Finelite CEO Terry Clark Speaker at DOE Sponsored SSL Workshop

UNION CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Terry Clark, CEO of Finelite, a CA-based lighting-systems manufacturer, will be a panel speaker at the sixth annual U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SSL Market Introduction Workshop. Slated for July 12–14 at The Conference Center at Convention Place in Seattle, WA, Mr. Clark will speak on the important but often misunderstood component of LED luminaire lifetime – color shift.

“Look at the warranty. Do you know the manufacturer’s firm history? Do you know your sales agent? A good sales agent should represent top quality manufacturers and be there as the customer’s first line of support.”

Workshop session addresses industry’s vexing problems.

A joint effort between the DOE and Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance (NGLIA) under the Product Quality Initiative, one of the workshop sessions will focus on the revised second edition of the guide, “LED Luminaire Lifetime: Recommendations for Testing and Reporting”, published recently this past June. Leading luminary and guide co-author, Fred Welsh, DOE consultant with Radcliffe Advisors, will begin the workshop session. The nation's leading voices for efficiency will share the latest updates and strategies on successful market introduction of high-quality, energy-efficient SSL solutions, including Finelite CEO Terry Clark.

Terry Talks Color.

Mr. Clark will speak specifically on the complex topic of “color shift.” He has contributed to this second edition guide, in which industry experts make an updated set of recommendations for reporting and demonstrating LED luminaire product lifetime. Considering issues impacting this often-confusing topic, the workshop will seek to inform buyers and specifiers what they need to know to make informed choices before purchasing high-performance, SSL products.

Clark’s talk will discuss what “color shift” means. He will suggest that factors such as improper luminaire design and poor thermal management execution can lead to degradation of color quality or color shift of the LED package.

Color shift of LEDs over time.

In his presentation, Clark will be reporting on the group’s findings that no team has taken on the considerable task to accurately project end-of-life color shift limits for LEDs. He will discuss the group’s recommendations that manufacturers segment products in one of three categories: “lamp replacement,” “luminaire (standard grade),” or “luminaire (specification grade).” By doing this, the industry can focus its effort to give customers a better understanding of how LED-based luminaires will show a color shift over time.

What can be done now?

Mr. Clark states: “Look at the warranty. Do you know the manufacturer’s firm history? Do you know your sales agent? A good sales agent should represent top quality manufacturers and be there as the customer’s first line of support.”

For both manufacturers and specifiers, more work needs to be done to understand the issues surrounding LED product lifetime and reliability. The workshop session seeks to encourage more data, experiments and models to move the field forward.

Download the second edition of the guide, LED Luminaire Lifetime: Recommendations for Testing and Reporting.

About Finelite

Finelite is in the business of better lighting. Finelite designs and builds innovative, high performance lighting systems for offices, educational and healthcare facilities. Products include ambient LED lighting, LED task lighting, high performance fluorescent general illumination light fixtures, and patented plug-and-play lighting systems. Finelite works with architects to make lighting work better for people and to reduce energy consumption. Finelite works with contractors and building owners to meet their schedules and budgets. By joining forces with the California Energy Commission and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Finelite has received national awards for its lighting research projects. Research findings, design support and education programs are available at no cost to end users, building owners, architects and contractors. www.fineliteled.com

About DOE

The Department of Energy (DOE) provides federal leadership and support for a wide range of high-efficiency lighting activities, including technology demonstrations, commercial product testing, standards development and support for U.S. LED manufacturing. For more information about the DOE Solid-State Lighting Portfolio, visit EERE's Solid-State Lighting website. www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/