On the bright side of life: International efforts to accelerate market adoption of LEDs while avoiding the pitfalls of CFLs

摘要

The introduction of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) has inmany ways been successful, but greater market penetrationcould have been realised if the road was not lined with poorproducts and unhappy consumers. The introduction of lightemitting diode (LED) lighting products faces a similar challenge:The technology is brand new, relatively expensive, testmethods and standards are not harmonised, and laboratorieshave little experience with LED testing. Overall, quality andperformance criteria are not fully defined, and many consumers,importers, retailers and manufacturers don’t understandthe technology. There are harmonisation activities amongmanufacturers as well as in the standardisation bodies (e.g.,Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE), InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC)), but these processes areslow or don’t address all the issues, such as product quality andperformance. Here, governments can play a crucial role in addressingthese gaps.This paper discusses how several governments are workingtogether to accelerate processes to establish performance criteriaand quality assurance methods. The IEA 4E Solid-StateLighting (SSL) Annex was established in 2010 under the frameworkof the IEA’s Efficient Electrical End-Use Equipment (4E)Implementing Agreement. The SSL Annex is working to supportgovernments who wish to accelerate market adoption ofhigh-quality solid-state lighting (SSL) products. Sponsoringcountries include: Australia, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea,Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. China alsoparticipates as an expert member of the SSL Annex. In otherwords, most major lighting markets are covered.The SSL Annex1 has three major tasks: 1. Develop multipletierperformance criteria for quality assurance, which can formthe basis for regulations or programmes in different regions;2. Determine the robustness of SSL test procedures throughan international laboratory testing campaign; and 3. Supportthe development of an accreditation framework for laboratories.The harmonised test methods developed for the testingcampaign have already influenced the on-going standardisationwork by CIE, an indication of the potential impact of theAnnex.This work underpins domestic and regional programmes inthe Annex member states and elsewhere to support the adoptionof voluntary and regulatory programmes that will acceleratemarket adoption of energy-efficient LED products. The IEA4E SSL Annex is a model for international cooperation aroundthe introduction of new energy efficient technologies.