Learners Live

Powering the Future: Insights on the Growing Electrification Market

As electricity demand continues to grow, the electrical distribution industry is uniquely positioned to help lead the transformation of the energy landscape with the services, materials, and solutions needed to support its customers and drive progress. To help members navigate this shift, NAED’s Education & Research Foundation, in partnership with Ducker Carlisle, presents the research study: Electrification Drivers, Disruptors, and Scaling Your Business. This study delivers valuable insight into:

  • What’s driving electrification—and what may disrupt it
  • The most promising project areas for distributors
  • How to strategically scale and prepare your team

NAED Electrification Research

RESEARCH: Commercial Lighting Market to Reach $56 Billion by 2030

Research and Markets has published a new analysis, Commercial Lighting Market……Forecast 2025-2030. The 187-page document covers key factors driving the growth of the commercial lighting market sector (including fixtures for hospitality, retail, workspaces, and more applications), which reached over $17 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 20% in the coming years. The analysis forecasts that the market will reach over $56 billion by 2030 due to increased sustainability efforts, including a focus on human-centric adaptive lighting, adoption of smart lighting and retrofitting infrastructure, as well as the acceleration of urbanization. The analysis provides information on market restraints, such as the maintenance of fixtures, as well as market opportunities, such as solar lighting solutions, in addition to the PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) factors that influence market data. To find the full report, visit Commercial Lighting Market by Offering, Installation Type, Communication Technology, End-use Application, End-User – Global Forecast 2025-2030

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”