Bay Area Climate Collaborative, Bridgelux to Foster Move to Advanced Energy Efficient Streetlighting

Partnership will Support Leading-Edge Education, Tools and Guidance to Equip Local Governments for Next Generation Streetlight Upgrades

SAN JOSE, C.A., Feb. 13, 2013 – The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) and Bridgelux, Inc., today announced a collaboration to accelerate the market for advanced streetlighting technologies through the Bay Area Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, a region-wide project to upgrade 200,000+ municipal streetlights to next generation of light-emitting diode (LED) technology.

In partnership with the nationally-recognized UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), the BACC is delivering leading-edge education, tools and guidance through the Bay Area Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, to accelerate the move to next generation streetlighting. Bridgelux’s sponsorship of the Initiative will support outreach to Bay Area municipalities on the LED lighting opportunity, as well as the development of key resources – such as the recently published guide Next Generation Streetlights: LED Technology and Strategies for Action – which deliver education and specific steps for streetlight conversions. With the ultimate goal of pooling regional interest in LED streetlight conversions to secure improved purchase and financing terms, the initiative will serve as a business model that local governments can replicate to upgrade streetlights at lower costs, relieving municipal budgets while bolstering the region’s economy. Over five years, regional upgrades could deliver up to $50 million in reduced costs for local governments, over 100,000 metrics tons of CO2 avoidance, and many jobs.

Bridgelux is a leading developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies and solutions based in Livermore, California. Bridgelux delivers solutions to replace traditional lamp and luminaire technologies (such as incandescent, fluorescent lighting and HID) with solid-state products that provide high performance and energy-efficient white light for the fast growing interior and exterior application areas such as street lights, track and down lights. The BACC is a public-private partnership initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, launched by regional civic and business leaders in 2009 to accelerate the Bay Area clean energy economy through high-impact, market-oriented projects that can be replicated and scaled.

“As one of the fastest-growing US-based producers of LED lighting solutions, we are dedicated to producing solid state light sources that deliver high efficacy and reduced system costs,” said Brad Bullington, Chief Executive Officer at Bridgelux. “Initiatives that help scale the LED lighting market are critical to realizing savings and increasing adoption, but first the practical business case must be made. With the Bay Area Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, the BACC is providing straightforward, up-to-the-minute information that equips local governments with the guidance they need to make informed decisions about streetlight upgrades.”

“The LED streetlighting opportunity for local governments is significant, with the potential to realize over 50 percent energy savings over legacy technologies,” said Rafael Reyes, Executive Director of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative. “Our partnership with Bridgelux will support Bay Area municipalities in reducing costs while helping to scale the LED lighting market.”

About the Bay Area Climate Collaborative
The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) is a public-private initiative accelerating the clean energy economy. Major partners include Bank of America, Pacific Gas & Electric, Environmental Defense Fund and local governments representing over 70 percent of the Bay Area population. The BACC is driving electric vehicle, energy efficiency, residential upgrades and distributed renewables innovation. For more information on the BACC, please visit: http://www.baclimate.org/.

Bridgelux
Bridgelux is a leading manufacturer of lighting technologies and solutions, transforming the $40 billion global lighting industry into a $100 billion market opportunity. Based in Livermore, California, Bridgelux has been a pioneer in solid state lighting (SSL) for the past decade, driving its LED materials technology development with the goal of delivering the most cost effective and highest quality lighting solutions. For more information on Bridgelux, please visit: http://bridgelux.com/.