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Snapshot reports use data from DOE's LED Lighting Facts product list to compare the LED performance to standard technologies, and are designed to help lighting retailers, distributors, designers, utilities, energy efficiency program sponsors, and other stakeholders understand the current state of the LED market and its trajectory.
Snapshot reports use data from DOE's LED Lighting Facts product list to compare the LED performance to standard technologies, and are designed to help lighting retailers, distributors, designers, utilities, energy efficiency program sponsors, and other stakeholders understand the current state of the LED market and its trajectory.
This report provides information about the evaluation of a field installation of a one-for-one Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp replacement that uses the existing fluorescent ballast. The evaluation was part of a study conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the Green Proving Ground program (GPG). The evaluation includes field-collected energy data, light-level data, and occupant and system installer survey responses. The report also provides recommendations based on the data collected during this field evaluation as well as other research-based sources, for applying this technology to other locations.
Lighting application efficiency (LAE) describes the efficient delivery of light from the light source to the lighted task and is viewed as a new frontier—increasing energy savings with solid-state lighting (SSL) technologies. The framework for LAE that is proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) consists of four major elements: light source efficiency, optical delivery efficiency, spectral efficiency, and intensity effectiveness. This report focuses on a sampling of the available SSL products that can be broadly defined as having modified spectral output because the method of spectra modification has a significant impact on light source efficiency and long-term optical delivery and spectral efficiencies. This report focused on the changes in light source, optical delivery, and spectral efficiencies that occur during aging of SSL devices. An accelerated stress test (AST) regiment was developed for the devices under test (DUTs) examined in this report to provide insights into how the performance of SSL devices change with aging. The AST protocols demonstrate that the SSL products discussed in this report often reduce light source efficiency to achieve different spectral characteristics. In addition, aging of the optical components (e.g., lenses, solder masks) in SSL devices can produce increased light absorption, which negatively impacts optical delivery efficiency and light source efficiency. The modified spectral outputs of the selected SSL products discussed in this report come in a variety of form factors and achieve enhanced optical performance by using a variety of methods. All of the products examined in this study use mid-power light-emitting diodes (MP-LEDs), although the number, configuration, phosphor content, and light-emitting diode (LED) pump of the MP-LEDs differ. Product MS-1 is a 60-watt (W) replacement A19 lamp with a hermetically sealed glass globe, which contains an embedded optical filter to absorb green and yellow emissions, thereby creating a “sunlike” modified spectrum. Product MS-2 is a 60-W replacement A19 lamp with 30 MP-LEDs, and it uses a violet LED pump, along with green and red phosphor emissions, to produce a “healthy” spectrum. This spectrum omits blue emissions in an effort to reduce melanopic lux. Product MS-3 is an LED module consisting of 21 MP-LEDs that use a violet LED pump, along with blue, green, and red phosphors, to produce a “sunlike” spectrum. Products MS-4 and MS-5 are both 6-inch (in) downlights that use a manual switching mechanism so that users can select application-specific correlated color temperatures before installation. Products MS-4 and MS-5 both contain two LED primaries (2,700 Kelvin [K] and 5,000 K) for spectral tuning. Product MS-4 contains 12 MP-LEDs for each LED primary, and Product MS-5 contains 10 MP-LEDs for each LED primary. This report summarizes the overall findings from up to 8,000 hours (hrs) of AST on the lamp DUTs (Products MS-1 and MS-2); up to 5,000 hrs of AST on the LED light engine DUTs (Product MS-3); and up to 7,000 hrs of AST on the downlight DUTs (Products MS-4 and MS-5). The AST procedures used in this study included a room temperature operational life (RTOL) test, an operational life test conducted at 45 degrees Celsius (°C; 45OL) test, an operational life test conducted at 75°C (75OL), a wet high-temperature operational life test performed at 65°C and 90% relative humidity (6590), and a wet high-temperature operational life test performed at 75°C and 75% relative humidity (7575). The AST procedures used for Products MS-1 and MS-2 were RTOL, 45OL, and 6590. The AST procedures used for Products MS-3, MS-4, and MS-5 were RTOL, 75OL, and 7575. During the ASTs described herein, separate populations of each product (three DUTs in each population for Products MS-1, MS-2, MS-4, and MS-5; four DUTs in each population for Product MS-3) were subjected to power cycling of 1 hr on and 1 hr off. The key findings from this study include the following. Enhanced optical performance came at the cost of reduced light source efficiency for the lamps and light engines examined in this study. The optical filter used to produce a “sunlike” spectrum for Product MS-1 reduced light source efficiency by 26%, from 113 lumens per watt (lm/W) to 85 lm/W. Products MS-2 and MS-3 that used a violet-pumped