The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces suspension of L-Prize LED PAR38 lamp program evaluation

　　The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the suspension of the LED PAR 38 lamp evaluation under the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L-Prize) program, which aims to replace halogen bulbs. This is the second suspension of the PAR 38 lamp evaluation. According to the Department of Energy, this is because recent products have not met efficacy requirements. Regarding the L-Prize evaluation, the U.S. Department of Energy has modified some of the requirement options, but regarding the 123 lumen/watt efficacy requirement, the DOE states that it is based on requirements from the U.S. Congress and cannot be modified.

　　The purpose of the L-Prize is to continuously extend the technical specifications of solid-state lighting, leading the solid-state lighting (SSL) industry to achieve higher energy efficiency. Philips Lighting won the 90 lumen/W efficacy requirement in 2011. It is speculated that the directional nature of PAR 38 lamps, compared to omnidirectional A-lamps, should enable manufacturers to produce more efficient products.

　　The U.S. Department of Energy first suspended the PAR 38 competition in 2011, deeming it unsuitable for the competition requirements. In 2012, the competition for this project was relaunched, with requirements reducing the number of sample lamps provided and lowering the tolerance requirements for light output. Then in August last year, the L-Prize expanded the maximum allowable beam pattern for this project from 12° to 15°. Despite this, the efficacy requirement authorized by the U.S. Congress has remained unchanged, and no company has hinted at intending to enter the PAR 38 competition. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that PAR 38 lamps on the market are far from meeting the efficacy targets. In fact, the best products on the market only achieve efficacy within the 90 lumen/watt range, which has prompted the Department of Energy to reassess the competition requirements.

The US Department of Energy stated that it would consider restarting the PAR 38 competition in the future. Additionally, the congressional bill would allocate $5 million to be awarded to companies that win the PAR 38 L Prize. Furthermore, winners would have the opportunity to receive orders to sell large quantities of prize-winning lamps to the US government.

Looking back, it is still unclear how Philips Lighting earned a profit exceeding $10 million in prize money from a single A-lamp in the L Prize. Of course, Philips is a leader in the LED retrofit lamp market, but the bulb design that won the L Prize did not receive much market response. Although the L Prize A-lamp is an excellent product, with a remote phosphor appearance, an obvious heatsink, and high component costs, it was not very successful in the market.