The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today it has reopened the PAR 38 category of the L Prize® competition. Established by Congress in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and launched by DOE in 2008, the L Prize competition challenges industry to develop exceptionally high-performance, ultra-efficient LED alternatives for two of the most widely used light bulbs: 60W incandescent lamps and PAR 38 halogen lamps. The first L Prize was awarded in the 60W category in August 2011, and the winning product is expected to hit store shelves in early 2012.

The PAR 38 replacement category was temporarily closed in 2011 to retool the competition based on lessons learned through the 60W competition. The relaunched PAR 38 competition retains the original technical requirements established by Congress, but has been streamlined to keep pace with the speed of technology innovation and to move winning products into the market sooner.

See www.lightingprize.org for full specifications and requirements for the PAR 38 replacement competition, along with details on how to enter.