Lightimes Online News and Resources for the LED and Solid State Lighting Industry and its Supply Chain

June 28, 2005...Governments worldwide are getting aboard the SSL (solid state lighting) bandwagon. On the surface, that involvement is welcomed by the technical community because government bodies can serve as helpful catalysts in the rollout of any new technology. But there are often hidden costs and consequences beyond the joy of receiving these taxpayer subsidies and apparent cooperation and support.

While there are many government agencies in many countries involved in SSL, the USA's Department of Energy (DoE) is the topic of this week's column. In some ways, DoE's catalystic involvement in SSL is a role model for other countries. In many other ways, however, DoE's efforts are becoming such a huge bureaucratic snaggle within an even more massive bureaucracy and a model for others to avoid. Our readers involved in sensitive IP issues surrounding SSL initiatives for sure will want to see what the DoE's up to now.

I also want to note, upfront, that most of our readers actually do the nitty gritty work that comprises the SSL industry and know one another as hard-working, dedicated individuals. The people at DoE's SSL facilities at Sandia Labs, for example, have made excellent contributions to the field, as have the many companies involved in DoE funding projects. What I'm investigating and sharing in this column is a bit of Internet sleuthing and resulting opinion that hopefully shines new light on the bureaucratic nature of the USA's SSL effort. As a preview of my point, keep in mind that Sandia is run by none other than Lockheed Martin, one of the USA's largest defense contractors.

My sleuthing began when I read the news that the DoE's new overlord of SSL activities had been asked to review what's called DoE's "Exceptional Circumstances Determination for Inventions Arising Under the SSL Program" (aka: The E-C Determination. Ref: our headline news coverage in this issue of LIGHTimes). That instantly equated to IP issues, which is a topic of keen interest to our readers. Here's the link to the actual 11 page pdf of the memorandum which was sent to the newly appointed Undersecretary of Energy for Energy, Science and Environment, David Garman. In his new position, Garman will now be responsible for the nearly $14 billion worth of work the DoE undertakes each year in energy related R&D, demonstration, and deployment; environmental cleanup; legacy management; radioactive waste management; and other activities. (Not to mention they handle a great deal of the oil and gas goings on). When you sort through all the bureaucratic-speak that means Mr. Garman is the current USA administration's front man for SSL, among other energy related programs.

In the document, reference is made repeatedly to the DoE's "SSL Partnership" which is actually named the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance. That body is administered by a USA trade association and publisher of electrical standards called the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). NEMA is rather large and diverse (ref: organizational structure). It was established in 1926 and born out of the (first) "Great Depression" and has always had close ties to the US government. NEMA explains the SSL Partnership, (I guess "NGLIA" was too long) as "an alliance of for-profit corporations formed in 2003 to accelerate SSL development and commercialization through government-industry partnership. The Alliance charter is to provide the SSL industry with a forum for communication and collaboration, and offer feedback to DoE on the Department’s SSL R&D strategies, and promote SSL interests through collaborative advocacy to the federal government. Alliance members currently include 3M, Corning Inc., Cree Inc., Dow Corning, GELcore LLC, General Electric Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Lumileds Lighting LLC, Osram Opto Semiconductors Inc., and Philips Electronics North America Corporation." (ref: NEMA news release). Our readers may notice that each company within the NGLIA has the capacity to manufacture an entire solid state lighting system from start to finish. This is not a coincidence, but a requirement for membership in the alliance. According to the DoE each member of the alliance must have or will have the capacity to manufacture "the entire package from wall plug to illumination."

DoE's Core Technology Program, which is the other relative group in The E-C Determination document is much more extensive, and includes many, if not all of the SSL R&D labs, (corporate, university and 'other') in the USA. My bet is that there's quite a few Washington DC beltway consultants managing those programs too, but hey, privatization and subcontracts are the name of the game in DC. It's how the government rationalizes downsizing in employee numbers while the national debt soars. It outsources.

Keep in mind that the government share of the budget for the SSL Partnership and Core Technology Program is only $200 million spread over 20 years! That's a drop in the bureaucratic ocean as government spending of taxpayer money goes. Most of that $200 million will not go to the companies and individuals actually doing the collaborative R&D. The bulk of it will go to website management, subcontractor travel and lodging, lawyers' fees, and tons of paper sent around frequently to everyone involved. For example, the 2005 Project Portfolio of SSL-related programs, issued Jan. '05 and prepared by DC beltway consultants, D&R International, Ltd. It runs 135 pages and is, of course, available in pdf format, online (click here to download at your own risk). Actually, it's quite interesting, looks to be accurate and well done, and the project list reads like the Who's Who of SSL R&D.

But back to the plot and my point about being aware of the longterm ramifications of doing business with government agencies and about the kind of limits the US government, in particular, is trying to put on inventors who participate in their programs... the conclusion of which can be accessed by LIGHTimes 2nd Page members only. For those of you who are not subscribers, the above links will take you to the source material, but you'll have to subscribe to hear "the rest of my story," which will be repeated and elaborated upon in the upcoming issue of LIGHTinsight, a periodic supplement for LIGHTimes subscribers.

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