ASSIST Draws Global Support to Advance the Applications of LED Technology
By Mary Cimo
ASSIST works to promote LED technology for lighting applications.Cree, Inc., the Federal Aviation Administration, and Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. are new sponsors of the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), a collaboration of researchers, manufacturers, and government organizations designed to identify and reduce major technical hurdles and help light-emitting diode (LED) technology gain widespread use in lighting applications.
ASSIST was established in 2002 by the Lighting Research Center. The LRC conducts a wide range of research projects, demonstrations and evaluations, and educational activities on behalf of ASSIST.
“ASSIST is working in parallel with manufacturers and the applications community to help improve LED product performance while identifying good quality products that provide value to the end user,” said Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., LRC director of research. “Successful LED applications will help rapidly transform the market.”
LED lighting offers many benefits, including energy and maintenance savings, long life, durability, safety, and flexibility. As a first step toward establishing the means for product consistency and reliability, ASSIST created ASSIST Recommends, a research initiative to develop formal recommendations about issues important for LED performance and applications. ASSIST published its first set of recommendations in 2005 for defining and measuring LED life for general illumination.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance recently signed on as a new sponsor of the ASSIST Recommends initiative to help fund research for future recommendations. Under this initiative, LRC is conducting research to identify metrics for evaluating LED systems, which then would be used for developing guidelines for testing and evaluating LED luminaires.
According to Narendran, ASSIST will continue to disseminate research results, case studies, and guidelines to ensure that people understand the benefits and complexities of using LEDs for lighting. One example of the program’s emphasis on education is the ASSIST-sponsored LED Lighting Institute, an intensive three-day workshop where participants start by learning LED basics and progress to hands-on lab sessions where they design and build their own LED fixtures using the newest LED products on the market.
Existing ASSIST sponsors working with the LRC to synthesize LED technology and real-world applications include Boeing, GELcore, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NICHIA America Corporation, OSRAM SYLVANIA, Philips Lighting, and United States Environmental Protection Agency.
To learn more, please visit the ASSIST Web site. A free download of “ASSIST recommends: LED Life for General Lighting” is available on the site.
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. Founded in 1988, the Lighting Research Center has built an international reputation as a trusted and reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. Its mission is to advance the effective use of light and create a positive legacy of change for society and the environment. |
