China to phase out incandescent light bulbs in 5 years

The lights are going out for incandescent bulbs, as China pledges to replace the 1 billion it uses annually with more energy efficient models within five years.

Beijing's move is a major step in efforts to improve lighting efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lighting accounts for 19% of electricity use worldwide, according to a 2007 estimate from the International Energy Agency, a figure that could drop to 7% if the rest of the world followed China's lead, the Global Environment Facility fund said.

The decision by the world's second largest economy to phase out incandescents follows in the footsteps of Australia, the European Union, Brazil and others.

But according to the Global Environment Facility, incandescents still make up 50-70% of worldwide sales and China's move forms a striking contrast to the US government's backsliding on the issue. This summer Republicans drove a bill through the House of Representatives stripping all funding for government enforcement of improved lighting efficiency standards, which come into force next year.

It is unclear whether China will totally phase out production of incandescents. A report from state news agency Xinhua said that "imports and sales" would be banned – seemingly implying that exports would still be allowed.

Campaigners hope China's plan will nonetheless encourage producers – who make 3.85 billion incandescent bulbs a year, an estimated 70% of the world's supply – to shift towards other products, in particular CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and LEDs. CFLs use around 75% less energy to produce an equivalent amount of light and last much longer.

The country has already become the largest producer of energy-efficient light bulbs, thanks in large part to sizable grants from international environmental agencies.

Experts predict that the shift in demand will also cut the cost of CFLs and increase the cost of incandescents globally.

Imports and sales of 100 watt and higher incandescent bulbs will be banned from October next year, Xie Ji, an official at the country's top economic planning body said, while those of 60 watts and above will be banned from October 2014.

The senior official added that incandescents of 15 watts or higher would be banned from 2016 if the scheme was a success.

The plan showed China's determination to save energy, cut costs and curb climate change, he went on, and would have a "significant impact" on global use.

Xie, who is deputy director of the environmental protection department with the National Development and Reform Commission, added that lighting accounts for 12% of China's total electricity use. The NDRC has estimated that the switch will save 48 billion kilowatt hours of power per year and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 48 million tonnes annually. China emitted 7,710 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2009.

Overall, China has pledged to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16% and cut carbon emissions by 17% in the five years to 2015.

Yang Fuqiang, the senior advisor on climate change and energy at the US-based Natural Resources Defence Council, said the amount of electricity used by lighting in China at the moment was two or three times the generating capacity of the massive Three Gorges dam.

He added that while exports would still be legal, the plan should help companies produce more energy efficient bulbs, not least because China already had strong research and development and production capacity for energy efficient lighting.

The Global Environment Facility fund, which has invested millions of dollars in China to encourage the phase-out, says that moving to efficient lighting is one of the simplest ways for countries to cut carbon emissions.

Christophe Bahuet, the deputy country director of the United Nations Development Programme, said: "I think what's important for us is that China is joining an international trend. It also sends a signal that will inspire others."

But he cautioned that implementation would be key, warning: "It is a roadmap, but a lot will have to be done at provincial and local level to help explain why people should go for these plans."

Wang Jinsui, the president of the China Illuminating Engineering Society, told the China Daily newspaper earlier this year that it would take producers time to switch. He added that the government should consider subsidies because many families would not be able to afford the more expensive energy-efficient bulbs.

Liu Shengping, the secretary general of the China Association of Lighting Industry, told the newspaper that it was "unrealistic" to require energy efficient lights were used everywhere.

"As long as the demand exists, Chinese manufacturers can hardly pull the plug on the production line," he said.

• Additional research by Han Cheng

Labels: 48 million tonnes CO2 per year, 5 years, China, incandescent light bulb ban imminent

Water Bottle Light Bulbs Illuminate the Philippines

Labels: Ilac Diaz, Philippines, water bottle light bulbs

Lights go out on 60W light bulbs in the UK

Labels: 60W, BBC, phase out, Philips, Radio 4, You and Yours

Wikipedia : Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

The following Wikipedia entry for Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) is well worth reading if you would like to find out more.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source.[1] LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962,[2] early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.

