Electronic products manufacturer Philips Electronics has teamed up with parastatal Eskom to introduce Africas largest-ever energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lighting initiative, which could save South African businesses a collective R41-million a year.
The initiative, which would replace 50 W halogen bulbs with 7 W and 10 W LED lamps, will focus on commercial users, such as hotels, banks, offices and retail outlets.
The introduction of LED lighting technology, which provides the same amount of light but lasts significantly longer, could save a total of 58 GWh/y, or 60 000 t of carbon dioxide.
Based on calculations of between 40 W and 43 W less power consumption, each unit has the potential to save 280 kWh of electricity a year, equal to about R200.
With South Africa facing an energy-constrained future, it is in Eskoms interest to encourage electricity consumers to reduce consumption where possible, says the utilitys integrated demand management senior GM, Andrew Etzinger.
Although we are investing in new power stations to generate enough electricity to meet medium- to long-term demand, improved efficiency is the most practical solution to ensuring our electricity supply will be secure in the short term, he notes.
Power consulting firm Karebo Systems will oversee the distribution of the 200 000 Philips MasterLED lamps at discounted prices throughout South Africa.
We are pleased to partner with Eskom and Karebo systems on this initiative. We share similar values, including reducing our impact on the environment and using innovation to drive our sustainability initiatives. Encouraging a shift to LED lighting solutions underscores our commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility in growth markets such as South Africa, comments Philips VP and chief market leader Ronald de Jong.
The companies envisage the popularity of LED lights growing in the next nine years. By 2020, we believe that about 75% of lighting globally will be produced by LED bulbs. This will be as a result of the benefits that come with installing such lighting, says Philips Lighting Africas Nick Kelso.
Meanwhile, Philips Electronics has also engaged with the eThekwini municipality and unveiled Philips LED streetlighting installations during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change seventeenth Conference of the Parties, or COP 17. The installation involved 149 streetlights installed in six streets around the Durban International Conference Centre.
These offer energy savings of 47.4 MWh/y, or 26%, compared with the older 250 W metal halide streetlights. In the future, the streetlights will be controlled externally, raising the prospect of even more energy savings through the dimming of lights outside peak times.
Lighting currently consumes an average of 19% global electricity production and a significant portion of this current lighting is based on older, less efficient, technologies developed before 1970.
A full switch to the latest LED lighting will provide energy savings of an average 40%. This equates to about 130-billion a year in running costs, or 670-million tons of carbon.
In general speaking,
12V LED has become more and more affordable, therefore
auto LED bulbs have been used widely.
