An interview with Ian Wilson, Head of R&D Spennymoor, and Elias Kernbichler, Product Manager Emergency Lighting at Tridonic.
Tridonic has become the first manufacturer to receive ENEC certification for batteries used in emergency lighting. This ISO Type 5 certification goes beyond a one-time product assessment, it includes periodic quality controls on production processes and testing of market samples to ensure consistent quality and safety. The ENEC Requirement Sheet ERS 001 adds specific performance and safety criteria for lithium-ion batteries in emergency luminaires.
To understand the motivations and challenges behind this milestone, we spoke with Ian Wilson, Head of R&D Spennymoor, and Elias Kernbichler, Product Manager Emergency Lighting at Tridonic.
Ian Wilson- Head of R&D Spennymoor & Elias Kernbichler – Product Manager Emergency Lighting at Tridonic
What motivated Tridonic to pursue ENEC certification for emergency lighting batteries?
“Tridonic pursued ENEC certification for emergency lighting batteries to demonstrate its commitment to quality, reliability, and market leadership. By achieving ENEC certification, Tridonic ensures its batteries undergo independent testing against stringent European standards and ongoing audits for consistent performance, positioning the company as an innovator and market leader by being the first to offer ENEC-certified LiFePO₄ batteries.
This proactive approach not only simplifies compliance and guarantees long-term reliability for customers but also completes the certification of all components within a luminaire. Thus, making luminaire approval easier and less time-consuming. Ultimately, this reinforces Tridonic’s reputation for delivering safe, high-quality emergency lighting solutions.”
What makes ENEC certification significant for this product category?
“ENEC certification is significant because emergency lighting is a safety-critical system. In emergencies, reliable illumination can save lives, so batteries must meet the highest standards for safety and performance. Importantly, the ENEC certification not only covers the cell, but also encompasses the entire battery, including all its components such as the Protection Circuit Module (PCM), to make certain the battery has the correct level of protection in case of faults.
ENEC provides independent verification of compliance with stringent European norms, ensuring that products deliver consistent reliability under demanding conditions. It also eliminates self-certification risks, guarantees ongoing quality through factory audits, and gives authorities and customers confidence that these components meet essential safety and performance requirements.”
What were the main technical or regulatory challenges during the process?
“Tridonic have approved cells of different capacities and physical size as well as from several suppliers. This has resulted in the approval task being multiplied as each supplier and type had to reach the necessary standard. The testing of all the candidates by DEKRA enabled a consistent standard to be maintained, which would have been difficult by using multiple approval bodies linked with our key suppliers.
As Tridonic are the first company to have batteries certified to ENEC and DEKRA are the first approval authority to undertake this work, there were no benchmarks to follow in respect to this work. Tridonic and DEKRA have now set the necessary benchmark by undertaking this pilot certification.
Testing also includes a battery storage test of 90days and therefore the approval process time is significant. Additionally, as the approval also includes function of the protection electronics, Tridonic have had to make certain that critical components of the PCM are consistent between the suppliers and datasheets.
Part of the approval process is to confirm the cell complies with the relevant safety and performance standards. In the case of the performance against EN 62620, in most cases suppliers did not have independent test reports covering the standard and therefore approval work at a cell level was also needed as well as that for the battery system.
An additional challenge has been that Lithium battery technology is relatively new to the emergency market and Tridonic have been testing batteries and working with the suppliers to make improvements such as to enhance service life and temperature range. As these updates affect the performance of the battery, they needed to be a part of the whole ENEC approval process.”
ENEC-certified LiFePO₄ batteries
What does this certification mean for the market and for end users?
“We, along with many of our customers, anticipated that ENEC certification would become compulsory for emergency lighting. A logical step given the safety-critical nature of these applications. In some regions not governed by ETICS, certification bodies already require ENEC certification for every component within the luminaire, including the battery. We believe that ENEC-certified batteries should be mandatory for ENEC-certified luminaires.
As the first manufacturer to achieve this certification for LiFePO₄ batteries, Tridonic has set a new benchmark in innovation and quality, proving that attaining ENEC certification for high quality LiFePO₄ batteries is both achievable and straightforward. This accomplishment inspires customer confidence by ensuring ongoing audits, independent quality control, and a reliable battery solution for emergency lighting systems.”
Are there future developments in emergency lighting batteries you can share?
“We expect that demonstrating proof of design life at the actual application temperature will become increasingly important. ENEC certification represents meaningful progress in this direction, as it provides independent verification of both performance and safety. Such third-party validation is expected to grow in significance when assessing design life claims. Our own lifetime test data across various battery manufacturers suggest that, in certain situations, the claimed design life may not always be achievable, further emphasizing the value of independent certification.
In addition Tridonic continue to assess and test new cells and battery systems in order to extend the performance and sustainability of their emergency offer. Examples of these improvements would include extended life of 10-12 years, as well as operation at low and high temperature. Tridonic are also working with Universities in Europe to investigate other cell chemistry such as Sodium-ion and Lithium Titanate and its suitability in emergency lighting applications.”
Many thanks to Elias Kernbichler and Ian Wilson for their time and for providing such valuable insight into Tridonic’s ENEC certification journey.