When a light-emitting diode is forward biased (switched on), electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence and the color of the light (corresponding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy gap of the semiconductor. LEDs are often small in area (less than 1 mm2), and integrated optical components may be used to shape its radiation pattern.[3] LEDs present many advantages over incandescent light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size, faster switching, and greater durability and reliability. LEDs powerful enough for room lighting are relatively expensive and require more precise current and heat management than compact fluorescent lamp sources of comparable output.

Light-emitting diodes are used in applications as diverse as replacements for aviation lighting, automotive lighting (particularly brake lamps, turn signals and indicators) as well as in traffic signals. The compact size, the possibility of narrow bandwidth, switching speed, and extreme reliability of LEDs has allowed new text and video displays and sensors to be developed, while their high switching rates are also useful in advanced communications technology. Infrared LEDs are also used in the remote control units of many commercial products including televisions, DVD players, and other domestic appliances.

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Labels: 100W, 60W, 75W, GE, LED, LEDs, Light emitting diode

Wikipedia : Compact Fluorescent Lamps

A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL; also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light, and compact fluorescent tube) is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent lamp; some types fit into light fixtures formerly used for incandescent lamps.

Compared to general-service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use less power (typically one fifth) and have a longer rated life (six to ten times average). In most countries, a CFL has a higher purchase price than an incandescent lamp, but can save over five times its purchase price in electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime.[2] Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury, which complicates their disposal. In many countries, governments have established recycling schemes for CFLs and glass generally.

CFLs radiate a light spectrum that is different from that of incandescent lamps. Improved phosphor formulations have improved the perceived colour of the light emitted by CFLs, such that some sources rate the best "soft white" CFLs as subjectively similar in colour to standard incandescent lamps.

Labels: Compact fluorescent lamps, minimum standards, npower, recolight, recycling, subsidies, Tesco

Wikipedia : Incandescent Light Bulb

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process returns metal to the filament, extending its life. The light bulb is supplied with electrical current by feed-through terminals or wires embedded in the glass. Most bulbs are used in a socket which supports the bulb mechanically and connects the current supply to the bulb's electrical terminals.

Incandescent bulbs are produced in a wide range of sizes, light output, and voltage ratings, from 1.5 volts to about 300 volts. They require no external regulating equipment and have a low manufacturing cost and work equally well on either alternating current or direct current. As a result, the incandescent lamp is widely used in household and commercial lighting, for portable lighting such as table lamps, car headlamps, and flashlights, and for decorative and advertising lighting.

Some applications of the incandescent bulb use the heat generated by the filament, such as incubators, brooding boxes for poultry, heat lights for reptile tanks,[1][2] infrared heating for industrial heating and drying processes, and the Easy-Bake Oven toy. This waste heat increases the energy required by a building's air conditioning system.

Incandescent light bulbs are gradually being replaced in many applications by other types of electric lights, such as fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), high-intensity discharge lamps, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These newer technologies improve the ratio of visible light to heat generation. Some jurisdictions, such as the European Union, are in the process of phasing out the use of incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient lighting.

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Labels: 3400 degrees C, Ban incandescent light bulbs in the UK

US incandescent light bulb ban imminent (2012)

Energy-efficient lights to gain from incandescent ban

At A Glance

- The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictates phasing out incandescent light bulbs starting in 2012.

- To satisfy consumer demands, energy-efficient lights must also be instant-on, work with currently installed light switches, deliver a warm- to bright-white light, cost-effectively save energy, and have a lifetime of more than 10,000 hours.

Margery Conner, Technical Editor -- EDN, May 26, 2011

The 100-year-long reign of the incandescent light bulb is about to end. Rather than bemoaning its death, lighting-circuit designers would do well to see the opportunity in offering a light with instant-on, that dims without flicker, and that is reliable and cost-effective.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictates the phase-out of the incandescent light bulb starting in 2012 (Reference 1). The bill does not specifically ban incandescent lights: You will still be able to buy any incandescent light that can meet the act’s efficacy specification of a 25% improvement in incandescent-light output. The lights are notoriously poor producers of usable light, however. They lose 96% of the power they use to heat; hence, Hasbro uses them as the heating element in the Easy-Bake toy oven. So far, no one has discovered a cost-effective way of coaxing more light and less heat from incandescent lights.

