Solid-state lighting, the LED in particular, has advanced to become a promising light source because of its ability to save energy and money, reduce environmental pollutants, and provide custom, quality lighting. This advancement could not have been achieved without industry collaboration. This year, the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST). Since 2002, ASSIST has brought together a global group of lighting manufacturers, academia, public benefit organizations, and government to become an international resource for research, education, and demonstration of solid-state lighting. In the last decade, those with a stake in LED lighting have committed their time and resources to ASSIST because of the group's focus on tackling industry issues and concerns; the collaborative model employed in which members meet to formulate questions and guide research; and the benefits from drawing on the LRC's holistic knowledge of lighting. On behalf of ASSIST, LRC researchers conduct the alliance's selected research and educational projects.
ASSIST members include Acuity Brands Lighting, Amerlux Global Lighting Solutions, Bridgelux, Cirrus Logic, Cooper Industries, Cree, Dow Corning, Federal Aviation Administration, GE Lighting Solutions, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Intematix Corp., LG Electronics, LG Innotek, Lighting Science Group, Lite-On, NYSERDA, OSRAM Sylvania/OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Philips Lighting, POSCO LED, Sharp Laboratories of America, Seoul Semiconductor, Toshiba, United States Environmental Protection Agency, WAC Lighting, and WattStopper.
Nadarajah Narendran, professor, LRC director of research, and the director of the Solid-State Lighting program, said he appreciates the support of ASSIST members and looks forward to continued success in the future.
"Going forward, ASSIST intends to maintain its collaborative approach to overcoming market transformation barriers," said Narendran. "This will include knowledge creation and dissemination, demonstrating the value of solid-state lighting systems that create better lighting and more convenience, and new metrics to quantify this value. ASSIST will also continue to support test procedure harmonization around the world, and outreach education and support."
ASSIST has made critical contributions to the development of LED lighting, including developing definitions and test methods that have informed the standards-setting process; demonstrating applications where LED lighting shows better performance and value; creating innovative concepts for using LEDs; and educating those with an interest in this next-generation technology. Tags: