Thu, Jun 21, 2012 -
Countries Agree to 2016 as Target Date for
Transition to Efficient Lamps New Policy
Status Map and National Assessments Highlight
Huge Savings Potential
Rio+20 host country Brazil could save over
US$ 3 billion annually and reduce over 5
percent of national electricity consumption
through a transition to energy efficient
lighting. Photo: shutterstock.com/Jezper
Rio de Janeiro, 21 June
2012 - 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.
Further Resources
UNEP en.lighten initiativePress Release
in PortugueseGlobal Policy MapCountry Lighting
AssessmentsNational Data on the Benefits
of a Transition to Energy Efficient LightingUN
Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)
These are among the main findings of 150
national assessments and a new global policy
map on efficient lighting, released today
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and partners.
In some cases, the assessments
show that the financial savings and climate
change mitigation benefits achieved by phasing
out incandescent lighting in developing
and middle-income countries are much more
significant than previous studies suggested.
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.
A group of 14 pilot
countries will seek to benefit from such
opportunities as part of a Global Efficient
Lighting Partnerships Programme ? co-ordinated
by UNEP and partners - that will get underway
next month.
Countries will receive
support to develop national phase-out plans
for inefficient lamps from experts provided
by the en.lighten initiative: a public-private
partnership led by UNEP and the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) in collaboration with Philips
Lighting, Osram AG, and the National Lighting
Test Centre of China.
Global Policy Map
A new global policy
map launched today - also produced by the
en.lighten initiative - shows in detail
the status of efficient lighting policies
in countries around the world.
The first resource of
its kind in the lighting industry, the online
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.
"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.
As the Rio+20 negotiations continue, these
new findings from the en.lighten initiative
demonstrate that ambitious policies and
partnerships must be seized if the social,
economic, and environmental benefits of
a transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient
green economy are to be realized."
"The en.lighten
initiative is a showcase for the benefits
of public private partnership," said
Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the
Global Environment Facility.
"Working together,
we are accelerating the understanding of
technology options, establishing quality
and certification protocols, and promoting
sound policies for countries to achieve
their climate mitigation goals. We need
more private sector leaders to follow the
example of Philips and Osram and join the
GEF in advancing technologies to protect
the environment and foster sustainable development."
Country Lighting Assessments
The assessments released
today 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 innovative
LEDs.
The assessments were
produced in conjunction with the International
Energy Agency (IEA) and cover 150 countries
including Russia, India, China, and Brazil.
"The cleanest,
most secure type of energy is the one that
is not needed, which is why the IEA attaches
so much importance to energy efficiency
in our 28 member countries and beyond,"
said Maria Van der Hoeven, Executive Director
of the International Energy Agency (IEA)
"Lighting has a
key role to play in improving energy efficiency,
and continuing efforts to phase-out inefficient
lighting products at a global level will
enhance energy security and reduce global
energy demand."
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 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. LEDs do not contain
any mercury and last up to ten times longer
than their CFL counterparts.
"Lighting accounts
for around 20 percent of global electricity
consumption. Therefore, energy efficient
products are key to a sustainable and green
future. Green is lean," said Constantin
Birnstiel, Chief Sustainability Officer,
Osram AG. "As a long-term partner of
the UN's en.lighten initiative, OSRAM strongly
supports the combat against climate change
with energy-efficient lighting around the
globe. Private partners can accelerate the
success of global initiatives with their
experiences and resources in individual
countries."
"Already
many emerging and developing countries have
committed to phase out inefficient lighting,
thereby helping to create the first global
industry sector transition to low-carbon
innovative and sustainable solutions,"
said Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public
& Government Affairs, Philips Lighting.
"As a public-private
partnership, the en.lighten initiative is
putting the Green Economy and Global Environmental
Governance into practice, which helps to
drive sustainable global development and
enhances people's lives with light,"
he added.
Global Efficient Lighting
Partnership Programme
To date, almost 50 developing
and emerging countries supported by en.lighten
have committed to phasing out incandescent
lamps by 2016.
Work also begins next
month in 14 new pilot countries to develop
national plans towards phasing out incandescent
lighting, as part of the UNEP en.lighten
Global Efficient Lighting Partnerships Programme.
The first national workshops will be held
in July in Uruguay and Chile, followed by
Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Panama, Morocco, Jordan, Philippines and
Tunisia.
The government of Mexico
will be a key ally for the Central and South
American pilot countries, as the first country
in the developing world to enact climate
change legislation, including the phasing
out of 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 Mr. 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."
2012 marks the United
Nations International Year of Sustainable
Energy for All, which aims to double the
global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
by 2030.
For the lighting sector,
this goal can be reached in just four years,
if the target to phase out inefficient incandescent
lamps worldwide by 2016 is met.
Key facts
Electricity for lighting
accounts for almost 20 percent of electricity
consumption and 6 percent of CO2 emissions
worldwide.
According to the IEA, approximately 3 percent
of global oil demand can be attributed to
lighting.
The global demand for artificial light will
be 60 percent higher by 2030 if no switch
to efficient lighting occurs.
Incandescent lamps have already been phased-out,
or are scheduled to be phased-out in most
OECD countries, Argentina, Brazil, China,
Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam and other developing
countries.
If Brazil extends current
legislation to include commercial, industrial
and street lighting applications, the country
could save close to US $ 4 billion and reduce
carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 400,000
cars being removed from the road.
The complete transition
to efficient lighting in all sectors throughout
Africa could reduce electrical demand enough
to electrify over 14 million presently un-serviced
households.
Up to 95 percent of
the energy emitted by incandescent lamps
is heat, and their efficiency is low. In
comparison, incandescent bulbs last around
1,000 hours which is significantly shorter
than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) which
can last up to 12,000 hours.
Like all fluorescent
lamps, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury,
which complicates their disposal. en.lighten
supports countries in developing legislation
and sustainable end-of-life programmes.
Some countries, such
as Nigeria and China, are leapfrogging directly
to light emitting diodes (LEDs) from incandescent
lamps. LEDs do not contain mercury and have
other advantages such as long life and low
heat generation.
