Lumentra Inc., has been awarded funding of $240,000 through the Ontario Power Authority’s Technology Development Fund. The award will be used to develop novel nanomaterials for improving the quality of lighting-class LEDs.

The Technology Development Fund supports the development of early-stage technologies that have the potential to improve electricity supply, conservation, or demand management in Ontario. One focus area of the Fund is to reduce electrical usage by promoting energy efficient lighting. Lighting is the second largest sector of energy use worldwide, and legacy lighting technologies are highly inefficient. LEDs for general illumination promise to increase grately the efficiency with which electrical energy is converted to light.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that switching to LED lighting over the next 20 years could save $120 billion in energy costs over that period, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by one-fourth, and avoid 246 million metric tons of carbon per year. Market adoption of LED products for general lighting has, however, been significantly hampered by their poor color quality that is unsuitable for general illumination. Efficient LED light is often ‘bluish’, and is generally poor in rendering colors. With the support of the OPA, Lumentra will accelerate the development of state-of-the art nanophosphor materials that improve the color quality of LED lighting.

About Lumentra

Lumentra is a technology start-up that operates within the Institute for Optical Sciences at the University of Toronto. In addition to performing ambitious research developing new materials for lighting, Lumentra provides standards-based optical, thermal, and electrical testing and consultancy services for lighting designers and users. To learn more about Lumentra’s research on nanomaterials and service offerings to the LED lighting industry, visit http://lumentra.com

About Ontario Power Authority

The Ontario Power Authority is responsible for ensuring a reliable, sustainable supply of electricity for Ontario. Its key areas of focus are: planning the power system for the long term, leading and coordinating conservation initiatives across the province and ensuring development of needed generation resources. For more information, please visit, http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/

Contact :

Dr. Venkat Venkataramanan
Chief Technology Officer, Lumentra Inc
e.mail: venkat@lumentra.com