The goals of this project are to work with ballast manufacturer partners to develop an instant start load shedding ballast and a simple retrofit load-shed device for fluorescent lighting systems, and to speed their development and market introductions. These products will have low cost and dimming range of 30 to 60 percent.

The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is leading the research and development work for this project.

This project meets the PIER goals of improving the Energy Cost/Value of California's electricity by lowering electric demand, and of improving the Reliability/Quality of California's Electricity by allowing building owners to quickly shed load at time of peak demand.

The objectives of this project are:

1) Development of an "instant-start" version of the load-shed ballast, which will allow energy savings by creating a dimming range of 30 to 60 percent, potentially lower cost, and easier installation.

2) Develop a simple retrofit load-shed device that can be integrated into an existing fluorescent lamp/ballast system without replacing the existing ballast.

3) Identify a communication system that will allow an electric utility or building manager to shed electric load "on demand" through the lighting system.

4) Outline possible strategies to optimize the load-shed ballast to enhance its compatibility with fluorescent lamp technology.

5) Develop a plan to investigate further parameters related to dimming, lamp life, and user acceptance, to be able to optimize the design of the load-shed ballast to meet the needs of a wide range of potential commercial applications.

Instant-start is currently 75 percent of the fluorescent lighting ballast market. The proposed technology would allow building owners and managers, utilities, or other appropriate parties to shed electric load quickly and easily during times of peak demand.

This technology could also cost about the same as current electronic ballast technology by removing the market barrier of higher initial cost, which has limited the market penetration of dimming electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps. The load-shed ballast technology would also allow building owners increased flexibility in lighting their buildings by reducing light levels and energy use in areas that might be over lighted or when lamps are first installed and are providing more light than needed. All of the project objectives described above shall be verified through laboratory testing of the prototype products developed.