Deb Lovig’s official title at Cree, the lighting and semiconductor company, is “LED Programs Evangelist.” The description fits. Ask her to pick a favorite project and she’ll name five before you get her stopped. She’ll skip from North Carolina State’s dorm lighting project (see picture, right) to the University of California-Davis’ smart parking garage to Notre Dame’s beautiful acorn-shaped fixtures without taking a breath.

The projects are all part of Cree’s “LED University,” a program that combines the company’s expertise with university situations and helps campuses figure out how to begin evaluating LED lighting projects for themselves. While many organizations know that LED lighting is less expensive and lasts longer than conventional lighting, they aren’t sure where to take it from there. Interior projects? Exterior security? A total campus makeover?

“The biggest issue I see besides price is just not knowing how to start,” Lovig said. “That’s what we’re trying to do, is just get people to get started.”

The motivation is there, certainly. As LED (light-emitting diode) technology continues to develop in brightness and color, it is becoming a darling in the green market. LED devices reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, and contain no mercury. And they can make a big difference in an electric bill, partly because they consume less energy and partly because they can last for as many as 20-25 years.

Take the South Entry Parking Structure at UC-Davis, for example. You might not think it’s a very exciting project, but Prof. Michael Siminovitch, the director of the university’s Lighting Technology Center, would disagree.

“Parking garages are kind of unique,” Siminovitch said. “Parking garages are pretty intensive energy users because it’s 24/7, and they’ve got some real safety and security issues. LEDs are really suited to smart applications. You can have controls that respond to occupancy.”

The lights in the garage can be set at half-power, increasing to full power when sensors detect people or movement within.

“It’s a real opportunity to demonstrate effectiveness of new technology,” Siminovitch said.

And an opportunity to illustrate cost efficiency as well, considering that lighting accounts for 20 percent of the overall energy use in a building, according to U.S. Department of Energy statistics.

“The numbers that we’ve presented to the vice chancellor, we’re talking statewide about 50 percent savings. And while we usually associate (cost savings) with having to do without, this is not the case. Here it’s not how much lighting, it’s more the quality of the lighting. Lighting that improves safety, essentially.”

Lighting and energy experts have been scratching their heads for sometime over how to make LED lighting as effective and pleasant as CFLs, because LEDs are even more energy efficient than CFLs.

Renaissance Lighting, based in Herndon, Va., appears to be inching forward in this effort. The company will be showcasing its new, all white solid-state LED downlight fixtures at the LIGHTFAIR International 2009 at the Javits Center in New York City. The new fixtures are brighter than ever and have two and half times greater efficacy.

The new white downlights are available in a full range of light color temperatures and use Constructice Occlustion technology, which produces a uniform, glare-free and efficient output. LED lighting provides an alternative to energy-efficient CFL bulbs, which contain small amounts of  mercury.

“In less than a year Renaissance Lighting’s products have made significant gains in breadth, value, price, efficiency, output and overall performance,” said Barry Weinbaum, CEO, in a statement. Technology in the LED lights is still evolving. These lights are available for commercial projects, but not yet available for every day home use.

The LIGHTFAIR International, is a three-day lighting industry trade show and confrence.