I’ve written before about the mounting scientific evidence of a dramatic global collapse in insect and bird populations due to white LED streetlights. I predict, over time, a return to amber streetlighting, but this time instead of HPS & LPS, it will be amber LED sources. This trend has already begun with several different manufacturers now offering amber streetlights. Another of my recent posts covered the recent DLC white paper about Non-White Light Sources For Nighttime Environments.

One of the pioneer manufacturers is Crossroads LED, whose innovative Astrophile Series street lights won the company the IDA’s 2021 Best Design And Technical Innovation Award. This award is given to individuals, organizations, or businesses that – through progressive design, construction, technological innovation, and entrepreneurship – support IDA and its mission to preserve night skies by promoting quality outdoor nighttime lighting.

The Astrophile Series is the first Phosphor Converted Amber (PCA) streetlight with a correlated color temperature range between 1650K and 2000K and a Narrow Band Amber (NBA) streetlight with a peak dominant wavelength of 592nm ±2.5nm. Most notably, the 1650K PCA and the 590nm NBA LEDs have zero emissions of short-wavelength blue light. Additionally, Crossroads LED incorporated an adjustable optical shield that reduces and eliminates both house and street-side light trespass, as well as a new aluminum housing designed exclusively to recess the LED lenses deep within the fixture, effectively reducing both nuisance and disability glare. Cities in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Missouri, and Washington state (USA) have all either committed or shown interest in the Crossroads LED “Astrophiles Series.”

More information is available here.

For the past two decades, thought leaders in the lighting industry have been publicly lamenting that the lighting industry will be gobbled up by the electronics industry, Silicon Valley tech giants, and the big telecoms. 20 years into the LED era for general lighting, and this still has not come to pass.

However, there is another, less glamorous industry slowly increasing its acquisitions, footprint, and influence in the lighting industry, and it is hardly getting any attention. It’s Big Plumbing. Perhaps the most recent and largest move was Ferguson’s recent acquisition of Minka Group, a major decorative lighting manufacturer for the residential and resimercial markets. Ferguson is the largest wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies and pipe, valves and fittings in the U.S. The company also has 245 Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery locations in the United States that sell lighting and fan products. Ferguson is a $24 billion company that is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (LSE:FERG) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FERG).

The Minka Group acquisition was just the latest move by Ferguson into lighting. Back in January of this year, Ferguson quietly acquired RP Lighting + Fans, another decorative manufacturer of lighting and ceiling fans.

It’s not just Ferguson, either. Kohler Company introduced its Kohler Lighting line in 2020, in order to provide decorative luminaires that pair with its plumbing fixtures. Moen also offers decorative lighting. Keep your eye out for continued moves by Big Plumbing.

China’s trade growth rebounded in May after COVID restrictions that shut down Shanghai and other industrial centers began to ease. Exports surged 16.9% over a year earlier to $308.3 billion, up from April’s 3.7% growth, a customs agency statement said Thursday. Imports rose gained 4.1% to $229.5 billion, accelerating from the previous month’s 0.7%.

China’s trade has been dampened by weak export demand and curbs imposed to fight COVID outbreaks in Shanghai, site of the world’s busiest port, and other cities. Consumer demand was crushed by rules that confined millions of families to their homes.

Read the full AP story here.

A recent LEDs Magazine article laid out ways that the lighting industry supply chain problems are not only changing constantly, but likely getting worse:

• Shanghai lockdowns for roughly 6 weeks are significantly impacting both factories and the port there, adding delays. Shanghai is the world’s largest shipping port.
• The war in Ukraine is impacting steel, aluminum, and some other commodity prices.
• The microchip shortage continues to impact drivers and smart lighting components.
• Commodity prices in general continue to rise.
• Long-term container backlogs at US ports have eased, however, providing one bright spot.

You can read the full story here.

Lockdowns in two major Chinese manufacturing cities have begun relaxing, in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, last week. Two weeks ago, Guangzhou became the latest major manufacturing city to lock down schools and travel, with fears that the lockdowns could spread to the manufacturing sector. However, last week, case numbers fell for several consecutive days in both Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

New Shenzhen symptomatic cases dropped to zero for some days last week. Shenzhen continues to see a large number of cases imported from Hong Kong, accounting for 19 of the 21. The remaining two imported cases both came from Japan.

In response to the falling number of Guangzhou cases, several previously locked-down areas in Baiyun, Panyu, Yuexiu and Haizhu districts have been lifted.

Many schools in Guangzhou have resumed in-person teaching and Foshan announced that people can now leave the city without needing a negative nucleic acid test issued within 48 hours.

For Shanghai, though, case numbers are dropping slowly, keeping the city in a terrible lockdown for more than a month. Shanghai reported 24,820 cases on April 17^th and 17,468 cases on April 22^nd. My own friend in Shanghai reports that food shortages are becoming a significant problem for the poor and migrant workers.

The IIJA

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  (IIJA), signed into law in late 2021, represents a significant milestone in the transformation of U.S. infrastructure toward an accessible and electrified transportation system, modernized buildings and lighting, a more resilient grid, and a more efficient and expanded domestic manufacturing sector.

The IIJA’s nearly $450 billion investment in energy and electrification projects will unlock huge opportunities for American businesses and workers—including the more than 370,000 men and women employed by U.S. electrical manufacturers—spurring economic growth and innovation that will define the next chapter of our nation’s history.

Lighting

As the lighting market continues its shift toward more efficient, low-energy consuming products, the IIJA will accelerate existing market trends and invigorate new opportunities for the lighting industry.

The IIJA will also provide the opportunity to significantly upgrade the nation’s roadway lighting by installing connected light-emitting diode (LED) roadway lights, which will help create safer driving conditions and smart roads. Furthermore, NEMA expects the same LED-connected systems to be a key part of the EV charging network that the IIJA will help build across the country.

From funding for energy efficiency upgrades, connected roadway lights, to support for the latest in building code improvements, NEMA will track closely the implementation of these funds as they move through federal agencies, program offices, states, and specific program opportunities.

NEMA’s Infographic Detailing $450 Billion Of Infrastructure Funding For The Electrical Industry

The infographic download is available here.