Brazil: growing market
Brazil: growing market
Sales of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and T8 energy-efficient fluorescent lamps both exceed one million units per year in Brazil. These are significant sales levels, considering that electricity use for lighting and total lamp sales in Brazil are less than ten percent of those in the United States. Furthermore, the market for these energy-efficient products is growing by over 20% per year.
CFLs and T8 lamps are used primarily in commercial buildings, where electricity prices exceed US$0.10/ kWh. CFLs and T8 lamps are sold by Philips, Osram, GE, and Sylvania-the major lamp manufacturers in Brazil. In some cases the products are produced or assembled locally; in other cases they are imported. Almost all CFLs are of the modular type, where the lamp is separate from the ballast. Electronic ballasts are starting to be used in CFLs, following trends in North America and Europe.
High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps are also widely sold and used in Brazil. Introduced about ten years ago, HPS lamps have steadily grown in acceptance for industrial, street, and outdoor lighting. There are approximately two million HPS lamps in use in Brazil, and recent increases in the electricity tariff for municipalities have boosted HPS lamp sales.
The efficiency of ordinary electromagnetic ballasts is increasing in Brazil as a result of a voluntary agreement completed in 1992 between electric utilities, the Federal government, and ballast manufacturers. Ballast efficiency has increased an average of ten percent already, as part of a commitment to reach US efficiency levels by 1996.
Electronic ballasts are the most recent energy-efficient lighting product introduced in Brazil. Multinational companies such as Philips and Magnetek are importing electronic ballasts, and a few domestic companies are manufacturing them locally. However, total sales were less than 20 000 units in 1993.
Other energy-efficient lighting products available and sold in Brazil include dicroic halogen lamps, occupancy sensors, and specular reflectors for fluorescent fixtures. Considering all energy-efficient lighting products in use in Brazil, we estimate that the total electricity savings were around 1 150 GWh per year as of 1993. This is equivalent to the power supplied by about 300 MW of hydroelectric capacity. Since new capacity costs at least US$2 000/kW, utilities in Brazil have already avoided over $600 million of investments due to the installation and use of energy-efficient lighting measures. Most of the electricity savings result from the use of HPS lamps and CFLs (see table).
Past sales of energy-efficient lighting products have been motivated primarily by market forces - it is cost-effective for consumers in the commercial sector to purchase efficient lighting products. Energy-efficient lighting products are also cost-effective in certain residential and industrial applications, even though consumers in these sectors pay less for electricity than do commercial consumers.
In addition to market forces, programs such as the National Electricity Conservation Program (PROCEL) and programs sponsored by individual utilities (see Brazilian Utilities: Households in Focus, IAEEL Newsletter 1/94) have encouraged the use of energy-efficient lighting products. PROCEL, for example, has funded the installation of HPS lamps for street lighting.
Brazil has proven that energy-efficient lighting is viable in a developing country. These achievements are even more remarkable considering the severe political and economic problems that exist in Brazil-conditions such as recession along with inflation in excess of 25 percent per month in recent years. If the Brazilian economy stabilizes and expands in the future, the market for energy-efficient lighting equipment should grow rapidly.
See also: Brazilian Utilities: Households in Focus (IAEEL 1/94) Howard Geller
Isac Roizenblatt
Mr. Geller is Director of the non-profit, US-based organization American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.Mr. Roizenblatt works with Philips Lighting in Brazil.
| Product | Number in use in 1993 (million) | Average savings (watts) | Average annual usage (hrs) | Annual savings (GWh) |
| Compact fluorescent lamps | 2.0 | 45 | 2 500 | 225 |
| T8 thin-tube lamps | 2.5 | 8 | 2 500 | 50 |
| High-pressure sodium lamps | 2.0 | 105 | 4 500 | 840 |
| Energy-saving (low-loss) ballasts | 2.0 | 6 | 2 500 | 30 |
| Electronic ballasts | 0.02 | 20 | 2 500 | 1 |
| Total Savings | . | . | . | 1 146 |