The en.lighten initiative has been established to assist interested developing and emerging countries to initiate and effectively implement their own market transformation programs towards efficient lighting. Country support activities focus on overcoming the technical and policy barriers related to national, regional and international efficient lighting market development.
A key component of the en.lighten initiative is the Center of Excellence composed of top international experts and organizations from developing, emerging and developed countries. The Center consists of UNEP technical staff and expert Taskforces that assist in the development of global recommendations and technical guidance in all relevant lighting sectors to support countries interested in the transition to efficient lighting. The en.lightened learning portal provides access to this expertise for countries.
The Global Efficient Lighting Partnership Programme is an unparalleled voluntary opportunity to work with en.lighten and other countries within a specific region to achieve a coordinated transition to efficient lighting. Participation in a strategic program that sets shared objectives and provides technical support will assist in identifying mutual barriers and may result in more aggressive goals for a country, while still remaining a cost-efficient exercise.
The “Achieving the Global Transition to Energy Efficient Lighting” Toolkit provides comprehensive guidance to countries on how to transform their markets to efficient lighting. It highlights examples of best practices in important areas such as; policy development, regulations and standards development, to encourage countries to transition to efficient lighting to reap climate, energy, environmental and financial benefits.
The Global Policy Map provides an overview of energy efficient lighting policies for the domestic sector around the world. The detailed information for each country includes; standards, supporting policies, product quality control activities, end-of-life policies and existing efficient lighting initiatives.
Country Lighting Assessments (CLAs) examine the potential for savings in electricity consumption, CO2 emissions and financial costs by replacing all inefficient lamps with energy saving alternatives with equivalent light output. They focus on all lighting sectors for interior and exterior applications. In February 2013, new off-grid Country Lighting Assessments were released that model a transition from fuel-based lighting to solar-powered LED lighting. They analyze the magnitude of financial savings, the health and development benefits, and the carbon emission reductions that can be achieved with a coordinated global transition.
The Global Efficient Lighting Center – UNEP Collaborating Center on Energy Efficient Lighting was launched in Beijing, China, in cooperation with the National Lighting Test Centre in late 2012. The Global Efficient Lighting Centre (GELC) supports developing and emerging countries by assisting in the establishment or strengthening of national and/or regional lighting laboratories and testing capacities.