Tests planned for African LED lighting

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on February 16, 2011 4:47 PM | No TrackBacks

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The World Bank is to test LED lighting systems destined for Africa, writes Steve Bush.

Lighting Africa, a joint International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank program, "seeks to accelerate the development of commercial off-grid lighting markets in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve access to modern, clean lighting and related energy services for people at the base of the pyramid", said Lighting Africa.

Testing has been subcontracted to the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.

"The product testing work that the LRC will carry out is a central element of Lighting Africa's program to help consumers identify good quality products and to prevent market spoiling in off-grid lighting markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," said Dr Arne Jacobson, adviser in the US Department of Energy and technical lead for Lighting Africa's quality assurance team.

Testing will be spread over the next 18 months, and is particularly aimed at solar-charged LED lighting, but also lighting systems with a range of charging systems and energy storage technologies.

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Paul Ward
As Opto Product Manager at Farnell, Paul is overseeing the company's involvement in the rapidly evolving and high profile LED lighting market sector.

As well as ensuring that Farnell offers the latest technologies and products related to solid state lighting, Paul is also responsible for ensuring that the resources are in place to make it easier for design engineers to specify and design-in LED solutions for their applications.

Educated in Production Engineering and Design at Sheffield Hallam University, Paul has worked in various engineering, training and marketing roles for companies including C&K switches, ITT Cannon, Cherry and LED specialist Chicago Miniature Lighting.

Away from the world of LEDs, Paul is a Founder of the charity RTTW, Photographer and Harley Davidson rider; he has ridden and snapped across Europe, New Zealand and the USA on his chrome hog!

Gordon Routledge
Gordon Routledge is one of the original pioneers in LED illumination having worked with LEDs in illumination applications since 1996. Currently VP of Illumination at Dialight, Gordon founded Lumidrives in 2001, having previously been managing director at ACDC Lighting Systems. Gordon has a degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from university of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.

Ian Bryant
Ian Bryant is Business Development Manager LED Division at Carclo Technical Plastics. He has worked on and off at Carclo (Formerly Combined Optical Industrial) since leaving school. He has worked through the company from Toolmaking to starting the company on the road of LED optics business some 6-7 years ago, starting with a standard range and more in line with the business of custom optics. In between all this he has worked in engineering and as a works Director for a hydraulics company but kept getting pulled back to the optics industrial. We are able to offer the full solution from idea to parts so have a very good understanding on what is needed. You will see some posts from our design team also under my name.