News from the Lighting Research Center

LRC Welcomes LEDVANCE to the Light & Health Alliance

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer today announced that LEDVANCE LLC, the maker of SYLVANIA general lighting in the U.S. and Canada, has joined the Light and Health Alliance — a growing coalition of industry leaders, designers and scientists working to transform the indoor environment to support human health and wellbeing.

Led by LRC Director Dr. Mariana Figueiro, the mission of the Light and Health Alliance is to bridge the science of light and health to practical applications, and to provide objective information grounded in basic and applied research. The Alliance works to generate and disseminate new knowledge on the topic of light and health via outreach and education, including talks at conferences, seminars, publications and demonstrations.

LEDVANCE joins Light and Health Alliance members: Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions, Axis Lighting, Cree, Current by GE, Ketra, OSRAM, and USAI Lighting.

“As a truly global player, LEDVANCE is on the forefront of technology innovation in numerous aspects of the lighting industry. From our Human Centric Lighting (HCL) initiatives to our growing offering of connected and IoT-ready luminaires, we strive to leverage the full capabilities of the LED light source to provide not only functional illumination and visual comfort, but also utilize the non-visual impact of light to enhance occupant wellbeing and provide a pervasive, future-proof infrastructure to homes, offices, buildings and cities,” said Alberto Pierotti, head of R&D at LEDVANCE LLC. “HCL is one of the initiatives we are collaborating with the Light and Health Alliance on as we continue to advance light.”

Light and Health Alliance projects include:

  • The Light and Health Institute, a two-day, hands-on seminar where participants learn the many ways in which light affects, and can be used to improve, health and wellbeing. The goal of this seminar is to provide attendees with the latest research as it can be applied, and the knowledge necessary to improve our modern living environments with efficient, dynamic lighting.
  • The 24-hour lighting demonstration room at the LRC lab, that provides cycled electric lighting with cool, high light levels for high circadian stimulus (CS) during the daytime, and warm, low light levels for reduced CS in the evening. The space is completely modular, which allows LRC researchers to test and demo a wide variety of Alliance member light sources, luminaires, and connected systems.
  • Designing lighting for health and wellbeing while minimizing energy use. A drawback to providing circadian lighting during the daytime is that more energy can be required than would typically be required for visual performance. LRC researchers are developing techniques that can help reduce energy use, while providing enough light for circadian stimulation and alertness.

Representatives from LEDVANCE will attend the LRC’s 2019 Summit from October 15-17 in Troy, New York. The LRC Summit aims to inspire discussion and shape the future of lighting, where the industry plays a strategic, recognized role in benefiting society and the environment — from improving human health to enhancing food production to managing clean energy in the new electric grid. Learn more at https://www.lrc.rpi.edu/summit