Attention LuminaNET....your collective wisdom is needed...

This morning Lighting Global, Lighting Africa, and Lighting Asia announced the beginning of a process to update the Minimum Quality Standards and Recommended Performance Targets for each program in a harmonized way.  I am sure LuminaNET is full of people whose experience in the field and the marketplace would provide good perspectives for the process.  Please take a minute to visit the webpage for the updating process to learn more.  

http://www.lightingafrica.org/qa-consultation-outcome

The "Standards and Targets" benchmarks have a reach that goes beyond just World Bank Group programs since they are based on the newly institutionalized technical specification for Off-grid Lights, IEC 62257-9-5.  We expect that the Standards will continue to be the technical basis for a range of buyers, programs and governments who need a simple, harmonized, and rigorous way to regulate support for products in the market.  

I've highlighted some of the key proposed updates below...there is more detail on the official web page.  

Updated Quality Standards:

• A stricter lumen maintenance requirement
• A restriction on Cadmium and Mercury in batteries
• A new requirement to pass a battery storage durability test

Updated Performance Targets:

• Increased task-lighting brightness requirement from 25 to 50 lux
• Increased ambient-lighting brightness requirement from 20 to 25 lumens
• Increased run time requirement to 5 hours per day of solar charging
• A harmonized approach to Performance Targets for Lighting Africa and Lighting Asia

Discussion on LuminaNET of these proposed updates is always welcome, but in order to have comments "officially" part of the process you need to go to http://www.lightingafrica.org/qa-consultation-outcome

For those of you who are not on the Lighting Global or Lighting Africa email list, the original message announcing the updates is below:

Lighting Global, Lighting Africa, and Lighting Asia plan to update the Minimum Quality Standards and Recommended Performance Targets based on program experience and stakeholder input from across the value chain.  Today we are releasing a memo to the stakeholders in the off-grid lighting market with a set of proposed changes.  

The comments you provide will help guide the next steps in the process.  The details and how to get involved are atwww.lightingafrica.org/qa-consultation-outcome.

The feedback period lasts until July 19, 2013. A few weeks prior to this date, Lighting Global will hold a web conference to discuss the draft Standards and Targets and answer any questions from stakeholders.  We expect the final updates to be adopted in late July.  

If you are interested to receive further announcements (including details on the web conference) and engage in the process by providing questions and comments, please visit the consultation web page.

In the past our stakeholders have provided valuable and timely comments that helped guide the Quality Assurance program and we expect the same this round.  Thank you in advance for your continued engagement in the important work of assuring good quality products are recognized and supported in the off-grid lighting market.

For more information: www.lightingafrica.org/qa-consultation-outcome