Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - LED (light-emitting diodes) street lighting can generate energy savings as high as 85%, an independent, global trial of the technology has found. The program also indicates that citizens of pilot cities prefer LED lighting, citing the social and environmental benefits.
The findings of LightSavers, an independent, two-and-a-half-year global pilot of LED lamps in 15 separate trials across 12 cities including New York, London, Kolkata and Sydney, are presented for the first time in a new report entitled, Lighting the Clean Revolution: The Rise of LED Street Lighting and What it Means for Cities: www.TheCleanRevolution.org.
The report explores the global market status and potential for LED technology and provides guidelines for policymakers and city light managers who want to scale-up and finance large LED retrofits. The report was launched as part of the Clean Revolution campaign at the Rio+20 UN Global Compact Corporate Sustainability Forum and produced by The Climate Group in partnership with Philips in support of the campaign’s argument that major energy savings can be achieved virtually overnight at relatively little cost.
Key findings from the report:
Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group says, “This report clearly highlights that LEDs are ready to be scaled-up in towns and cities across the globe. LED technology is energy efficient, scalable and positively impacts on the public; it is the Clean Revolution in action. We are now calling on Governments to remove policy obstacles and enable a rapid transition to low carbon lighting.”
“A full switch to the latest energy-efficient LED lighting solutions provides significant energy savings, a reduction in CO2 emissions, and will transform urban environments”, says Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs at Philips Lighting. “We believe that by driving this lighting market transition, our LED lighting solutions will create livable cities for the benefit of residents and visitors.”
For the residents the benefits of LEDs are tangible: Gobind Saha, 61, owner of a roadside stall at Rabindra Sarani (India), says, “These white lights have changed the way my little business use to be under the street lights every evening. Earlier anything and everything would look yellow in colour resulting into a decreased purchasing interest among buyers but now that a buyer can clearly differentiate between a green and blue, my sales figures have gone higher.”
Lighting is responsible for 19% of global electricity use and around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions2. Doubling lighting efficiency globally would have a climate impact equivalent to eliminating half the emissions of all electricity and heat production in the EU3. And like many other energy-efficient technologies, efficient lighting will boost global prosperity. In the United States alone, cutting the energy used by lighting by 40% would save US$53 billion in annual energy costs, and reduce energy demand equivalent to 198 mid-size power stations4.
1 Working towards sustainable development: Opportunities for decent work and social inclusion in a green economy, International Labour Organization, May 2012
2 IEA (2006) Light’s Labour’s Lost, OECD/IEA
3 ‘Homes’ includes CO2 emissions from residential use of gas and electricity. Figures from: IEA, 2011, CO2 emissions from fuel combustion: Highlights.
4 Power stations at 2 TWh of generation each year. Data from Philips Market Intelligence and IEA: Philips (2011) ‘The LED lighting revolution: A summary of the global energy savings potential’, based on IEA analysis.
Philips
Yvette van Braam Morris
Phone: + 31 652 737 440
Mail: yvette.van.braam.morris@signify.com
The Climate Group
Nicholas Mandalas
Phone: + 44 (0)779 265 6093
Mail: nmandalas@theclimategroup.org
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity.” Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 122,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 22.6 billion in 2011, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
The Climate Group is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working to inspire and catalyse leadership for a Clean Revolution: a low carbon future that is smarter, better and more prosperous. For all.
Founded in 2004, The Climate Group has operations in Australia, China (Beijing and Hong Kong), Europe, India and North America.