VICTORIA BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (July 13, 2011) The Consortium for Solar Lighting (“CSL”) announces the release of Solar Lighting Recommended Practices: Introduction, a preliminary guide to the effective sizing of solar lighting systems. Representing the first technical paper by the newly formed Consortium, to which Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) is a founding member, the introductory document defines the process of selecting and configuring a solar lighting system to ensure that the system will operate reliably 365 days a year. According to CSL founding members, a gap in lighting industry standards exists surrounding the effective sizing of a solar lighting system, which can adversely affect the rate of solar adoption in the lighting industry. The CSL was formed in early 2011 with other founding members Sharp Electronics Corporation, Inovus Solar, Inc., and SolarOne Solutions, Inc. to accelerate the adoption of solar lighting technology through the development of specifications intended to support customers’ fair and comprehensive evaluation of commercial-scale lighting systems. The CSL believes that recommendations such as this introductory guide will help foster awareness of solar powered lighting and the applications where it is a viable alternative to conventional grid-connected lighting technology.
The “Introduction” document represents the first installment of the CSL Recommended Practices reports, which presents an overview of the Consortium’s mission and discusses the emergence of solar lighting as a new category of outdoor lighting. The paper then investigates current industry standards as they relate to solar technology and where the notable system sizing gap exists. Standards such as NEC, UL, CE and IES (among others) touch on a few aspects of solar lighting, but the CSL contends that no standard addresses solar lighting directly. The purpose of the recommended practices document is to sift through and pull together information on best practices from the array of existing standards. Where existing standards are silent on important topics, the CSL will continue to add new information and recommendations. The preliminary document presents solar lighting terminology and diagrams in a user-friendly form with the expectation that the practices can be readily adopted by municipal, government and commercial customers and specifiers. The paper is now available to the public at no cost.
In addition to accelerating solar lighting adoption, the CSL is driven to communicate the importance of the energy balance of a solar lighting system to ensure that operation is aligned with customers’ expectations. Other aspects of the system design, including standards that apply to individual components of the system, lighting characteristics or aspects that relate to safety are already being addressed through national and international bodies such as Commission International D’eclairage (“CIE”), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (“IESNA”), International Electrotechniques Commission (“IEC”), and Underwriters Laboratories (“UL”).
To view Solar Lighting Recommended Practices: Introduction and to learn more about the CSL, please visit www.consortiumforsolarlighting.com. According to the CSL, the full 1st edition of Solar Lighting Recommended Practices: System Sizing will be released in the Fall of 2011.
###
About Carmanah Technologies Corporation
As one of the most trusted names in solar technology, Carmanah has earned a reputation for delivering strong and effective products for industrial applications worldwide. Industry proven to perform reliably in some of the world’s harshest environments, Carmanah solar LED lights and solar power systems provide a durable, dependable and cost effective energy alternative. Carmanah is a publicly traded company, with common shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “CMH”. For more information, visit www.carmanah.com.
Sharp is a registered trademark of Sharp Electronics Corporation. All rights reserved.
Inovus Solar is a registered trademark of Inovus Solar, Inc. All rights reserved.
SolarOne is a registered trademark of SolarOne Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
“Roland Sartorius”
Roland Sartorius, Chief Financial Officer
For further information:
|
Investors: Investor Relations: Roland Sartorius, CFO Toll-Free: 1.877.722.8877 |
Media: Public Relations: David Davies Tel: +1.250.382.4332 |
This release may contain forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “plans,” “estimates,” “intends,” “believes,” “could,” “might,” “will” or variations of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Carmanah to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. For additional information on these risks and uncertainties, see Carmanah’s most recently filed Annual Information Form (AIF) and Annual MD&A, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company’s website at www.carmanah.com. The risk factors identified in Carmanah’s AIF and MD&A are not intended to represent a complete list of factors that could affect Carmanah. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Carmanah does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.