The California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis was established in 2004 with funding from the university and the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research Program, with additional support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Now with the Green Lighting campaign away it seems UC Davis will focus on many things from increasing the use of energy-efficient lighting (including daylight) with energy utilities, lighting manufacturers, end users, builders, designers, and government agencies; and to educate the next generation of lighting engineers and designers.

The center now has a total of about $2.5 million per year from utilities, government agencies and the university UC Davis.

The center says they are working with 50 manufacturers and big time customers. The center has more than 30 employees, including professors, full-time staff members, graduate-student researchers and student interns.

In recent weeks, the center received three major new grants:

$5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to the center and the National Electrical Contractors Association for training on advanced lighting systems controls;
$3.2 million from the California Energy Commission for lighting research; and
$2 million, also from the California Energy Commission, for commercial lighting retrofits in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency Center and the Western Cooling Efficiency Center, both at UC Davis.

“Education continues to be at the core of our mission,” said Siminovitch. “New lighting and lighting-control technologies will save energy only after they are installed. The next generation of lighting designers, architects, contractors and facility managers need to know about them to make that happen.”

Source: UC Davis