SOLON, Ohio, 21 Aug. 2009. Energy Focus Inc., maker of energy-efficient lighting technologies, won a $0.5 million SBIR extension grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and produce solid-state lighting fixtures for general use on Navy ships. The new fixtures will replace 50-watt and 110-watt, water-tight incandescent fixtures currently in use. These new fixtures offer energy-efficient, long-life LED lighting alternatives to replace both incandescent and fluorescent systems across the entire Navy fleet.

Utilizing its proprietary Ultra Low Distortion Solid State Power Supply technology, the fixtures to be developed over the next 11 months will replace inefficient incandescent fixtures.

Beyond efficiency, life, and maintenance specifications, the fixtures must meet the Navy's new stringent requirements for LED systems, which include light output, shock, and vibration, corrosion, and EMC and EMI compliance.

"The SSL lights developed under this grant will save a significant amount of energy and maintenance. As an example, using only 26 watts, a new LED fixture saves 76 percent (or 84W) over the incandescent fixture it replaces. In addition, we fully expect that bulb replacement will become a thing of the past with the LEDs' projected lifetime of up to 50,000 hours or more," comments Roger Buelow, Energy Focus CTO.

"With the addition of this $0.5 million grant, the Department of Defense has now awarded Energy Focus $1.9 million to develop energy-efficient LED lighting for the U.S. Navy," says Joe Kaveski, Energy Focus CEO.