The United States Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a new round of research funding programs in the field of solid-state lighting (SSL). The agency may provide applicants with up to $15 million in funding for core technologies for early solid-state lighting development, OLED and LED proof of concept, advanced manufacturing, and innovative lighting. The application will expire next month and there will be a webinar next week.
It is reported that the latest round of funding comes from the US Department of Energy Building Technology Office (BTO) Emerging Technologies (ET) program. The ET program aims to support the development of technologies that will reduce the energy consumption of typical buildings by 2030 by 45% compared to 2010. The program is conducted in collaboration with industry, academia and national laboratories, including the lighting industry.
The main objectives of the plan are threefold:
Maximize energy efficiency of SSL products
Improve the service life, color quality and lighting system performance of SSL technology
Reduce the cost of SSL sources and fixtures
The U.S. Department of Energy will select from four thematic areas surrounding the development of LED and OLED core technologies. Other topics include conceptual validation of LEDs and OLEDs at the light and system level, research in advanced manufacturing, and new lighting systems deployed in applications.
The ET program is just one of several research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to improve lighting energy efficiency. For example, the agency regularly funds OLED and LED research through SBIR grants and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants, and further funding of large companies and academic institutions through the SSL Advanced Technology Program.
The US Department of Energy has long been committed to promoting the development and marketing of high-efficiency lighting. Through various projects, it has continued to fund SSL research, accelerated the rise of LED and OLED in the lighting field, and brought significant energy-saving effects to the United States.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Energy also announced a formal plan to close the LED Lighting Facts. In February this year, the Department of Energy announced the closure of the LED Lighting Facts program. The Energy Department stated that in the early days of SSL, LED Lighting Facts was part of the promotion plan. The agency stated that the project has basically achieved its initial goals and successfully helped to introduce SSL as the main lighting technology.