Improving the energy efficiency of everyday technologies can help the world reach its net-zero targets. In recent decades, scientists and engineers have focused on one ubiquitous technology—electric lighting—researching new types of energy-efficient lighting and phasing out legacy technologies. This article will discuss some recent developments in this area.
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The Problem With Traditional Electric Lighting
Throughout history, humanity has utilized various ways of keeping darkness at bay for safety, security, and productivity reasons. The simplest form of illumination first used was fire, with technologies such as candles, oil lamps, and electric lightbulbs emerging over the centuries, gradually making the night and indoor spaces more daylike.
However, while traditional incandescent electric lighting has proven worth over the past two centuries as a source of illumination, the exponential growth in these technologies has contributed to increased carbon emissions worldwide.
Around 15% of the average home’s electricity consumption is due to lighting. Conventional incandescent bulbs—the dominant technology for nearly a hundred years—only release 10% of their energy as light, with the rest released as heat.1 Incandescent lights were phased out around a decade ago in favor of more energy-efficient options.
According to the International Energy Agency, carbon emissions from lighting have steadily declined in recent decades, to 843.31 Mt CO2 in 2022.2. However, despite the improved energy efficiency of lighting technologies such as LEDs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the growth in lighting use means that energy consumption from lighting has increased marginally, causing major challenges in this area.
Regional and Country Highlights
Recognizing the need for vastly improved energy efficiency in lighting, several nations have made notable shifts toward the most energy-efficient technologies on the market over the last couple of years.
The United Kingdom, for instance, has proposed increasing the minimum energy performance of all lighting types to 140 lumens per watt in 2027, which is the highest figure in the world. This was proposed in January 2023.2
The South African government proposed raising the minimum energy efficiency of general service lamps to at least 90 lumens per watt in May 2023. Regional harmonized standards on performance and quality were published in the East African Community in July 2022 to phase out all conventional lighting in favor of energy-efficient LEDs.2
In the UK, there is currently a nationwide effort to replace all streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs, phasing out conventional sodium lamps that have been used for decades. In Essex alone, 100,000 new LED streetlights have been installed. 3
Company Developments in Efficient Lighting
Along with governments, companies in the lighting industry have called for the rapid adoption of energy-efficient lighting and the development of new technologies to save carbon emissions and consumer costs.
Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, has called on industry leaders and other actors in the lighting industry to help mitigate the energy crisis by accelerating the transition from conventional lighting technologies to using LEDs for general-purpose lighting applications.4 The company estimates this would save 3.9 million tons of CO2 and 1.61TwH of electricity in the UK and Ireland alone.
Energy-efficient LEDs account for around 50% of the domestic lighting market as of 2022, a marked increase over the previous decade, where LED sales only accounted for 5% of total lightbulb sales worldwide. Integrated LED lights with one or more lamps within a unit are increasing their market share, with many companies producing these for the domestic and commercial markets.2
In 2022, Signify launched ultra-efficient LEDs, including the A-Class LED bulbs. Crompton Lamps, one of the oldest lighting businesses in the world, has released a 3.8 W LED filament bulb with a 50,000-hour lifespan and a 210 lm/W performance. These are just a couple of examples of the growing range of ultra-efficient LED bulbs currently on the market.
Recent International Collaborations
International collaboration between governments and industry is key to the worldwide adoption of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Efforts such as the SEAD initiative, 4E (the IEA’s technology collaboration programme), and CLASP have expanded their activities over the last couple of years.
In 2022, updated LED quality and performance requirements were introduced by 4E. The IEA’s initiative has stated that the recommendations in the documents should be achievable by 2024. Tier 1 to Tier 3 (the highest available commercial level) of energy-efficient lighting is covered in the documents. Proposed efficacy levels and lifetime quality levels are included in the proposals.2
CLASP now includes access to clean energy in its activities. United for Efficiency, a global effort to support developing nations in the energy transition, is working with stakeholders to improve energy efficiency in accordance with updated model lighting regulation guidelines.
In Summary
The global adoption of energy-efficient lighting technologies, such as LEDs, will help save considerable energy and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in line with internationally agreed-upon net-zero targets. Moreover, the financial incentives for domestic and commercial customers make ultra-energy-efficient lighting attractive for families, companies, and governments.
Recent government policies, international collaboration across the industry and multiple related stakeholders, and technological innovation are helping to achieve net-zero emission targets. If it continues over the next decade, current progress will help address historical challenges in this area.
Continue Reading: Why is LED Lighting More Efficient?
References and Further Reading
- U.S Department of Energy (online) Consumer Guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting (pdf) Available at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/ES-EE%20Lighting_080921.pdf
- International Energy Agency (2023) Lighting [online] Available at: https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/lighting
- Essex County Council (2023) 100,000 streetlights replaced with LEDs in Essex [online] essex.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.essex.gov.uk/news/2023/100000-streetlights-replaced-leds-essex
- Wilson, J (2023) Switch to energy-efficient LED lighting now to mitigate energy crisis, company says [online] Engineering and Technology. Available at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2022/06/30/switch-energy-efficient-led-lighting-now-mitigate-energy-crisis-company-says
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