Chennai: Seven months before the Nobel rewarded the inventors of the blue light-emitting diodes (LED), Puducherry government started distributing low cost LED bulbs to every household. By October 7, when the physics Nobel prize was announced in Stockholm, Puducherry had achieved the unique feat of lighting every home with LED bulbs.
In one of the biggest drives to conserve energy, the Demand Side Management based Efficient Lighting Programme (DLEP) replaced all incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Nearly 7.35 lakh 7watt LEDs were distributed to 2.45 lakh households at '10 each. Puducherry will save up to 48.75 million units of energy per annum.
“Consumers benefit by getting low cost LEDs and lower electricity charges and power utility will benefit due to reduced demand,” explains a Puducherry power department official.
Prof S. Iniyan, director of Institute of Energy Studies, Anna University, says LED bulbs in households will help reduce the demand for power drastically and help a state like Tamil Nadu, which is facing a power deficit.
Mr Sunil Sikka, president of Electric Lamp and Component Manufacturers Association of India (ELCOMA) and president, Havells India Limited, told this newspaper that by 2019, the power load in the country is expected to reduce to 14 per cent through replacement of incandescent bulbs with LEDs When EESL procured 7.5 lakh LED bulbs for Puducherry, the cost of the LED bulbs reduced from Rs 400 to Rs 310 to Rs 204 two weeks back.
“At a price of Rs 204, LEDs are just 30-40 per cent costlier than CFLs. Besides, LEDs last 4-5 times more than CFLs and therefore are a cheaper option,” said a power department official.
In an effort to conserve energy, Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency has installed energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting system in over 20,000 houses constructed under the Chief Minister Solar Powered Green Houses Scheme (CMSPGHS) in four districts.
Under the scheme the houses constructed in Vellore, Erode, Tiruchy and Tirunelveli have been fixed with LED lights instead of Compact Fluorescent Lamp system.
“Installation of LED lights will help reduce power consumption besides increasing duration of usage in households from six hours to eight hours a day using the solar power,” the official said. Each house has been provided with five solar powered LED bulbs.
Under the green house scheme, 3 lakh houses will be equipped with solar powered lighting systems.
