IFC, WB, EESL, BEE call for energy-efficient street lighting for safer cities
Friday, 21 March 2014 04:50
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IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, along with World Bank, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and Energy Efficiency Services Limited, is hosting a two-day international conference which began yesterday, to encourage energy-efficient street lighting that will make Indian cities safer while saving energy.
The conference’s participants include public officials from Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey, the U.S., as well as a number of municipal officials from India. The conference aims to showcase successful street lighting projects in emerging and developed markets and adapt experiences to the Indian context.
Most cities use conventional energy-intensive street lighting characterised by rapid loss of luminosity, high energy consumption, and inefficient control mechanisms. Cities can achieve enhanced lighting levels and significant energy costs reduction by leveraging rapidly improving lighting technologies and implementing good maintenance practices. Till now, progress to large-scale energy-efficient street lighting has been slow in most Indian cities.
“Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Services Limited are implementing strategies and methodologies to catalyse private investment and overcome barriers and challenges in the Indian street lighting sector. I am sure the experiences of other countries in implementing such projects will provide enormous learning to this initiative,” said Dr. Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, while chairing the inaugural session.
Serge Devieux, IFC South Asia Director said, “Lessons and best practices from India and other emerging markets will empower municipal authorities to undertake projects that ensure our cities are better lit, climate-friendly, and safer for citizens, especially women.”
Energy-efficient street lighting fits well with IFC’s strategic priority of addressing climate change impacts while meeting basic infrastructure needs.
In India, IFC has assisted the state governments of Odisha and Rajasthan on two street lighting public-private partnership projects in Bhubaneswar and Jaipur.
“Energy-efficient cities can contribute significantly to national energy security and free up limited city budgets. New energy-efficient lighting technologies for street lights provide cost-effective opportunities to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said WB Country Director for India, Onno Ruhl. In India, street lighting consumes over 8,000 GWh of electricity annually; this can be reduced by 40 to 60 percent by implementing new technologies and practices, he added.
