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Ireland Embraced Data Centers That Now Consume Too Much Energy by Matt O’Brien

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

Dozens of massive data centers humming at the outskirts of Dublin are consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland and starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here. Now, a country that made itself a computing factory for Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok is wondering whether it was all worth it as tech giants look around the world to build even more data centers to fuel the next wave of artificial intelligence. Fears of rolling blackouts led Ireland’s grid operator to halt new data centers near Dublin until 2028. What other countries can learn from Ireland’s experience is to carefully manage the effect of data centers on the stability of the electricity system.      Ireland Embraced Data Centers That Now Consume Too Much Energy – electrifiED

DLC Draft 1 Horticultural Technical Requirements V4.0

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has released their Draft 1 Horticultural Technical Requirements V4.0. The draft proposes three updates:

  • Efficacy increase: Hort V4.0 proposes to increase the efficacy threshold to 2.5 μmol × J-1, which is an 8.7% increase over the Hort V3.0 threshold. This will set the DLC efficacy threshold for LED-based horticultural lighting at more than 45% above the most efficacious non-LED option.
  • Removal of lamp categories: Hort V4.0 proposes to remove eligibility for lamps. This decision was made based on low application numbers in lamp categories.
  • Clarifications to various requirements: A variety of clarifications are proposed throughout Hort V4.0, including for definitions of key terminology and for certain testing requirements.

The Draft 1 Horticultural Technical Requirements V4.0 document is available here.

LightNOW: News and Opinion for the Lighting Industry

TCL Hosts Global Technology Innovation Conference, Showcasing Latest AI and Display Innovations

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

The TCL Global Technology Innovation Conference, now in its 11th year since its inception in 2004, marked a significant shift from its previous internal forum to an open forum welcoming industry professionals. The conference served as a platform for scholars, top experts, industry leaders and partners to explore future industrial development. On December 11, the 2024 TCL Global Technology Innovation Conference (TIC) was held in Shenzhen. With the theme “The Future is Visible by AI”, the conference focused on AI applications, smart devices, displays, new energy photovoltaics. During the event, TCL unveiled 16 technological breakthroughs, including 5 all-scenario AI applications. [News] TCL Hosts Global Technology Innovation Conference, Showcasing Latest AI and Display Innovations – LEDinside

Registration Now Open for LEDucation 2025

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

LEDucation, a premier annual event for the North American lighting industry, is excited to announce that registration is now open for its 2025 Trade Show and Conference being held at the New York Hilton Midtown, March 18–19, 2025. New and returning exhibitors, industry influencers, and a myriad of engaging, educational experiences will help all attendees gain an advantage in the lighting business. With over 400 exhibitors gathered across four expansive Trade Show halls, attendees will be able to explore the latest advancements in lighting products and technologies that are shaping a brighter, more efficient future for our industry. For more information on these sessions including complete presenter bios, visit org/2025-presentations  Attendees can view registrations details and find a link to register at leducation.org/registration

2024 State of the Cannabis Lighting Market

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

This ninth annual exclusive report takes a deep dive into the fluctuating lighting trends among commercial cultivators. It has been nearly a decade since Cannabis Business Times first began publishing its “State of the Cannabis Lighting Market” report. There’s no doubt that the relationship between cannabis and light is one of the most crucial aspects of cannabis cultivation and ultimate success. From light intensity to spectral properties, to light uniformity, to dimming technology and much more, every new discovery in the cannabis industry opens another door for growers, researchers, and lighting manufacturers to explore. In this 2024 “State of the Cannabis Lighting Market” report, you’ll find exclusive data revealing practices of your cannabis cultivation peers, with valuable insights into the evolution of cannabis lighting trends through the years.

Federal Government Now Requires Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Products at Thousands of Government Sites and Facilities

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

The federal government is the nation’s largest property owner, maintaining a portfolio of nearly 9,600 buildings that span over 375 million square feet. It’s the nation’s largest energy consumer, as well. The GSA’s 2024 P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service — a key document guiding building design and the purchase of products for federal and other public entities — now points project actors to the DLC’s LUNA Technical Requirements and Qualified Projects List for certain types of outdoor lighting at public facilities. Specifiers, designers and installers wishing to identify outdoor lighting products for use in federal and other public buildings can find and compare LUNA-listed luminaires by creating a free myDLC account and then searching the LUNA QPL.  Federal Government Now Requires Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Products that Reduce Light Pollution at Thousands of Government Sites and Facilities | EC&M

Meta to Build $10B AI Data Center, Musk Expands AI Facility

William Attardi on December 31, 2024

The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook’s parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically neglected corner of the state. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is expanding its existing supercomputer project in Memphis, Tennessee, the city’s chamber of commerce said Wednesday. The chamber also said that Nvidia, Dell, and Supermicro Computer will be “establishing operations in Memphis,” without offering further details. The U.S. Commerce Department found that there aren’t enough data centers in the U.S. to meet the rising AI-fueled demand, which is projected to grow by 9% each year through 2030, citing industry reports. Meta to Build $10B AI Data Center, Musk Expands AI Facility – tEDmag

