The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) announce that U.S. participants in the Cree LED City® program will join forces with the DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium (Consortium). The Consortium will provide ongoing national organizational structure and guidance to LED City members and new members in the process of evaluating solid-state street lighting technologies meant for public streets and other public areas.

“Cree’s innovative LED City Program has provided a valuable forum for municipalities to learn and share in the earliest stages of LED street lighting,” said Jim Brodrick, DOE’s Solid-State Lighting Program Manager. “We are pleased to have the leadership and rich base of experience these cities bring to the Consortium. Their knowledge and interest in continuing to mentor other municipalities will speed many up the learning curve as they evaluate new street lighting options for their communities.”

“DOE’s Municipal Solid-State Lighting Consortium represents a significant next step in the continued adoption of LED lighting in cities across the country,” said Greg Merritt, vice president corporate marketing, Cree. “Cree remains committed to developing and promoting innovative solutions that will further the LED Lighting Revolution. The DOE’s Consortium is well-positioned to build on and enhance the growing momentum of the Cree LED City program, guiding cities along the path to LED lighting. We look forward to working together to help more cities reap the many benefits of this energy-efficient lighting technology.”

Cree’s LED City Program was established in 2007 to accelerate implementation of LED lighting in municipalities by promoting the benefits that can be achieved through LED lighting and by encouraging users to share experiences and data. Since its inception, the LED City Program has helped cities across the world confidently move to solid-state lighting and member cities are regularly reporting energy savings of 50 to 80 percent and maintenance cost avoidance in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, over the life of the fixtures. The Consortium will provide a forum like the LED City Council Meetings, where buyers and implementers can get information, discuss best practices and share lessons learned.