Letters
CFLs and poor grids
Lighting is the main end-use of electricity in rural areas of developing countries. In such regions, the potential for efficiency improvements is great.
In the evaluation of rural electrification in Tanzania, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has, in cooperation with the National Electric Utility, TANESCO, found that compact fluorescent lamps would be a competitive alternative.
However, the quality of electricity in these isolated, often diesel powered, distribution grids is very poor. Power cuts are frequent and voltage fluctuations severe. We are now in the process of starting a field test of efficient lamps to judge how well they can withstand the rough conditions. Another area of concern is that a small, isolated grid may not perform well if the main load is efficient lamps. Perhaps this is not a problem with the new electronically ballasted CFLs.
If anyone has experience in dealing with these problems, please contact:
Sven Hunhammar
Program Coordinator
SEI, PO Box 2142, 103 14 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 723 02 60
Fax: +46 8 723 03 48
Since the use of CFLs is on the rise in developing countries, we plan to address this problem in future articles.