R&D Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports solid-state lighting (SSL) research and development (R&D) to accelerate market introduction of high-efficiency, high-performance SSL products. DOE leadership and support drive the lighting industry to higher levels of efficiency and quality than they might otherwise achieve. (Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader)
DOE SSL R&D Multi-Year Program Plan
DOE and its SSL partners have developed a multi-year R&D plan
to ensure that DOE is funding the appropriate R&D topics to successfully move SSL from lab to market. The R&D roadmap is updated annually with input from industry partners and workshop attendees, and guides the development of annual SSL R&D solicitations.
DOE's plan for SSL R&D features two concurrent, interactive pathways. Core technology research is conducted primarily by academia, national laboratories, and research institutions. This research fills technology gaps to overcome technical barriers, and is subject to the Exceptional Circumstances Determination regarding intellectual property. Product development is conducted primarily by industry, and involves the use of research to develop or improve commercially viable materials, devices, or systems. For more detailed descriptions of the two R&D pathways, see Definitions of Core Technology Research and Product Development.
DOE SSL Manufacturing R&D Roadmap
DOE has added a third pathway to its R&D portfolio, a new SSL manufacturing initiative, to accelerate SSL technology adoption through manufacturing improvements that reduce costs and enhance quality. As part of this initiative, DOE and industry partners have developed a Solid-State Lighting Manufacturing R&D Roadmap, which represents industry consensus on the expected evolution of SSL manufacturing, best practices, and opportunities for improvement and collaboration. As an extension of the MYPP, the roadmap is updated annually with input from industry partners and workshop attendees, and guides the development of annual SSL manufacturing R&D solicitations.
2012 DOE SSL R&D Portfolio
The DOE SSL R&D Portfolio provides an overview of research projects funded by DOE. Each project profile in the portfolio includes a brief technical description as well as information about the project partners, funding, and time frame.
Download the complete 2012 Project Portfolio.
Research Highlights
The Research Highlights section features major progress, breakthroughs, and world records that result from DOE-funded research projects.