The Award Ceremony of International SSL Alliance (ISA) 2024 “Global SSL Award of Industry Development Outstanding Contribution” (AOID) was held in the morning of Nov. 20, 2024, at Suzhou International Expo Center, Suzhou, China, during ISA General Assembly 2024.

The award of AOID has been incepted since 2021. A total of 19 individuals and organizations have been awarded so far.

Mr. Xiaoming JIN, Co-Secretary General of ISA, Former Director General, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology, China moderated the ceremony and revealed the winners.

In the year of 2024  a total of five SSL industry leaders were awarded.

The first winner went to Dr. Acharawan Chutarat, professor of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), executive committee for Thai Illuminating Engineering Association (TIEA).

Dr. Acharawan Chutarat’s core values focus on education, equality, well-being and better environment.  She pursued a Bachelor Degree in Architecture, Master of Science in Lighting from Pennsylvania State University, and Ph.D. from MIT in Building Technology.  While she was a Ph.D. student, she had a chance to work with William Lam in Boston, USA.  Inspired by light and her former professors: Richark G. Mistrick and Craig A. Bernecker, she became a lighting educator and a researcher at School of Architecture and Design at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) believing that education is a powerful tool in achieving better human capacity and equality.  She established the first master degree program in lighting design in Thailand in 2003. She helped to establish a distanced-learning program in lighting as a collaboration between Wismar University and KMUTT in 2013.  She is the head of Design for Environmental and Sustainable Development Lab (D/E/S Lab) at KMUTT.  She has been a guest lecturer for distanced-learning lighting design program at Wismar, Germany and an adjunct professor at Woxsen University, India.  She is also a founder and a lighting designer at BioArchitek Co Ltd. She has been serving for many non-profit organizations such as an executive committee for Thai Illuminating Engineering Association (TIEA), a Board of Lux Pacifica, a secretary of Thai Green Building Foundation, a core member of Lighting Detectives Group.  She has been organizing many trainings, workshops, seminars and conferences regarding lighting to educate community and to promote awareness in quality of good luminous environment. Her lectures are not only in Thailand but around the region such as Chile, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Germany, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Kazakhstan and China.  She has been serving communities as a lighting expert for several local and international organizations such as Association of Siamese Architects, GIZ, Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, Ministry of Energy, Department of Highway, Electric Generating Authority of Thailand, Thai Industrial Standard Institute, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, LEUKOS Journal of the IES as a reviewer in 2024, Virtual Lighting Design Community as a judge for LUFU (Lux Futurum 2024) and International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA) as a jury member for Global SSL Showcase Top 100 for 6 years.

Brief introduction of the outstanding achievement of Dr. Acharawan Chutarat

Lighting awareness and knowledge through education

Dr. Acharawan established the 1^st international lighting design master degree program in Thailand in 2003.  She continues to educate designers, students, stakeholders lighting design application in many forms such as training, workshop, conference, articles, exhibition for public and private sectors since 2002. It is hope that it has inspired younger generations to involve in making better luminous environment.  At KMUTT, she invented a lighting dome or Solar Lab for hands on learning purpose based on experience working with William Lam. This supports better learning curve for students.  Next step is to collaborate with Unilumin Company where she visited in in Shenzhen in August 2024 to integrate LED screen into the dome to mimic sky and to be used as immersive urban environment for students. It has been 23 years as a lighting educator.  Current situation is that there are more than 200 lighting designers in Thailand, compared to around 10 designers back in 2003.  She is a part of the success in lighting design industry in Thailand. The work of Thai lighting designers have been proven to be good value added to projects around Asian region.

Innovative luminance measurement tool for all

Her research has been involved in visual perception and preferences of LED CCT and luminance for roadway lighting. Research findings have been used as a guideline for the Department of Highway to write standards for LED road lighting that better fit for Thai eyes and preferences in comparing to HPS.  A road lighting design and luminance L_av , uniformity U_o, U_l and disability glare measurement application tool call “Road Lighting Reality” has been created and validated from this research using photometer imaging light technique. The purpose is to create an affordable, accurate luminance measurement and road lighting standard evaluation tool on mobile phone for Department of Highway, integrating with their road database.  The tool can also be accessed by all.  Benefits of the tool is saving measurement time on site, saving budget in luminance measurement.

