The L-Prize Calls All Innovators for the Prototype Phase

By Kelly Gordon, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

More than a decade ago, the Department of Energy (DOE) staged a technology competition that challenged the lighting industry to develop high-performance, energy-saving LED replacements for conventional 60-watt, screw-in light bulbs. The DOE dubbed its effort the “L-Prize,” which, two years later, resulted in the Philips 10-watt, A-19 LED replacement lamp that helped revolutionize lighting. The technology innovations in that L-Prize winner—more efficacious LED chips, electronic miniaturization, better heat transfer, improved optics, and remote phosphors—found their way into later generations of Philips LED products. At the time, progress on the luminous efficacy of LEDs was a big focus, and the L-Prize winner showed that 90 lumens per watt (lm/W) efficacy with high color rendering and very long life was possible, raising the bar for the entire lighting industry. Just in the United States alone, today’s LED replacement lamps are helping to avoid an estimated 98 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year.

The technology innovations in the original L-Prize winning bulb have had a lasting impact, finding their way into millions of subsequent products that continue to save massive amounts of energy every year.

Fast-forward to 2021, by which time 90 lm/W was no longer a stretch goal for LED lighting products, but significant headroom for performance and application improvement remained. The DOE developed an ambitious follow-on L-Prize competition specifically targeting breakthroughs in lighting for commercial buildings, a sector that accounts for 36% of national lighting energy use. Commercial and institutional buildings often have long operating hours and need relatively high-output lighting for general illumination supporting workplace safety and functionality. These factors point to potential for energy savings and quality improvements in buildings traditionally lit by linear fluorescent tubes. The new L-Prize calls for luminaires and control systems that can capture additional benefits of LED lighting in terms of energy performance, lighting quality, advanced connected lighting control, and life cycle sustainability. The competition encourages and rewards technical innovation and attention to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the design, manufacturing, and application of LED-based lighting systems.

The new L-Prize seeks innovative luminaires and connected systems that demonstrate exceptional achievement across six areas.

We are rolling out the L-Prize in three phases, with the Concept Phase now complete and four winners of $20,000 each announced by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in January 2022. An L-Prize myth holds that only these four winners can advance to the Prototype Phase, but that’s not correct. Each phase of this L-Prize is effectively a separate competition. Everyone is welcome to enter, whether you competed in the prior phase or not, and we’re looking for new participants to enter each phase.

Our vision for what lighting can accomplish features significant energy savings, excellent lighting quality, and functionality that improves indoor environments for people. The L-Prize is the chance for lighting innovators to be recognized for creativity and engineering in luminaires and systems that break through traditional limitations and trade-offs. The rewards are significant, with a prize pool that totals $12.2 million across the Concept, Prototype, and Manufacturing and Installation (M&I) phases.

The Prototype Phase, which officially opened on June 30, 2022, features two separate tracks: one for luminaires and one for connected systems, offering multiple pathways to participate, whether you are a small independent luminaire manufacturer or a large luminaires and controls manufacturer. Over the course of the next year, entrants will develop physical prototypes for one or both tracks that demonstrate their innovative approaches. Submissions are due May 1, 2023, when they will be evaluated by an Expert Review Panel consisting of eight independent lighting industry thought leaders. We will award and recognize up to six winners of this phase to share a prize pool of $2 million.

The final M&I Phase increases the stakes, with a prize pool of $10 million to be split among up to four competitors. This final phase carries through all the innovation opportunities of the Prototype Phase, and then adds in requirements for commercial availability and installation(s), and incentivizes U.S. content and manufacturing. We anticipate teams may be needed for this final phase, so we’ve opened up a Teaming List. It’s a way for manufacturing partners, materials or component suppliers, end-user installation host sites, utilities, energy service companies, and others to express their interest to collaborate with or support an L-Prize team in pursuit of the $10 million prize pool.

We’re proud of the fact that this L-Prize awards bonus points for exceeding minimum technical requirements in certain categories. Bonus points in the area of product life cycle reward sustainable and environmentally friendly designs. Bonus points in technical innovation recognize designs that are easy to use or cost effective. Bonus points for DEI acknowledge diversity within the participating teams and in the communities that will benefit from resulting innovations, including communities that have been historically disadvantaged.

LED lighting has evolved from simply imitating previous lighting technologies to the still nascent but real potential to better manage lighting energy use, integrate with other building systems, streamline maintenance and operations, and even respond to electric grid signals, increasing the value and resiliency of buildings. We on the L-Prize team embrace this shift and seek to unlock the full potential to combine high luminaire efficacy with exceptional lighting quality, data-driven control and functionality, and sustainable design and construction for the future of illumination in commercial and institutional buildings. ■

Kelly Gordon currently serves as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Program Manager for the DOE Solid-State Lighting program, and as Team Lead for the PNNL Advanced Lighting Team. Her professional focus is on lighting energy efficiency and the advancement of high efficiency building technologies and systems.