Philips Joins EMerge Alliance Board
The EMerge Alliance – an open industry association leading the rapid adoption of safe, direct-current (DC) power distribution standards for commercial buildings – today announced Philips is upgrading its membership from Participating Member to Governing Member, and is now a member of the Board of Directors. This is the first expansion of the Board since the Alliance was founded in 2008.
A world leader in lighting, healthcare and lifestyle, Philips is committed to driving the global shift toward energy-efficient solutions, a vision tied closely to the EMerge Alliance and its mission to foster more sustainable buildings by bringing hybrid AC-DC power architectures and DC microgrid applications to the market.
Since joining the Alliance in 2009, Philips has actively contributed to the organization at the Participating level, which consists of key suppliers of products and technologies that comply with EMerge Alliance standards. According to Steve Oh, vice president and research and development manager at Philips Lighting North America, the company sees benefits in its strengthened role in the Alliance’s standards oversight and geographic market expansion activities.
“Philips’ business model embraces innovation, sustainability and standardization, and the EMerge Alliance is leading the forward looking DC microgrid power movement,” said Oh. “As a Board member, Philips can make a greater impact on the Alliance standards and also help expand the reach of the Alliance beyond North America into the EU, Asia and the rest of the world.”
Philips joins the Alliance’s Founders, Armstrong Ceiling Systems, Johnson Controls, Nextek Power Systems, OSRAM SYLVANIA and WAVE on the Board. Members at this tier provide strategic direction and oversight, and help ratify new and revised standards, while also contributing significant resources to the Alliance’s mission.
“Adding Philips to the EMerge Alliance Board will expand our reach and allow us to begin connecting with new geographic regions,” said Alliance Chairman Brian Patterson. “Philips’ standard development and technical expertise, along with its strong global market position will provide us with great insight and promotional support around the world. These are key contributions essential for any organization focused on creating meaningful transformative change to improve commercial building energy efficiency, sustainability and flexibility.”
About Royal Philips Electronics:
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity.” Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 122,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 22.6 billion in 2011, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About the EMerge Alliance:
The EMerge Alliance is an open industry association leading the rapid adoption of safe DC power distribution in commercial buildings through the development of EMerge Alliance standards. These innovative standards integrate infrastructure, power, controls and devices in a common microgrid platform to facilitate the hybrid use of AC and DC power throughout buildings for unprecedented design and space flexibility, greater energy efficiency and improved sustainability. The nonprofit Alliance is accepting new members at various levels. For more information, please visit www.EMergeAlliance.org.
