Industry News

The new plan is divided into two documents: 2017 Suggested Research Topics, and Supplement to 2017 Suggested Research Topics. The second document provides context and background for the first, including information drawn from technical, market, and economic studies. The suggested priority topics are not guaranteed topics for the annual DOE SSL R&D funding opportunity, but represent a "short list" from which DOE may choose to select. All are foundational to the field of SSL, which is still an immature technology that's rapidly integrating research advancements and breakthroughs.

Both new documents were developed in conjunction with industry experts through inputs received at roundtable meetings held in September and October 2016 and at the DOE SSL R&D Workshop held in February 2017 in Long Beach, CA. The discussions covered foundational R&D needs for both LED and OLED technologies.

Widely referenced by industry and government both here and abroad, these documents reflect SSL stakeholder inputs on key R&D topics that will improve efficacy, reduce cost, remove barriers to adoption, and add value for LED and OLED lighting solutions over the next three to five years, and discuss those applications that drive and prioritize the specific R&D.

While both revised documents were updated with the latest figures, some revisions were more extensive than others. Among the more noteworthy changes are:

-Upgraded LED and OLED performance projections

-An expanded discussion of the impacts of SSL (energy savings, manufacturing, and markets)

-A new discussion on the relationship between technical progress, scientific understanding, and societal benefits enabled by SSL

-A discussion on new directions in lighting enabled by SSL, including improved lighting performance, new levels of control of lighting, and new possibilities for building integration of lighting

-Updates on the latest thinking in connected lighting, and a translation of LED performance to horticultural lighting metrics and performance projections

-Updated analysis of LED and OLED performance and barriers that guides prioritization of DOE R&D funding.

To download the 2017 documents, go to http://energy.gov/eere/ssl/technology-roadmaps.