Commentary

Solid-state lighting--another NRC report

July 17, 2013

In case you missed it, the National Research Council recently came out with another report on photonics: Assessment of Advanced Solid State Lighting

Conard Holton

In case you missed it, the U.S. National Research Council recently came out with an interesting report on photonics--in addition to the well-known Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation report, which led to the National Photonics Initiative.

This "other" report is Assessment of Advanced Solid State Lighting. It argues that solid-state lighting (SSL) will play a large role in dramatically decreasing U.S. energy consumption for lighting. The report summarizes the current status of SSL technologies and products such as LEDs and organic LEDs, and evaluates barriers to their improved cost and performance.

It also looks at the barriers to widespread deployment and consumer acceptance, including the perceived quality of light emitted by SSL devices, ease of use and the useful lifetime of these devices, initial high cost, and possible benefits of reduced energy consumption.

I was especially interested in the report's history of public policy regarding lighting and specific recommendations for policy makers.

You can download the free report at the website of the National Academies Press: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18279

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.