GE, The Fresh Market, Taiwan, Lighting Association, UV LED Curing Association

GE Lighting recognized The Fresh Market and Walmart for fleet-wide installations, while Taiwan begins street-lighting projects. The Lighting Association introduces an LED product verification program and three companies found the UV LED Curing Association.

GE Lighting honored The Fresh Market with its LED Retailer-of-the-Year award at GE's recent 3rd annual retail conference, held at its headquarters in East Cleveland, OH. Recipients of this award must have retrofit 20% or more of their fleet of stores to LED-based lighting, demonstrated at least 20% energy savings, and visually improved the appearance of the store as recognized by its customers. The Fresh Market has incorporated LED PAR38s into 40% of its stores for accent and general lighting applications.

Walmart, the multinational retailer based in Bentonville, AK, was a featured retailer at the conference and has set a goal to use 100% LED lighting in all of its 5366 stores through new construction and retrofitting. "Switching to LEDs was a no brainer," said Charles Zimmerman, vice president of international design and construction with Walmart. "Now we're using LEDs in display cases, parking lots and throughout the store, and now our LED lights are outliving our refrigerated display cases, providing zero maintenance."

A Walmart parking lot installation was the subject of a US DOE Caliper demonstration report published in May. The new installation revealed an estimated 40% energy savings versus high-pressure sodium lamps and a simple payback period of 6 years.

Also at the GE retailer conference, GE recognized Walgreens with its Retailer-of-the-Year award. Criteria for the award included the use of energy-efficient products in 80% or more of its fleet, demonstration of innovative lighting techniques with improved visual aesthetics, and demonstration of a positive impact on the community. Walgreens transitioned from F28 to F25 linear fluorescent lamps, which allowed a 9% energy savings and a 10% longer lamp life. The full release is provided here.

According to an article published in Taiwan Today, Shih Yen-shiang of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), has announced a NT$700 million project that will involve the replacement of 53,000 fluorescent street lamps with LED street lamps.

The ROC government will begin the 3-year replacement project, valued at $23.25 million, in January 2012. It will involve LED lamp installations in the cities of Keelung, Hsinchu and Chiayi. Shih announced the plan after meeting with LED companies including Everlight Electronics, Epistar and Delta Electronics.

"This replacement project will not only provide the nation with energy efficient lighting," Shih said, "it will also give local LED manufacturers a tremendous boost, as the experience they acquire from manufacturing and installing the new lights will help make them more competitive internationally."

Shih noted the importance of standards and stated that the government will accelerate its efforts to promote standards for the LED industry. The ministry noted that the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection has already set 49 specifications for the LED industry, on matters such as acceptable power density and energy-efficiency levels.