Philips Lighting North America has won the 'Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize' (L Prize) competition conducted by the US Department of Energy under the 60-watt replacement bulb category.

The Department of Energy’s L Prize challenged the lighting industry to develop high performance, energy-saving replacements for conventional light bulbs that will save American consumers and businesses money.

If every 60-watt incandescent bulb in the US was replaced with the 10-watt L prize winner, the nation would save about 35 terawatt-hours of electricity or $3.9 billion in one year and avoid 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions, said a statement from the US department. 

Submitted in 2009, the Philips LED bulb successfully completed 18 months of demanding field, lab, and product testing to meet the requirements of the L Prize competition – ensuring that performance, quality, lifetime, cost, and availability meet expectations for widespread adoption and mass manufacturing, a statement from the company said.

“The L Prize challenges the best and brightest minds in the US lighting industry to make the technological leap forward that can greatly reduce the money we spend to light our homes and businesses each year,” said energy secretary, Steven Chu.

“Not only does the L Prize challenge innovative companies like Philips to make LED technology even more energy efficient, it also spurs the lighting industry to make LEDs affordable for American families”, he said.

“We looked at the L Prize challenge as an opportunity to innovate and develop an energy efficient alternative to a product that has remained largely unchanged for over a century,” said Zia Eftekhar, CEO of Philips Lighting North America. 

According to him, Philips will receive a $10 million cash prize as well as L Prize partner promotions and incentives.

Launched in 2008, the Energy Department’s L Prize competition targets the 60-watt bulb because it is one of the most widely used types of light bulbs by consumers, representing roughly half of the domestic incandescent light bulb market. 

The prize-winning 60-watt equivalent LED bulb from Phillips will hit the stores early next year, the company added.– TradeArabia News Service