Pepper Production Trials Entering a Fourth Year

William Attardi on November 21, 2024

Signify and the University of British Columbia has announced that their pepper production trial is now entering its fourth year. This trial, which focuses on optimizing dynamic lighting conditions, has delivered insights into how pepper plants respond to artificial lighting throughout the year. 2025 will mark the culmination of this extensive research project. The final results will be presented in a comprehensive whitepaper, which will detail the outcomes of this trial and combine insights from all other pepper trials conducted around the world. By synthesizing this knowledge, Signify aims to provide growers with a definitive guide to optimizing pepper production using LED lighting, ensuring that they can continue to improve yields and quality well into the future. Pepper production trials entering a fourth year – LEDinside

Perth Concert Hall Successfully Completes LED Lighting Upgrade

William Attardi on November 21, 2024

Perth Concert HallUK – Perth Concert Hall has taken a significant step towards sustainability and modernisation with the completion of its ‘Lights-Up Perth Concert Hall’ project, which saw the replacement of its tungsten lighting system with an advanced LED set-up. Spearheaded by Stage Electrics, this upgrade marks a new era for the venue, enhancing both its environmental credentials and artistic capabilities. The switch from tungsten to LED lighting has provided Perth Concert Hall with numerous benefits. LED lights consume up to 80% less power, generate less heat and have a longer lifespan, resulting in lower maintenance and operational costs. The new system also offers enhanced flexibility, with instant and precise colour changes, smoother dimming and dynamic effects such as strobes and fades that were previously unattainable. Perth Concert Hall Successfully Completes LED Lighting Upgrade – LEDinside

EC&M’s Illumination Insider

William Attardi on November 21, 2024

If you are not getting this online lighting resource, think about it.  Here is the content today:

Next-Generation Street Lighting Systems Support Smart Cities

LED Retrofits – Smart, Sustainable, and Good for Business

The Lagging Transition to LEDs in Schools – Part 1 of 3

How Can Lighting Scenes Enhance Indoor Spaces?

OUTDOOR LIGHTING | Light done right transforms public spaces

PROJECT | Layered illumination heightens luxury in hotel and living spaces

The Benefits of Tunable White Light

Demystifying IECC and ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Lighting and Control Requirements

Illumination Insider – Nov 13th, 2024

It’s Back to School – How Some of Our Most Acknowledged Universities Got Their Name – Who were the true visionaries who would donate half of their estate to sculpting the minds of the future. These stories are monuments to history and culture. Let’s take a stroll through academia’s memory lane and uncover the origins of these storied university names!

  1. Ah, Harvard! The Ivy League giant was once a small college in the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement called New Towne. But where did “Harvard” come from? Enter John Harvard, a clergyman who, in 1638, decided to bequeath half his estate and his library (a whopping 400 books!) to the fledgling college. Grateful for this generous gift, they promptly named the institution after him.
  2. A gem of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale is another Ivy League powerhouse known for its prestigious law and drama schools. It owes its name to Elihu Yale, a wealthy merchant who, in 1718, donated a modest shipment of goods (including portraits, books, and textiles) to a struggling collegiate school. Those goods were auctioned off, raising a much-needed £562 –a small fortune at the time.
  3. Dartmouth is renowned for its beautiful rural setting, nestled in the picturesque town of Hanover, New Hampshire. It was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, William Legge, a British nobleman who supported the college’s founding –despite never actually setting foot in America!
  4. Brown, this Rhode Island Ivy University, known for its open curriculum and emphasis on student choice, was founded with a mouthful of a name – the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed in 1704 for Nicholas Brown, Jr., a prominent merchant whose family donated generously to the school.
  5. Perched atop a hill overlooking Ithaca, New York, Cornell is celebrated for its diverse academic programs and its stunning natural surroundings. Founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, this university was unique for its commitment to practical education, allowing students the freedom to choose their own course of study. It was a revolutionary notion at the time, which would guide a curricular reform across the country.
  6. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and its close ties to the tech industry. But this California powerhouse has a touching origin story. Leland Stanford, Jr., the founder’s son, tragically died young from typhoid fever. His father Leland Sr., railroad magnate and former state governor, and his mother Jane, founded the university in his memory, ensuring his legacy lived on through the pursuit of knowledge.
  7. This North Carolina research giant, known for its strong medical and law schools, underwent a bit of a name change in its history. Originally called Trinity College, it was renamed Duke University in 1924 after James Buchanan Duke, a tobacco and electric power industrialist who founded the American Tobacco Company. He established The Duke Endowment, to which he donated throughout his life and left half his estate after his death.
  8. Nestled in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt is a renowned research university with a vibrant campus life. It owes its name to “The Commodore,” Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, who provided the initial gift to establish the university.
  9. Texas businessman William Marsh Rice provided the initial funding for this Houston university, but did not live to see its opening. He was murdered by his valet as he slept, in a plot to forge the man’s will. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rice University flourished through the years, becoming an institution known for its strong engineering and science programs.
  10. Who was Harvard named after? Origin of university names