US Department of Energy Announces L Prize for Solid State Lighting
American media giant David Sarnoff once quipped, “Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.”
With the development of the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize competition, and its crowning award, the L Prize, the US Department of Energy is betting that at least the first half of that maxim is true.
Acting in accordance with legislation passed in 2007, the DOE will award over $20 million for innovation in solid state lighting, hailed as the energy-efficient lighting of the future. One requirement for L-Prize winning designs is that they use just 17% of the energy required for incandescent bulbs.
Additionally, four Californian utilities have agreed to partner with the DOE and each other to promote solid state lighting.
With LEDs now symbols of innovation in lighting, one wonders whether the “I’ve got an idea!” lightbulb will soon be replaced by LED bulbs, along with its more literal counterparts.
To read more about the L Prize, check out lightingprize.org.
Learn about the history of LED technology.
Top photo by Windell Oskay
