-opportunity.html Next-Generation LuminairesTM Design
Competition Announces 2013 Outdoor Winners
February 2014 www.ngldc.org DOE Hosts Eleventh Annual SSL R&D
Workshop January 2014
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/ssl/tampa2014_materials.html “Solid-State Lighting: Early Lessons
Learned on the Way to Market” January 2014
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_lessons -learned_2014.pdf
“Hammer Testing Findings for Solid-State Lighting Luminaires” December 2013 http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/publications/pdfs/ssl/hammer- testing_Dec2013.pdf
DOE Hosts Eighth Annual DOE SSL Market Introduction Workshop
November 2013
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/ssl/portland2013_highlights.html DOE Hosts Roundtable on OLED Lighting
Industry Planning October 2013
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/publications/pdfs/ssl/oled- roundtable-report_oct2013.pdf DOE Updates L Prize PAR38 Competition July 2013 http://www.lightingprize.org/news_d
oe_update.stm DOE Hosts Fifth Annual DOE SSL
Manufacturing R&D Workshop June 2013
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/ssl/boston13_highlights.html DOE Informs and Educates at
LIGHTFAIR® International 2013 April 2013
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildin gs/ssl/news_detail.html?news_id=1 9174
Lighting Facts® Expands Product List and
Online Resources N/A www.lightingfacts.com
RECENT RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
With DOE’s support, considerable progress has been made in the advancement of SSL technology. Researchers working on projects supported by the DOE’s SSL R&D Program have won several prestigious national research awards and have achieved several significant accomplishments in the area of SSL. The following list serves to highlight some of the significant achievements that have been reported since April 2013 resulting from DOE-funded projects. More detail is available on DOE’s website at: www.ssl.energy.gov/highlights.html.
Research Highlight Date SUNY/Buffalo Developing High-Efficiency Colloidal Quantum Dot Phosphors July 2013 RTI International Develops SSL Luminaire Reliability Model July 2013 Philips Lumileds Develops a Low-Cost, High-Power, Warm-White LED Package June 2013 PPG Industries Develops a Low-Cost Integrated OLED Substrate June 2013 Soraa Is Optimizing the Use of Non-Polar and Semi-Polar Substrates to
Improve Emitter Efficiency Under High-Current Operation June 2013