Mitigation / Adaptation

Benefits

Potential for scaling-up and replication

Replacing all the world’s inefficient lighting with energy efficient alternatives would cut the global share of electricity used for lighting by 50% and lead to a 5% reduction in total global electricity consumption. This ambitious transition would also reduce annual CO2 emissions by at least 31 billion tonnes.

The en.lighten initiative is in its third year of implementation and mitigation results are anticipated by the end of 2016. The implementation focus for en.lighten is on direct policy and technical assistance to countries that have some efficient lighting policy elements in place and are ready to take rapid action to phase out inefficient lamps. The 46 en.lighten Country Partners (representing approximately 20% of the world’s population) already have some experience with supporting policies and activities, such as massive distributions of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These countries seek to make permanent changes to sustain energy and environmental benefits.

Some countries have begun to adopt minimum energy performance standards. However, most do not yet have comprehensive monitoring, verification and enforcement schemes or collection and recycling programs. Many countries need to strengthen their laboratory and technical testing capabilities before they can progress to verification and enforcement. Thus, en.lighten is facilitating training and capacity building via its private sector partners with activities being conducted in 15 countries in 2012.

en.lighten offers a step-by-step, customizable process for policy makers from multiple ministries to work together to develop a National Efficient Lighting Strategy based on an integrated policy approach. Six countries and one region (Central America) are preparing status reports and will conduct inception workshops as the first step towards having draft legislation prepared within a year. The status reports contain baseline data and information that can be used to document and verify outcomes of the policy development process.

To serve all 46 country Partner effectively, en.lighten will provide technical assistance through webinars, expert consultations and reference materials through its “en.lightened learning” portal.

To date, no global, robust and transparent information has been available for tracking lighting electrical energy consumption and related global greenhouse gases. To address this gap, en.lighten recently collaborated with partners to develop a model and publish Country Lighting Assessments for 150 countries. The assessments provide estimates for potential energy savings, CO2 reductions, and financial gains by shifting to energy efficient lighting technologies in the residential, commercial/industrial and outdoor lighting sectors. Together, the assessments account for lighting used by approximately 95% of the world population. 

To track policy progress, en.lighten has researched and ranked the activities and readiness of countries to phase out inefficient lighting in the residential sector. The Global Policy Map provides an overview of efficient lighting policies and successes. The information for each country covers standards, labels, supporting policies, product quality control activities and environmentally sound management policies. Ratings and references will be regularly updated.

Reducing electrical demand decreases the amount of fossil fuels burned to produce electricity, and may allow countries to close older power plants that rely on coal and other fossil fuels. With a global transition to efficient lighting, over 250 large coal power plants could be retired. During a global economic crisis, these savings could be reallocated to social services and, infrastructure projects, including schools, hospitals and roads. It would also allow for expansion of electrical service into underserviced areas or help to improve electrical service in existing areas. Realizing billions of dollars in saved electricity costs could boost economies and create green jobs. Improved access to electricity for millions of people will lead to increased productivity, income and improvement in quality of life for the urban poor.

A transition to energy efficient lighting encourages the sustainable use of natural resources as it reduces the dependence on fossil fuel burning in power plants to produce electricity. The introduction of new, energy efficient technologies encourages environmental sustainability actions which include establishing maximum mercury content limits and responsible end of life management that encompasses collection, and/or recycling programs for spent lamps.

Few actions could reduce carbon emissions as cheaply and easily as the phase-out of inefficient lighting, making it one of the most effective and economically advantageous ways to combat climate change to ultimately benefit urban communities around the world.

The en.lighten initiative activities are developed in a way that can be replicated in every country, taking into consideration local circumstances and needs. For example, the Country Lighting Assessments are based on a model that is used for all countries but can accept input data from any country that has its own data collection program. The National Efficient Lighting Strategy development process works similarly: en.lighten offers an agenda, menu of activities, and options for expert technical assistance.  Each country chooses the options that will work best to rapidly achieve their transition to efficient lighting.

The Global Efficient Lighting Partnership Programme, launched in 2011, is a voluntary initiative for countries to work with en.lighten to achieve a coordinated national or regional transition to efficient lighting. en.lighten, along with its international partners, provides support to national regulators and/or regional bodies in the development of policies, strategies and actions for the phase-out of inefficient lighting products, while ensuring that the  lighting technologies meet global minimum standards and that spent lamps are treated in an environmentally sound manner.

For any new activity, en.lighten enlists the experiences of its expert Taskforces, and then conducts the activity on a pilot basis with several Partner Countries. This allows for adjustments and enhancements of activities before they are offered to all countries. en.lighten is also establishing collaboration agreements with other organizations so that the activities can be replicated by others. For example, en.lighten is conducting regional workshops where countries that share some market characteristics can learn together from peer experiences, understand the resources available from en.lighten, and then identify organizations to implement activities.

The ultimate outcome of any Partner Country’s National Efficient Lighting Strategy is the adoption of policies (laws, mandates, decrees or other legal instruments) that will ensure permanent uptake of high efficiency lighting technologies and removal of inefficient products. This will ensure long-term climate change mitigation.

When nations and regions harmonize their efforts by working with en.lighten, they effectively aggregate the buying demand of their lighting consumers. This provides an incentive for manufacturers and distributors to offer higher efficiency products at lower prices, because they can be assured of a higher volume of sales. Market aggregation also reduces their product packaging, labeling, testing and certification costs.  This ultimately benefits the low-income consumers of energy efficient lighting products.