Sep 9 2008
Greenlight Initiative, a New York City based LED-lighting sales organization and solutions provider, today announced its plans to implement full third party photometric testing and qualification for all of its product lines beginning January 2009. This program, intended to independently verify and extend upon any available manufacturers' test data, is in addition to Greenlight's previously announced qualitative evaluation program.
According to Nik Nicolakis, President and co-founder of Greenlight Initiative, “Based on our participation in the 2008 Solid State Lighting Design Summit, held at the end of August in New Jersey, it became clear that in the eyes of the lighting and sustainability decision makers, LED and solid state lighting is not ready for widespread adoption. While there are a large number of poorly performing products available in the market, the idea that the technology isn’t ready is a misperception. We believe that lighting designers, specifiers and facilities decision makers simply need help by accessing a knowledge-base that lets them cut through the hype in order to identify the SSL winners.”
Programs like the CALiPER testing performed by the Department of Energy (DOE), shows that most LED lighting products do not perform as stated. Lighting decision makers have typically not been demanding luminaire test data that back up product claims, much less data from testing performed by recognized third party labs. As more manufacturers’ products prove ready for a growing number of mainstream applications, verified data is becoming the only way to distinguish the real performance and quality of a luminaire.
Greenlight Initiative is the first solid state lighting sales organization to embark on an independent testing program. This quantitative testing program, in conjunction with a well-recognized lighting laboratory who is a Department of Energy certified CALiPER program testing partner, will include extensive characterization and validation of each product Greenlight is making available to its clients. As an active technology advocate in the solid state lighting market space, Greenlight had previously announced its qualitative evaluation program that includes real-world installations and experience spanning several technology generations.
Continued Mr. Nicolakis, “When you’re looking at a sample, all LED lighting products look promising. The real work is in actually bringing to market a product that produces the amount of light and lasts as long as the data sheet claims. Since many SSL luminaire manufacturers are currently unwilling or incapable of producing this data, we are going to test according to the DOE CALiPER procedures and provide the data that decision makers are just beginning to realize that they need in order to properly evaluate any solution.”
“So that we can be confident in meeting the demands of our client’s applications, we won’t sell a single product that is not accompanied by certified data,” Nicolakis concluded.