Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) is conducting an intensive five-day program, in conjunction with the Regional Centre for Lighting in South Asia, designed to teach the latest advances and applications in lighting and demonstrate how these techniques and methods can be applied to achieve reliable, clean and efficient lighting throughout South Asia. The Sustainable Lighting Institute begins January 16, 2010, in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, and its content will include advances in energy-efficient technology, sustainable design, and human factors.

The South Asia Regional Centre for Lighting launched in April 2009 through the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) and the LRC. The Regional Centre for Lighting is designed to advance sustainable lighting and make it affordable in South Asia to improve the well-being of the citizens and the countries within the region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The LRC is the primary knowledge partner for the Regional Centre for Lighting in South Asia and plans to provide technical knowledge, training, and guidance on activities.

“South Asia has a unique advantage,” said Dr. Narendran, LRC research director and principal investigator for the project. “Since the region’s lighting infrastructure is in its infancy, South Asia has the opportunity to learn from both the accomplishments and mistakes experienced in the western part of the world, and promote processes and technologies and develop programs that have the best chance at success. Thus, education in energy-efficient lighting technologies and applications can ensure the energy security of South Asia.”

In addition to increasing the awareness of and accessibility to energy-efficient lighting technologies throughout South Asia, the Regional Centre for Lighting is dedicated to improving South Asia’s economy through lighting manufacturing, according to Dr. Krishan Deheragoda, Chairman, SLSEA. “We are putting great effort into developing collaborative relationships among industry, government and academia to implement regional manufacturing of sustainable lighting products and develop state-of-the-art performance testing facilities,” said Dr. Deheragoda.

The five-day education program is one of many events to help share knowledge and educate engineers, architects, designers and planners in the eight-country region.

During the comprehensive lighting course, LRC professors, along with Sri Lanka’s University of Moratuwa professors, plan to share information on cutting-edge applications for both residential and outdoor lighting. Participants will learn the latest in sustainability techniques, LED technology, and daylighting design concepts, as well as how to perform the economic analysis of lighting including life cycle cost/benefit analysis, return on investment calculations, and the evaluation of lighting quality. The course agenda also includes a human factors element so participants will gain an understanding of how the human eye works and how people respond and react to light and different lighting schemes.

Upon completion of the Sustainable Lighting Institute, participants will earn three continuing education units and will receive a Continuing Education Certificate from the LRC.

More information on the program and registration details is available online at www.rclsa.net under the Training tab.

About the Regional Centre for Lighting Serving South Asia

The Regional Centre for Lighting’s mission is to advancing sustainable lighting, making it affordable in South Asia to improve the well-being of citizens and the countries within the region. The Regional Centre for Lighting intends to increase the awareness and affordability of energy-efficient, reliable and clean lighting technologies and their applications to reduce the electricity demanded by lighting; catalyze regional manufacturing of energy-efficient lighting products to improve the economy of the region and to make lighting affordable to many underprivileged citizens of; and retrain and educate the necessary workforce in the region to create sustainable lighting in South Asia. For more information, visit www.rclsa.net.