| South Asian Nations Gather to Address Energy Efficient Lighting to Combat Climate Change
 In September, en.lighten convened The Transition to Efficient Lighting in South Asia Workshop in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The meeting served to review the current status and assess opportunities for a transition to efficient on-grid and off-grid lighting in South Asia. The draft Report on Policy Direction for the Transition to Efficient Lighting in South Asia was presented which encompassed current initiatives, project successes, as well as obstacles and challenges facing the lighting sector.
The event was inaugurated by the delegates from the Ministry of Power of India and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Representatives from Ministries of Energy and Ministries of Environment from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, delegates from international organizations, Indian Central and State Government and the private sector officials attended.
The participants agreed that to achieve a permanent and sustainable transition to efficient lighting, the en.lighten integrated policy approach should be followed. The countries also confirmed that they will have phased out, be in process of phasing out, or have policies in place to phase-out inefficient incandescent lamps by the en.lighten 2016 global target date.
A transition to efficient on-grid lighting in the region would translate into savings of over US$ 3.3 billion per year. Over 48 terawatt-hours of annual electricity consumption would be saved, approximately 5.5% of the total consumption in South Asia and more than 36% of electricity consumption for lighting. In addition, 43.2 megatonnes of CO2 emissions would be eliminated annually.
A transition to efficient off-grid lighting would significantly benefit the 470 million consumers in South Asia not connected to the grid. Replacing all the kerosene, candles and flashlights with solar LED lanterns would save over US$5 billion in fuel costs and avoid the emissions of 22.9 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
|