§17243 Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes

Summary

Within 1 year after December 19, 2007, the Secretary must set up and give Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes for solid‑state lighting. There are three prizes: a 60‑Watt Incandescent Replacement Lamp Prize for $10,000,000 (must produce >900 lumens, use ≤10 watts, be >90 lumens/watt, have color rendering index >90, color temperature 2,750–3,000 K, keep 70% of lumen output past 25,000 hours, match an A19 soft‑bulb pattern and size, use a single medium screw base, and be mass‑produced); a PAR Type 38 Halogen Replacement Lamp Prize for $5,000,000 (must produce ≥1,350 lumens, use ≤11 watts, be >123 lumens/watt, CRI ≥90, color temperature 2,750–3,000 K, keep 70% of lumen output past 25,000 hours, match a PAR38 pattern and size, use a single medium screw base, and be mass‑produced); and a Twenty‑First Century Lamp Prize for $5,000,000 (must produce >1,200 lumens, be >150 lumens/watt, have CRI >90, color temperature 2,800–3,000 K, and last over 25,000 hours). The Secretary may take private money for the prizes without extra appropriation and without a fiscal year limit, but private funders cannot enter the contest. A non‑Federal technical review committee will check entries. The Secretary may hire a third party to run the awards. To win, companies must be incorporated in and mainly based in the United States; individuals must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. After each prize is won, the Secretary with the General Services Administration must make federal buying rules aiming to replace 60‑watt and PAR38 lamps in federal buildings within 5 years of the award, unless a waiver is made for cost reasons (any waiver must be reported to Congress yearly). The General Services Administration must report to the Energy Information Agency on federal lighting purchases starting within 2 years after December 19, 2007 and then every year. A permanent Bright Tomorrow Lighting Award Fund in the Treasury will hold appropriations and allowed private contributions. Congress may appropriate whatever sums are needed to carry out these rules.