Eden Park Illumination Awarded New $1MM Grant From the US Department of Energy
The US DOE SBIR Phase II Sequential Grant has been awarded to Eden Park Illumination as a follow-up to a Phase I grant successfully completed in 2012 and a Phase II grant successfully completed in March 2015. The company is now engaging industry partner companies as it looks to broadly commercialize the technology.
Champaign, IL, August 31, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Eden Park Illumination has been awarded a Sequential Grant in the amount of $1 million from the US DOE to commercialize microplasma Ultraviolet (UV) lighting tiles for water purification and sterilization. The sequential grant immediately follows the Phase II grant which Eden Park Illumination (EPI) successfully completed in March of this year. Eden Park will continue the development of low temperature microplasma/microcavity UV flat lamps (in the range of UVB - UVC) having areas up to one square foot for water purification and disinfection.
The grant’s principle investigator, Dr. Cy Herring, President of Eden Park Illumination, commented, “Due to previous technology investments the DOE has made in EPI, we have proven the efficiency of the microplasma / microcavity technology at wavelengths to effectively purify and disinfect water in new and exciting ways. This sequential grant award will provide EPI with funding to further improve the mercury-free, UV microplasma technology and bring new, cost effective planar solutions to this large and growing market”.
"This sequential grant award will provide EPI with funding to further improve the mercury-free, UV microplasma technology and bring new, cost effective planar solutions to this large and growing market".
Cy Herring, Ph.D., President
The objective of the grant is to effectively commercialize the thin, flat, mercury-free microplasma UV lighting systems which were developed and demonstrated in the Phase II award. The Phase II grant produced microplasma / microcavity arrays having a radiating area up to one square foot (900 cm2) at UV conversion efficiency greater than 20%. The Sequential grant will lead to a scaled production process and an optimized power delivery system for each size class of microplasma lamps.
The Advantages of Microplasma UV Technology
This new UV water disinfection technology offers many advantages over conventional mercury-based UV light sources. Microplasma lamps have a more adaptive planar form factor and produce no negative impact of mercury on the environment. The thin planar form of the microplasma lamps produces very uniform UV output across the lamp face and the microplasma lamps have a longer effective life span compared to conventional mercury-based UV lamps. Unlike mercury-based lamps, neither the output nor the life of the microplasma lamp is impacted by temperature or on/off cycles. The microplasma lamps also provide the advantage of instant on & off operation. Also, lamps with other emitters (molecular gas emitters or UV conversion phosphors) capable of generating photons in various UV wavelength ranges (172 – 310 nm) will be developed to provide a broad range of UV applications.
About Eden Park Illumination Inc.
Eden Park Illumination, Inc. advances the evolution of light and transforms the way light is applied through the cutting-edge development and innovation of Microplasma Lighting, a flat, ultra-thin, environmentally responsible light source that combines energy efficiency and a long lifetime. Eden Park Illumination is an innovative lighting technology company benefiting from a rich heritage through its affiliation with the Laboratory of Optical Physics and Engineering at the University of Illinois and holds a prominent global patent portfolio. The company is committed to developing earth-friendly products and supports actions and decisions that positively impact the sustainability of the environment. The Company’s headquarters and R&D facility are located in Champaign, Illinois, USA. More information is available from Eden Park.