U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Office – About the Program

U.S. Department of Energy Partners with the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance

Image containing the DOE logo and the NGLIA logo. The DOE logo is a green ring containing the words 'Department of Energy United States of America', and in the center of the ring is a shield containing images representing various energy sources, with the head of an eagle on top of the shield; to the right is the NGLIA logo, consisting simply of the letters of the acronym.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance (NGLIA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to support the development and commercialization of SSL technology. The original MOA was signed in February 2005, and in 2012 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to extend the partnership into 2014. It is designed to enhance the manufacturing and commercialization focus of the DOE SSL portfolio, and enables DOE to access the expertise of this organization of lighting manufacturers.

NGLIA is an alliance of for-profit lighting manufacturers formed to accelerate solid-state lighting development and commercialization through government-industry partnership. Administered by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), members include: 3M, Acuity Brands Lighting, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, CAO Group Inc., Corning Inc., Cree Inc., GE-Lumination, Light Prescriptions Innovators LLC, LSI Industries, Luminus Devices Inc., OSRAM Sylvania Inc., Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions, QuNano Inc., Ruud Lighting, Inc., and Universal Display Corp. To learn more about the Alliance and membership, see the NGLIA website.

The Department's agreement with NGLIA details specific activities to be jointly conducted in support of DOE's SSL portfolio. The requirements of the MOA align with the directives in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 related to SSL and DOE, specifically the competitive selection of an industry alliance that represents U.S. SSL research, development, infrastructure, and manufacturing expertise.

Alliance members provide input to shape DOE research priorities, assess progress of research activities, and update SSL technology roadmaps. The Alliance also assists DOE commercialization support activities by:

  • Communicating SSL program accomplishments
  • Encouraging development of metrics, codes, and standards
  • Promoting demonstration of SSL technologies for general lighting applications
  • Supporting DOE voluntary market-oriented programs, such as LED Lighting Facts®

Alliance Activities

The Alliance brings valuable industry perspective to a wide range of DOE SSL portfolio activities. Alliance task groups provide support and input for annual updates to the DOE Solid-State Lighting R&D Multi-Year Program Plan and Manufacturing Roadmap, as well as updates on CALiPER testing, standards development, GATEWAY demonstrations, and product quality initiatives.