LED to achieve “healthy” and “sunlike” enhanced optical performance, respectively, suffered the largest reduction in initial light source efficiency (49 lm/W for Product MS-2 and 68 lm/W for Products MS-3) perhaps because of the use of violet LED as the optical pump. Product MS-2 also had the poorest color fidelity because of undersaturation of blues and oversaturation of greens and yellows. Chromaticity maintenance of the products in this study was generally good, with parametric failure only occurring for one product at one AST condition (i.e., Product MS-3 at 7575). The chromaticity shift for Product MS-3 in 7575 test conditions resulted from reduced emissions of the broad green and red phosphors used to mimic sunlight in the 500–750 nanometer (nm) range. As a result of these phosphor emission losses, chromaticity shifted toward the more stable violet-pumped LED and blue phosphor. Although chromaticity maintenance was acceptable for most products tested, different chromaticity shift mechanisms were observed for temperature and humidity tests compared with temperature alone for Products MS-1, MS-2, and MS-3. For Product MS-1, a relative increase in green emissions was observed with humidity, which may indicate humidity-accelerated degradation of the optical filter at green wavelengths (optical delivery efficiency reduction) or degradation of the emitters in the red region (spectral efficiency reduction). The violet-pumped products (i.e., MS-2 and MS-3) exhibited different chromaticity shift behavior in the temperature-humidity environments, with Product MS-2 shifting generally yellow because of photo-induced oxidation of the plastic globe (i.e., a reduction of optical delivery efficiency) and Product MS-3 shifting toward violet and blue emitters because of faster loss of emission from green and red phosphors (i.e., a reduction in spectral efficiency). Because of an initial drop in power consumption, the light source efficiency of downlights (Products MS-4 and MS-5) increased at RTOL throughout the test duration. The light source efficiency initially increased during 75OL until a decay in luminous flux maintenance (LFM) dominated light source efficiency, whereas the light source efficiency decreased for the entire 7575 test duration. It was found that increasing the ambient environment of an SSL device from 25°C to 75°C decreases the LFM by 2.7 to 5.5, depending on design of the SSL device. Adding humidity to the system (75OL to 7575) was found to decrease LFM by another factor of approximately 3.0. A common location of failure was identified for the downlights (Products MS-4 and MS-5) operated in the 7575 environment. This failure abruptly occurred between 3,000 to 5,000 hrs of testing on the film capacitor of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter near the diode bridge for 11 of the 12 downlights. It is likely that this failure was caused by a combination of the high electrical voltage across the capacitor, the location of the capacitor near the heat sources (e.g., transformers, diode bridges, power resistors), and the high stress environment of 7575. Longer test times are needed to fully understand the LFM, luminous efficacy changes, and chromaticity shifts for some of the products. Because of the high reliability, light source efficiency, and spectral tuning capabilities of LEDs, the expectations of LAE for SSL products are greatly increased over traditional lighting products. The data gathered in this report begin to provide an understanding of the tradeoffs that current SSL products undergo when optimizing the different efficiency elements of LAE. As discussed in this report, the findings from the tests conducted show that the optimization of spectral efficiency can come at the cost of initial light source efficiency. Furthermore, the introduction of violet LEDs can promote long-term optical delivery efficiency degradation, and the introduction of optical filters or new phosphors can lead to unwanted spectral efficiency changes because the ratio of phosphor emitters changes with aging. The data presented in this report also identified a common failure location in 6-in downlights. The results regarding long-term behavior of the modified spectra devices studied provide valuable information about changes to the light source, spectral, and optical delivery efficiencies as the devices age. This information can be used to improve future SSL designs.
This report is the first in a series of studies on accelerated stress testing (AST) of drivers used for SSL luminaires, such as downlights, troffers, and streetlights. A representative group of two-stage commercial driver products was exposed to an AST environment consisting of 75°C and 75% relative humidity (7575). These drivers were a mix of single-channel drivers (i.e., a single output current for one LED primary) and multichannel drivers (i.e., separate output currents for multiple LED primaries). This AST environment was chosen because previous testing on downlights with integrated drivers demonstrated that 38% of the sample population failed in less than 2,500 hours of testing using this method. In addition to AST test results, the performance of an SSL downlight product incorporating an integrated, multichannel driver during extended room temperature operational life (RTOL) testing is also reported. A battery of measurements was used to evaluate these products during accelerated testing, including full electrical characterization (i.e., power consumption, PF, total harmonic distortion [THD], and inrush current) and photometric characterization of external LED loads attached to the drivers (i.e., flicker performance and lumen maintenance).
