The benefits of phasing-out inefficient lighting in developing and middle-income countries are much more significant than previously suggested, according to new findings from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its en.lighten initiative.
A total of five percent of global electricity consumption could be saved every year through a transition to efficient lighting, resulting in annual worldwide savings of over US$ 110 billion, says UNEP.
The findings were released alongside a Global Policy Map, showing the status of efficient lighting policies in countries around the world. Also, the benefits of introducing efficient lighting in 150 different countries have been documented.
The data was presented at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), and helped to emphasize the social, economic, and environmental benefits of switching to a low-carbon green economy.
“One of the most cost-effective ways to contribute to the reduction of global carbon emissions is the phase-out of inefficient lighting technologies,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. “Increasing numbers of countries are now achieving major financial savings, generating green jobs, and seeing reductions in mercury, sulphur dioxide, and other pollutants from power stations, through a switch to efficient lighting.”
The yearly savings in electricity of the phase-out would be equivalent to closing over 250 large coal-fired power plants, resulting in avoided investment costs of approximately US$ 210 billion. Additionally, the 490 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 savings per year is equivalent to the emissions of more than 122 million mid-size cars.
en.lighten initiative
Led by UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the en.lighten initiative is a public-private partnership in collaboration with Philips Lighting, Osram AG, and the National Lighting Test Centre of China.
En.lighten aims to “accelerate global market transformation to environmentally-sustainable lighting technologies by developing a coordinated global strategy and providing technical support for the phase-out of inefficient lighting.”
To date, almost 50 developing and emerging countries – supported by en.lighten – have committed to phasing-out incandescent lamps by 2016. Starting in July, en.lighten’s Global Efficient Lighting Partnerships Programmed will assist 14 new pilot countries to develop national plans that will help them phase out incandescent lamps in the same timeframe.
Many of these 14 countries are in Central and South America and can follow the lead of Mexico, the first country in the developing world to phase-out inefficient lighting. “We took a leadership role and began our phase-out initiative earlier this year and it has been met with excellent results,” said Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources. “We are encouraged in moving forward based on the new lighting assessments which show that Mexico could save almost US$1 billion in less than six months by extending the call for efficient lighting to other sectors.”
Global Policy Map
The online Global Policy Map provides an overview of efficient lighting policies and successes, specifically in the residential sector. The information for each country covers standards, labels, supporting policies, product quality-control activities and end-of-life policies, as well as a national ranking in terms of policy development.
Ratings will be regularly updated according to a country's progress in achieving a sustainable transition to efficient lighting.
Country Lighting Assessments
The Country Lighting Assessments released at Rio+20 analyze the benefits of shifting from inefficient light bulbs for consumers, the industrial, commercial and street lighting sectors. Products cover a wide range of technologies, including LEDs. The assessments were produced in conjunction with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and cover 150 countries including Russia, India, China, and Brazil.
The new assessments show that a country such as India could cut its lighting electricity consumption by over 35 percent, which is equivalent to avoiding the construction of 11 large coal-fired power plants and taking over 10 million cars off the road. Annual savings would be over US$2 billion.
Rio+20 host country Brazil could save over US$ 3 billion annually and reduce over 5 percent of its national electricity consumption through a transition to energy-efficient lighting.
Due to the technological shift towards innovative LED technology, there is a great opportunity for countries to leapfrog to this advanced lighting solution in national markets. Although LED lamps are currently expensive to buy for individual consumers, bulk procurement by governments, tax incentives and subsidies are making them a viable alternative.
