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    1. Specialty SSL
    2. Backlighting Signs & Displays

    DOE Municipal Consortium to incorporate Cree LED City program

    Sept. 30, 2010
    The DOE’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium is taking over guidance responsibility for US members of Cree’s LED City program, as both groups seek to accelerate the adoption of SSL in outdoor-lighting applications.

    The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium and Cree’s LED City program share similar goals of accelerating the adoption of LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) in outdoor applications by providing information, discussing best practices, and sharing lessons learned. Going forward, the DOE Consortium will provide guidance for the US and Canadian participants in the LED City program.

    The Consortium will now provide ongoing national organizational structure and guidance to US and Canadian cities that were LED City members, as these cities evaluate SSL technologies for public streets and other public areas.

    A Cree spokesperson for LED City said that the program's efforts will continue in Europe and Asia, as these markets do not yet have the same type of institutional support that is being provided by the DOE Consortium.

    The move is almost assuredly a positive one as it increases the scale of collaboration between municipalities, and the extent to which they can share information on SSL in street and other public outdoor applications.

    About the added member to the DOE Consortium, DOE's Solid-State Lighting Program Manager Jim Brodrick said, "We are pleased to have the leadership and rich base of experience these cities bring to the Consortium. Their knowledge and interest in continuing to mentor other municipalities will speed many up the learning curve as they evaluate new street lighting options for their communities."

    Greg Merritt, VP corporate marketing for Cree, described the Consortium as representing "a significant next step in the continued adoption of LED lighting in cities across the country. [It] is well-positioned to build on and enhance the growing momentum of the Cree LED City program, guiding cities along the path to LED lighting. We look forward to working together to help more cities reap the many benefits of this energy-efficient lighting technology."

    Cree established the LED City Program in 2007 to accelerate municipal adoption of SSL. The DOE’s Jim Brodrick said, "Cree's innovative LED City Program has provided a valuable forum for municipalities to learn and share in the earliest stages of LED street lighting."

    The DOE Consortium was formed earlier this year and quickly grew far beyond the size of Cree’s program. Already the Consortium has 400 members representing 48 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and four other countries.