This report is the second in a series of studies about accelerated stress testing (AST) of drivers used for SSL luminaires. Two-stage drivers intended for use in downlights, troffers and street lights were selected to undergo exposure to an AST environment consisting of 75°C and 75% relative humidity (7575). The 7575 AST environment was chosen for this study because a previous study demonstrated that 38% of a sample population of 6-inch downlights failed in less than 2,500 hours in these conditions. A mixture of single-channel (i.e., one output current channel designed for use with one LED primary) and multichannel (i.e., separate output current channels designed for use with multiple for LED primaries) two-stage drivers were exposed to the 7575 environment. This report provides updated AST test results for only the multichannel driver products. The multichannel driver population consisted of three products (with two-stage architecture) and a total of five samples. In addition to AST results, the product life distribution (Weibull analysis) of two-stage driver Hammer Test samples is reported.
Chromaticity shift in light-emitting diode (LED) devices arises from multiple mechanisms, and at least five different chromaticity shift modes (CSMs) have been identified to date. This paper focuses on the impacts of irreversible phosphor degradation as a cause of chromaticity shifts in LED devices. The nitride phosphors used to produce warm white LEDs are especially vulnerable to degradation due to thermal and chemical effects such as reactions with oxygen and water. As a result, LED devices utilizing these phosphors were found to undergo either a green shift or, less commonly, a red shift depending on the phosphor mix in the LED devices. These types of chromaticity shifts are classified as CSM-2 (green shift) and CSM-5 (red shift). This paper provides an overview of the kinetic processes responsible for green and red chromaticity shifts along with examples from accelerated stress testing of 6” downlights. Both CSMs appear to proceed through analogous mechanisms that are initiated at the surface of the phosphor. A green shift is produced by the surface oxidation of the nitride phosphor that changes the emission profile to lower wavelengths. As the surface oxidation reaction proceeds, reactant limitations slow the rate and bulk oxidation processes become more prevalent. We found that a red chromaticity shift arises from quenching of the green phosphor, also possibly due to surface reactions of oxygen, which shift the emission chromaticity in the red direction. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of these findings on projecting chromaticity.
Evolving education methods and greater use of technology in the classroom are dictating the need to rethink facility designs, including classroom lighting. Advances in LED-based lighting technology have created the possibility of lighting systems that are not only cost effective and energy efficient, but also color-tunable and as durable as other facility infrastructures (a 20-30 year life expectancy). Thus, there is the opportunity that the modern lighting system can be used by educators as a tool in their teaching strategy. To meet this need, RTI International and Finelite, Inc. teamed to develop and test the Next Generation Integrated Classroom Lighting System (NICLS). The NICLS technology incorporates a high performance, color-tunable light engine into new luminaire designs (e.g., pendant, direct-indirect, downlight, troffers) that are acceptable for use in classrooms. During this project, we successfully demonstrated that the NICLS technology achieves exceptional performance and exceeds all DOE goals for the classroom of the future, including: Luminous efficacy value for NICLS luminaires in excess of 125 lpw at all CCT values; TWL range of 2,700 K to 6,500 K while maintaining a CRI of 82 or higher at all values; Capability for full-range dimming (100% to 1%) at all CCT values with flicker levels below industry guidelines; Performance of the lighting system in a classroom mock-up, incorporating daylight and occupancy sensing to provide automatic control of lighting zones to further reduce energy consumption; Rated lifetime on the system exceeding 50,000 hours with a lumen maintenance of at least 85% at 50,000 hours; and Teacher-focused UI located at the front of the classroom to operate the lighting system. A smartphone-based UI is also available to accommodate teacher movement in the classroom. A critical element of developing this technology is designing the user interface to be compatible with modern teaching methods, including increased use of icons and colors and intuitive appearance. The design of the NICLS technology and the user interface was modified with assistance from focus groups consisting of more than 80 teachers and educational professionals total. The focus groups were held in a full-sized classroom that served as a technology demonstration site for the NICLS. The NICLS technology is an advanced lighting system for educational settings that meets or exceeds all DOE photometric, electrical, and reliability goals for the COF. The NICLS technology has been demonstrated at the classroom level, and the feedback from the dozens of teachers and educational professionals who visited the demonstration site has been overwhelmingly positive. NICLS provides a state-of-the-art lighting environment that adjusts the lighting conditions—both color and illuminance levels—to the needs of students and teachers for the task at hand. Early research has suggested that such lighting conditions will improve not only teacher effectiveness but also a student’s ability to concentrate on learning activities.
Summary of a GATEWAY report evaluation at the offices of Aurora Lighting Design, Inc., in Grayslake, IL, where the GATEWAY program conducted its first investigation involving OLED lighting. The project experienced several challenges, but also highlighted a number of promising attributes – which indicate that with continued improvements in efficacy, longevity, size, and flexibility, OLEDs could provide a new tool for creative and effective lighting.
At the offices of Aurora Lighting Design, Inc., in Grayslake, IL, the GATEWAY program conducted its first investigation involving OLED lighting. The project experienced several challenges, but also highlighted a number of promising attributes – which indicate that with continued improvements in efficacy, longevity, size, and flexibility, OLEDs could provide a new tool for creative and effective lighting.