Daniel That, Crouse-Hinds Airport Lighting Products, puts the finishing touches on a fixture he made in the hands-on session of the LRC's LED Lighting Institute.

Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center (LRC) hosted the LED Lighting Institute April 27-29, featuring workshops and hands-on lab sessions to teach industry professionals the latest in lighting technologies, lighting design, and optical modeling, while using the newest light-emitting diode (LED) products on the market. More than 30 participants from across the United States and around the world attended the program at the LRC, some traveling from as far as Colombia and China.

The attendees interacted with senior LRC researchers through programs designed to educate participants about applications, techniques, and best cases for success with LEDs. The course also included a lecture from Michael Jensen, Rensselaer professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, who addressed the group about LED thermal management.

The program culminated with the participants designing and building their own LED fixtures.

"There are a lot of misconceptions and claims that LEDs can simply replace your standard light bulb in every situation, but that's not really the case right now," said N. Narendran, director of research and head of the Solid-State Lighting Program at the LRC. "With the LED Lighting Institute, we're helping participants to gain a broad understanding of lighting. We're also teaching them how to produce successful lighting applications that consider LED operating characteristics, appropriate design approaches, and human factors."

Marilyn Dare, NYSERDA, uses a microscope to examine LEDs

The LRC and its LED industry program, the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), have been hosting the LED Institute twice a year for the past three years, and nearly 300 people from around the globe have graduated from the course. Participants have included lighting designers, specifiers and product manufacturers, architects, engineers, and those simply looking for a better understanding of LED lighting.

"Participants leave with more knowledge of how LEDs work and don't work, and that is creating realistic expectations that will help advance the acceptance of LED lighting," said Narendran.

Lighting applications that use light-emitting diodes are referred to as solid-state lighting (SSL). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, by 2025, SSL could displace general illumination light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps, decreasing national energy consumption for lighting by 29 percent.

ASSIST is a program developed by the Lighting Research Center to advance the effective use of energy-efficient solid-state lighting technologies. ASSIST is a collaboration between researchers, manufacturers, utilities, and government organizations. On behalf of ASSIST, the LRC conducts research, demonstrations and evaluations, and educational activities. For more information, visit www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/solidstate/assist.

Published May 2, 2005