Energy-Efficient Lighting: The Most Natural Way Towards Sustainability
Hans Jörgen Koch
Director, Energy Efficiency, Technology and R?
International Energy Agency
9, rue de la Fédération, F-757 39 Paris Cedex 15, France
Summary of presentation
Energy, its production, its transportation and its use, are central elements in the climate-change issue; and finding ways of decoupling energy use from economic activity and development is a major focus in the pursuit of sustainability. We know that world energy demand is expanding rapidly and that a large portion of that demand is likely to come from the developing countries. We also know that lighting is essential for the development of the world and the prosperity of its people. Artificial lighting has become such a natural feature of modern society that we seldom even think of its presence or its significance. Lighting is needed to improve efficiency at work, it is needed to ensure safety on the roads, and it is needed to make life richer in our houses and cities. It enhances cultural value through aesthetic lighting of buildings. And it is a basic necessity for reading and study after nightfall.
If we acknowledge that people everywhere should enjoy equal opportunities regarding education, then we need to provide many more lamps and many more power-stations to supply them with power for lighting. For this alone, we must clearly concern ourselves not just with lighting, but with lighting that is energy efficient. In most industrialised countries, we have good lighting all around us, but it is far from being consistently energy efficient. Lighting will continue to be important, and that importance can only grow in pace with the demands of sustainability. But energy resources must be protected. Efficient lighting makes for economical use of the new energy resources we are developing but also of existing resources; and this is valid for both developed and developing economies, as nations strive together to secure a better environment.
Technology provides sure scope for change as it responds to the life-style demands of consumers, which, in turn, evolves over time as technology develops. Lighting technology is developing faster than many of us can conceive of, but technology must be accepted by users if it is to meet its goals. Factors such as these render market penetration extremely complex and they slow its progress, whatever its potential.
So, here are the dilemmas we face:
- We know that better technology exists and is developing fast, but also that it is not deployed to the extent it merits.
- We should like the market to be driven by customer needs, but we know that the way to customer acceptance is paved with hesitation.
Our efforts must be intensified to bridge the gap between users? limited knowledge of new technology and manufacturers? enthusiasm, creativity and ability to supply. The conception of Market Transformation is about bringing customers and suppliers closer together in order to discuss what is really wanted and what can really be produced. In this dialogue, users can display the necessary purchasing power to motivate technology development and reduce the risk that stands in the way of bringing improved products to the market. And here a golden opportunity exists for government agencies to step in to bridge the gaps between industry and users.
Sustainability is, after all, one of the prime concerns of governments at present. Indeed, the upcoming Kyoto Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be examining feasible targets for commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. This crucial issue concerns us all. And lighting is precisely an area that offers enormous benefits and potential to address those concerns. Making lighting more energy efficient opens up a very natural way towards sustainability.
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