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48 ELECTRICAL LINE May / June 2017
operators before components fail.
Now the bigger potential of IoT is
being driven by a convergence of technology
advances: the cloud, the
embrace of big data and the increased
expectations and technical savvy of a
digital workforce. But what’s needed is
a unifying platform ready and able to
quickly and efficiently connect new
things to the Internet. As it turns out,
that platform already exists.
Groundwork Has Been Laid,
Right Above Our Heads
Since Cree commercialized the first
commercially viable LED lighting fixtures
in 2006, LED lighting has grown to
become the default choice for new lighting
and upgrades. McKinsey expects the
value-based U.S. market share for LED
lighting to reach 45% in 2016 and 70%
by 2020 as the market moves rapidly
toward 100% LED adoption. The reasons
are many – better lighting quality,
deeply lower energy costs and a much
longer, low-maintenance life.
Now companies in both the LED and
IT industries recognize that LED lighting
is the perfect platform to turn the
Internet of Things into a workday reality.
LED lighting will drive the widespread
adoption of practical IoT for two
reasons. First, it’s ubiquitous. Wherever
you find people, you’ll find lighting.
Second, every LED light is built on a
digital platform with power and intelligence.
Any number of sensors and
wireless communication devices can
piggyback on this digital framework,
enabling microphones and cameras,
temperature and humidity monitoring,
RFID readers, device tracking, emergency
alerting and more.
to personal preferences.
Because of these developments,
intelligent lighting is now poised to
transform our building spaces, parking
lots and the roadways that connect them
into energy-efficient, adaptive environments
that boost productivity, optimize
utilization and interact with users.
From Controlling Costs
To Creating Possibilities
Totaling 87 billion square feet of
intensively utilized space, North America’s
commercial buildings are leading
candidates for intelligent lighting.
Those not already using LED lighting
will eventually upgrade to it. Energy is
a large percentage of their operating
costs. Productive, comfortable spaces
are a necessity: as companies compete
for knowledge workers, cubicles and
walled offices are giving way to bright,
open, flexible spaces that foster collaboration,
integrate technology and cater
Lighting typically accounts for more
than a quarter of a commercial building’s
electricity use, or about 10% of
the building’s operating costs. But
while lighting controls for occupancy
sensing, scheduling and dimming have
been around for decades and can offer
energy savings as high as 66%, adoption
in the U.S. market has been a negligible
two percent. A 2015 U.S.
Department of Energy report cites complexity,
lack of standardization, and
high costs among the chief barriers:
control systems are proprietary and
non-interoperable, costly, and difficult
to install and reconfigure.
In offering a solution to this low
adoption of lighting controls, a 2015
DOE study offered an aspirational
vision: that by 2020, a majority of luminaires
might be “shipped from the factory
with embedded sensors and intelligence”
and “installation costs and complexity
greatly reduced.”
For Cree customers, 2020 arrived
early. In 2014, Cree introduced SmartCast®
Technology. Lighting sensors and
intelligence are built into every SmartCast®
Technology fixture. Exacting
user-driven design and engineering
allow “one-button” commissioning to
enable a network of up to 250 lights at a
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