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Interview : Energy-saving policy and standard research for solid-state lighting in the United States−166−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.2 (2009) (Tanaka)Dr. Ono described for us the objectives of Synthesiology and our intentions. I think it is important to maintain the perspective of applied research even if one is engaging in basic research. Is this way of thinking prevalent in the United States?(Ohno)In case of NIST where I work, some basic research is done, but I think the majority is applied research. At various opportunities, we are required to explain, “Why I am doing this research.” For example, in our Division, we have a project review once in several years, where each project leader presents what is being done in his/her project, what kind of contacts we have with industry, how it will be useful, and then we discuss the project. Since our funding is always limited, it is difficult to do research for which we cannot provide a decent explanation on its benefits to the industry.Photometry standard research at NIST (Tanaka)In the United States, both the Bush and Obama Administrations clearly stated the policy of disseminating solid-state lighting (SSL) for energy savings. Dr. Ohno has been working on photometry standard research at NIST and has made great contributions. This effort can be called a social technology that links the photometric standards research at NIST and the American SSL policy. It probably falls into the general category of the “standardization, policy, and regulation of a technology and product.” Can you tell us how you have been working on the photometry standards research?(Ohno)The energy currently used for lighting such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps amounts to an enormous quantity. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set a goal to reduce the current electricity consumption from lighting to half over the next 20 years by gradually introducing SSL to the market.In 2005, the U.S. Congress decided to promote SSL as a national policy, and DOE was directed to head the promotion. It is expected that using SSL will bring twice as high energy efficiency in lighting. This has gathered a lot of attention since creating light sources twice as efficient will enable considerable energy savings and will also be helpful in halting global warming.However, since this is a next-generation light source, problems are expected because it is dissimilar to the conventional light sources in many aspects and requires new challenges. In its policy to promote SSL, the DOE is looking at the big picture from the development of core technology (the basic research for semiconductors), to the development of light-emitting diode (LED) and lighting products, and to their introduction to the market as the final step. As Dr. Ono mentioned, in this realm, basic research is linked all the way to market. In this picture, standards play an extremely important role. If a standard is poor, inferior products will become rampant. When a consumer purchases a bad product with poor performance, he/she may be disappointed with the performance of LEDs and may decide not to buy it any more. The initial stage of market introduction is very important for the success of the new technology, and the DOE is working hard to support such commercialization process. NIST supports standardization in various ways, and is helping Energy Star issued by the DOE. Energy Star is a government program that endorses energy-efficient products including many of electric appliances. The Energy Star label is allowed to be attached to the products that meet the requirements. DOE selects products not only for their energy efficiency but also the quality of the product. The Energy Star program for SSL products has just started. (Ono)You mean that NIST is setting the standards for giving out the Energy Star? (Ohno)Yes, applications for Energy Star program for SSL are officially accepted since October 2008. We started developing the standard two years in advance. NIST participated Dr. Yoshi OhnoDr. Akira Ono

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