In the fall of 2017, the Mexican Ministry of Energy awarded funding to the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in collaboration with the University of California Davis to establish a lighting technology and design research center known as the Centro de Tecnología de Iluminación (CTI). This is a multi-year, public-private investment focused on addressing growing climate change concerns through translational research committed to clean energy and sustainability in Mexico.

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency in Non-Residential Buildings (The Consortium), supported by the National Council for Science and Technology and Secretary of Energy in Mexico, is focused on reducing electricity demand in Mexico’s non-residential buildings through collaborative efforts with industry, government and universities.  Specifically, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, with assistance from UC Davis, is funded to implement an energy efficiency laboratory featuring lighting and air conditioning technologies for non-residential buildings.

Historically, power distribution has been dominated by Alternating-Current (AC) which significantly influenced the design of connected energy-consuming appliances.  With the emergence of electronics and digital controls as standard design elements in almost all appliance categories, the need for Direct-Current (DC) has emerged, even as it opposes traditional distribution practices.  This issue is typically resolved at the appliance level with AC-to-DC converters. 

Phase 1 of the Million LED Challenge was officially launched!  The MLC Phase 1 purchasing standards follow the Voluntary California Quality LED Lamp Specification published by the California Energy Commission and used by California investor-owned utilities to determine which lamps are eligible to receive incentives.

The California Lighting Technology Center, in collaboration with the California Energy Commission, conducted research to refine and deploy technology strategies that integrate and optimize automated controls for heating, ventilating and air conditioning, electric lighting, and dynamic fenestration (window and door) systems. Project objectives were:

1. Refine and publish an integrated building control system specification for commercial applications including necessary hardware and software components.

CLTC collaborated with the Emerging Technologies group at the Pacific Gas & Electric Company to evaluate linear LED lamps in a variety of fixture applications as well as identify any interoperability issues.

Widespread adoption of LED lighting for general illumination applications is poised to be the single, largest advancement in lighting efficiency during the 21st century. Due to its potential, a variety of market actors have introduced LED products and made associated performance claims that have set the technology up with somewhat unrealistic expectations regarding system efficacy and longevity. To compete in this market, LED manufacturers have focused on research to improve efficacy and reduce product costs, often at the expense of product quality and feature optimization.

CLTC, in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, developed new, improved strategies and technologies for occupancy sensing in outdoor applications that address the shortcomings of existing strategies and technologies.  The project approach included the systematic identification of the pros and cons of existing strategies and technologies, formulation of new strategies and/or technologies, and implementation of new approaches in the form of laboratory prototypes that will be tested and demonstrated in the laboratory and in the field.

CLTC, in partnership with Southern California Edison, completed a project portfolio from 2014-2018 to assess controls, lighting, and daylighting technologies and their potential for commercial applications. The projects have elements of market assessment, EM&V, and selected demonstrations.

The project focus is on evaluating the following technologies:

Advanced lighting control systems (ALCS) provide networked control and monitoring capabilities of connected luminaires via onboard metering and system reporting features. These advanced features allow system owners to dynamically balance visual comfort and lighting energy use. CLTC, in collaboration with SDG&E, developed a technology validation program to determine the accuracy and reliability of onboard metering and system reporting features of advanced lighting control systems.