Policies and standards

As a result from serving for three main organizations: Association of Siamese Architects (ASA), Thai Illuminating Engineering Association (TIEA) and Thai Green Building Foundation, Dr. Acharawan has opportunity to connect lighting’s best practices for Thailand’s new Building Energy Code, especially on lower lighting power density where daylight integration and LED has potential to drive toward much lower energy consumption.  She also contributed in lighting parts for Thai’s Rating in Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES)’s New Construction V2 and Pensook (Well-being). Also her research on CCT and light level of LED for road lighting in Thailand for the Department of Highway have been used as a reference for its new guidelines.  As TIEA committee, she has been a core contributing member in writing lighting design guidelines for interior and exterior Thai version.

Thai lighting industry support

Dr. Acharawan’s professional practices at BioArchitek focuses on Lighting Innovation where she is a pioneer in using LED since more than 20 years in Thailand.  There were challenges in many aspects such as availability of good products being made locally, life cycle cost, awareness in quality of LED and installation as well as potentials and trends in lighting design using LED.  She together with her partner at BioArchitek have been developing new LED luminaire design with Thai manufactures for unavailable LED specifications in Thailand. Products can be used for other projects in Thailand and around the region.  It is her mission to upgrade and upskill lighting industry in Thailand.  As TIEA executive committee, TIEA has been supporting lighting related events, especially LED Expo, a major SSL event in Thailand every year as a partner and as a speaker from time to time for several years.  This LED Expo has been financially supported by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).  She has been helping with training for the public under TIEA, KMUTT and BioArchitek.  In addition to that, inhouse lighting trainings have been organized for manufacturers and design companies.  Her responsibility this year for TIEA is to establish certified LED installer and to outreach more for stakeholders as well as to organize session for LED roadmap in Thailand.  This is for safety, better quality and operation standards and reskilling Thai lighting contractor industry. 

International lighting industry support

Dr. Acharawan serves as an official board member of Lux Pacifica, as a representative from Thailand.  Lux Pacifica, established in 1989, is an international lighting conference focusing on lighting research and application to emphasize the importance of good lighting design.  She organized the 7^th Lux Pacifica in Bangkok in 2013.  She also serves as a core member of Lighting Detectives Group.  The Lighting Detectives is a non-profit group dedicated to the study of lighting culture through practical methods, mainly by engaging in fieldwork.  She organized “Bangkok Night Identity” as a part of Lighting Detectives activities involving local and international audiences in Bangkok in 2012.   She co-organized an online workshop for Enlighten Asia 2021.  As TIEA executive committee, TIEA helped together with CSA and ISA organizing Thailand International Forum on Solid State Ligthing (SSL Thailand 2014) in Bangkok.  She was a jury member for Global SSL Showcase Top 100 Award organized by International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA), receiving a recognition from ISA at its 10^th anniversary celebration The Outstanding Contribution as a Jury Member of “Global SSL Showcase Top 100”.  She is a judge for LUFU (Lux Futurum 2024) organized by Virtual Lighting Design Community.  She is also a technical reviewer for LEUKOS Journal of the IES.

Jury Comments

1. Has made a great contribution to the lighting industry in Thailand, regionally and internationally. Her impact is mainly in Thailand. Worked hard to develop lighting education in Thailand.

2. Education is critically important for the lighting industry in this transitional era. Dr. Chuturat has made outstanding contributions at the national and international level.

3. Her contributions in education on lighting in Thailand is well recognized and also many educational activities to promote solid state lighting in Asian region are very impressive.

4. Ms. Acharawan Chutarat is an outstanding lighting technology leader in Thailand and the global lighting industry. The deep knowledge and brilliant education of Ms. Acharawan Chutarat are complemented by continuous development and the desire to educate students and form new knowledge about lighting technology.

Dr. Acharawan Chutarat delivered her acceptance speech via video recording at the ISA 2024 General Assembly.

Dr. Chutarat said it was honored to accept “Global SSL Award for Outstanding Industry Development” 2024 organized by ISA. ISA’s recognition of her contribution means a lot and inspires her to continue making positive impact to lighting community and industry in Thailand and region. 

We would like to congratulate Dr. Chutarat being awarded this honor  and thank her for her outstanding contribution to the global SSL industry.

Global SSL Award for Outstanding Industry Development

● Accept excellent applications

● Judged by worldwide authoritative experts

● Worldwide circulation and promotion

● Manifest outstanding leadership of people and organizations

ISA would like to invite the interested enterprises, organizations, research institutes and business leaders in the field of SSLto make their application of this award in 2025, with the aim to demonstrate these who made contribution to promote the process of advancing this industry and application, inspire new thinking, encourage the peers, and work together to promote SSL into a new period of development.