Three California companies including Soraa Inc. and Cree Inc., both in Goleta, along with Philips Lumileds Lighting Co. in San Jose have received $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate the deployment of high-efficiency LED lighting.
 
Among the awards, Soraa will receive $678,000 to develop LEDs that generate more light with greater efficiency. Cree will be given $1.6 million to research high-output, warm-white LEDs. Philips, receiving almost $2 million, will investigate high-voltage, low-current LED designs.

The DOE investment announcement comes in advance of the federally mandated phase-out of incandescent light bulbs. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 bans 100-watt incandescents beginning in 2012 and 60- and 40-watt incandescents in 2014.
 
Under a provision of the act, California began phasing out 100-watt incandescents earlier this year. The state will scrap the 75-watt bulb next year, the 60-watt bulb in 2013 and the 40-watt bulb in 2014. Each replacement must use about a third less energy and must last at least 1,000 hours.