December 2025

  Researchers have developed a new way to make ultra-narrow band, near‑infrared LEDs by “electrically powering” materials that normally do not conduct, using attached organic molecules that act as molecular antennas. The work opens a path to highly precise light sources for deep‑tissue medical imaging, optical communication, and chemical or biological sensing. Core scientific breakthrough [...]

A British company, Conflow Power Group, proposes to cut the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence by turning streetlights into off-grid, solar-powered mini data centers using Nvidia hardware. It frames this as a response to the rapidly growing electricity, carbon, and water demands of conventional AI data centers, worldwide. Rising AI energy and water use Globally, [...]

  Fluorescent lamp bans have been passed in ten US states, and four of those states have effective dates of January 1st, 2026, for at least one category of fluorescent lamps. The four states are Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, and Illinois. The fluorescent lamp categories banned on January 1 vary by state. The following table shows [...]

  By Valeria Palacios Klein CLD, Senior Lighting Designer at Coastal Source When people hear the phrase colored lighting in outdoor spaces, it’s likely they immediately think of bold, oversaturated hues that feel more theatrical, even gauche, than refined. But color-tunable lighting (often referred to in the industry as RGBW) has evolved dramatically. Today’s advanced [...]

By Dan Hollenkamp, COO at Toggled Dan Hollenkamp, COO of Toggled, shared the following seven trends that he believes will redefine buildings and energy management in 2026: 1) Smart Buildings Become True Energy Orchestrators: By 2026, smart buildings will function more like managed micro-grids as operators face rising energy demand, electrification pressures, and aging infrastructure. Even [...]

  By Eric Bretschneider, Ph.D. Abstract Wien’s Displacement Law is a simple equation that allows calculation of the peak wavelength for a black body light source as a function of temperature.  However, not all uses of light are based on radiant flux. In particular, photobiology is based on the quantum or photon flux.  In 1939, [...]

  Cannabis Business Times in partnership with Fluence have released the 2025 State Of The Cannabis Lighting Market Report. The report describes a decade-long shift toward LED dominance in cannabis cultivation lighting, alongside growing sophistication in controls and a persistent focus on managing energy costs and crop quality. It positions LED-based, controllable systems as the [...]

  Horticulture lighting has rapidly evolved from a niche application to one of the fastest-growing sectors in the lighting industry, driven by falling technology costs, improved efficiency, and broader use in greenhouses, vertical farms, floriculture, and even facilities producing plant-based vaccines. The global horticulture lighting market is growing at about 12% per year and could [...]

  Zigbee 4 And Suzi The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released Zigbee 4 and Suzi to standardize secure, interoperable, and scalable IoT connectivity. These standards aim to make enterprise IoT networks more secure, scalable, and reliable, especially for commercial and industrial use. Zigbee 4 adds sub‑GHz (800/900 MHz) support for better range and building penetration, branded [...]