Effective June 13, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has suspended the L Prize PAR38 Competition, and no entries will be accepted at this time.

(Image courtesy of DOE)

The L Prize Competition launched in 2008 as the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur development of ultra-efficient, high-performance LED replacement products. A winning entry in the 60W replacement lamp category was awarded the first L Prize in 2011, but no entries have been received in the PAR38 category.

The competition sets reach targets for industry, and current LED PAR38 products on the market fall far short of reaching the rigorous L Prize targets, making it unlikely DOE will receive a qualifying entry in a reasonable amount of time. DOE cannot lower the efficacy target because it was set by Congress. DOE will continue to monitor the PAR38 market for performance and price improvements, to consider reopening the competition at a later date.

PAR38 Replacement Competition