Lighting technologies supplier Energy Focus has been awarded a grant worth $0.5 million (£0.3 million) from the US Department of Defense to develop LED alternatives to lighting fixtures on Navy ships.
The firm will develop and produce fixtures to replace 50 watt and 110 watt water-tight incandescent fixtures, offering an energy-efficient and long life LED replacement to the technology currently used.
Joe Kaveski, chief executive officer of Energy Focus, said the company's replacement LED technology will "go beyond military applications ... providing energy efficient, mercury-free, long-life alternatives to the incandescent bulbs which the US is phasing out beginning in 2012".
The addition of the $0.5 million grant brings the total amount of funding given to Energy Focus by the Department of Defense to $1.9 million (£1.2 million).
It was recently reported that Portugal is expanding its replacement of high-pressure sodium street lamps with LED alternatives in ten towns around the country.