October 25, 2023
Six Companies Divvy Up the $2 Million L-Prize
U.S. Department of Energy Announces Winners of L-Prize Prototype Phase
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced six winners in Phase Two of the DOE Lighting Prize (L-Prize®) competition. The L-Prize is a $12 million lighting competition designed to spur ground-breaking innovation for next-generation lighting in commercial buildings. Winning products will redefine the future of illumination in commercial buildings, demonstrating exceptional energy efficiency, connectivity and control, visual quality, environmental sustainability, and attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in lighting design, manufacturing, and application.
Today’s announcement recognizes the winners of Phase Two, the Prototype Phase. Competitors were invited to submit working prototypes that meet the rigorous L-Prize requirements and exceed the capabilities of currently available products in two categories: Luminaires and Connected Systems.
The winners of Phase Two share a prize pool of $2 million and are encouraged to move on to the third and final phase of the L-Prize, the Manufacturing and Installation Phase. Participation in the prior Concept or Prototype Phases is not required to enter the final phase of the L-Prize.
Signify cashes in. Again.
In 2011, Signify, then operating under the name Philips, clinched the L-Prize, garnering a $10 million reward along with promotional benefits and incentives from L-Prize partners for their design of a 10-watt LED lamp as a replacement for the 60-watt incandescent bulb. Fast forward to today, Signify has secured two accolades in the Phase Two competition, amassing a total of $750,000.
“The L-Prize inspires our industry to innovate sustainable lighting technologies that can unlock benefits beyond simple illumination. It began with the first competition in 2011, in which we delivered a breakthrough in energy efficiency with an LED replacement for a 60-watt light bulb,” said Olivia Qiu, Chief Innovation Officer, Signify. “Now, we’ve achieved deeper energy savings, while incorporating circular design principles, data-driven intelligence, superior light quality and flexibility for all stakeholders, from building owners to electrical contractors to occupants. We are excited to continue developing these prototypes and bringing these transformative concepts to market.”
The Department of Energy chimes in:
“Investing in next-generation lighting solutions helps tackle the climate crisis, boosting American supply chains and manufacturing of these technologies, and creating good-paying jobs,” said Mandy Mahoney, Director of the Building Technologies Office at DOE. “The winning prototypes represent ground-breaking innovation, not only in energy efficiency, data-driven connectivity, and environmental sustainability, but also prioritizing communities that get overlooked when we roll out new prototypes. These innovators are leading the way.”
Luminaire Track Winners:
Generation Flex: Light Without Compromise
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$375,000 Signify developed a modular luminaire with groundbreaking efficacy balanced with excellent color quality and novel optics that offer good light distribution with reduced high angle glare. The highly modular design and lightweight form factor provide flexibility and potential sustainability benefits. The team proposed a DEI pilot supply chain program that favors suppliers with DEI programs. |
Low-Carbon Biodegradable Luminaire
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$375,000 Lightly developed a low-carbon, architectural-grade linear luminaire, utilizing locally sourced materials grown in the United States. The high-efficacy luminaire is made of novel, biodegradable materials, using wood, hemp, and wool as alternatives to plastic and metal. The localized production/supply chain uses poplar harvested in the area, and a declare label provides material transparency. |
Helios HPR-LP160
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$250,000 Grid Interactive Efficient Building Alliance (GiEBA) of San Diego, California developed a high-efficacy architectural-grade 2’x4’ troffer with integral networked communications based on the open-source Google Thread wireless protocol. The troffer collects and stores luminaire data beyond the L-Prize requirements, and the built-in wireless capability allows for a basic sensor to be installed without wireless capabilities. The luminaire is designed for disassembly with modular components and easy-to-follow end-of-life diagrams for disassembly and recycling. |
Connected Systems Track Winners:
Interact Next-Gen: Light the Way to Building Goals
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$375,000 Signify developed a simple, scalable wireless solution that interfaces with other building systems. A map-based user interface provides intuitive configuration and control, and role-based apps right-size the capabilities and data to user needs. An all-in-one sensor offers capabilities beyond lighting (e.g., temperature and humidity control, beacon for positioning) and energy harvesting switches provide installation and sustainability benefits with no battery or wiring. |
Autani Insights 4REAL, with Sensing by Leviton
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$375,000 Autani developed a highly interoperable system offering a rich feature set of options and capabilities and using open standard protocols. Tiered offerings allow the system to be packaged and right-sized for customer needs and level of sophistication. The comprehensive, well-documented OpenAPI-compliant interface offers access to all available datapoints, enhancing value and energy-savings opportunities through integration with other systems. |
Bluetooth® Mesh Wireless Lighting Control System
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$250,000 McWong developed a wireless lighting control system with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. Non-proprietary Bluetooth Mesh communication protocols enable off-the-shelf components to be used and allow more user choice, futureproofing, and cost reduction benefits. The ability to produce a configuration commissioning report offers a quick, unique, and useful feature for determining compliance with control narratives or developing designer punch lists. |
The third and final phase of the L-Prize — Manufacturing and Installation — will present fresh opportunities for awards and recognition. Participation in prior phases is not required; all eligible entrants are welcome to participate. The final phase will reward U.S. manufacturing and installation of lighting systems that meet rigorous L-Prize technical requirements, build in life cycle sustainability, and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the lighting workforce and efficient lighting user communities. Participants are encouraged to form teams as necessary to turn great ideas into real products and installations.
The first L-Prize was awarded by DOE in 2011 to recognize a high-efficiency LED replacement for the traditional 60-watt A19 incandescent bulb. The winning A-lamp was a breakthrough that signaled a turning point in commercially available LED lighting, and the current L-Prize seeks comparable impact from the next generation of lighting on the way to decarbonizing the built environment.
The L-Prize is led by DOE’s Building Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with lead technical support from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