Nevertheless, both state and national governments, as well as consumers’ preference for saving money in the face of rising energy costs, are signaling the end of the line for common incandescent light bulbs. Herein lies an opportunity for engineers in creating lights that not only replace incandescents but also enhance the home or commercial environment through automatic energy savings and create a pleasant lighting environment.

Lighting technologies such as LED, fluorescent, and halogen are vying to become the new ubiquitous light source. The challenge in the near future is to provide a lighting experience that matches consumers’ expectations for how a light should work. Consumers don’t necessarily want incandescent lights but rather lighting “experiences” that match their expectations—lights that come on instantly; work with currently installed light switches, including TRIAC (triode-alternating-current)-based dimmers; deliver a warm- to bright-white light; cost-effectively save energy, and have lifetimes of more than 10,000 hours.

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Labels: 2012, energy independence and security act 2007, incandescent light bulb ban imminent, US

Megaman CFLs do not use phenol in electric circuits

28 April 2011

To whom it may concern

MEGAMAN® ’s statement on recent press report about “Energy saving lamps (CFLs) can emit harmful substances”

Recently, a German magazine “Markt” (meaning Market) run by the NDR Television Channel conducted a laboratory test on energy saving lamps for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Lamps from five brands were tested: Osram, Attralux, Rubin, Müller-Licht and IKEA. MEGAMAN® lamps were not tested. The laboratory test report claimed that during operation CFLs can emit harmful substances (e.g. phenol) known as VOCs.

We would like to state that MEGAMAN® uses water-based adhesive and water-based phosphor coating in the production of our CFLs. No phenol is used in our production
process. MEGAMAN® products are entirely safe to use in both domestic and commercial environments.

MEGAMAN® energy saving lamps meet all the legal requirements of the EU RoHS directive. And by using a safe amalgam instead of liquid mercury, all MEGAMAN® lamps are completely safe even if broken. Furthermore, the shatter-proof silicone coating on many models makes breakage quite difficult and provides an additional level of consumer safety.

The said laboratory tests were carried out in a small chamber, not in a real living room. The test results therefore do not reflect anything like a “Real Life” situation. This is supported by the German Federal Agency for the Environment (UBA).

“The concentrations of VOCs from energy-saving lamps, which we expect indoors, are very low,” the spokesman said, “We do not see any health risks through VOC-emissions of energy saving lamps.”

When asked to comment on the test report, the spokesman of UBA made the following statements.

“Because of the electronic and electrical equipment (e.g. TV, computer and mobile phones) in use today, VOC emissions are common and plentiful. Concentrations of up to 300µg/m³ are seen as normal and harmless in indoor air.”

“If we assume that a CFL is normally used in a small room (volume around 30m³) then we have to divide the measured test chamber concentration by at least 1000. The test results therefore indicate that the true concentration of VOCs in a room of that size would be around a few micrograms/m³ (1,9µg/m³ for a new and strongly emitting lamp). That means that the additional emissions caused by a CFL are just a tiny part of the normal concentration of VOCs common in interior rooms, and may safely be ignored.”

“We do not see any urgent need for action caused by the publication of these results. An exclusive evaluation of this matter will be presented within a month by the indoor air commission of the Federal Agency for the Environment.” (Source: Federal Agency for the Environment (UBA), Press Office)

Stiftung Warentest (German product test foundation) presents different results regarding indoor air pollution compared to the results of the NDR test. Stiftung Warentest regularly measures VOCs in its energy saving lamps tests. In its current energy saving lamps test 3/2011 no noticeable results were found regarding indoor pollutants. Both tested MEGAMAN® lamps were ranked “very good” regarding indoor pollutants. (See Attachment for Stiftung Warentest test report 3/2011)

Should you have any enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Sharon Pang
Senior Brand Manager
Neonlite Electronic & Lighting (HK) Ltd
Email: sharon@neonlite.com.hk

Labels: CFLs, megaman, phenol, press release, volatile organic compounds

Phenol scare story...

Energy saving light bulbs 'contain cancer causing chemicals' (Daily Telegraph, 20 April, 2011)

Fears have been reignited about the safety of energy saving light bulbs after a group of scientists warned that they contain cancer causing chemicals.

Their report advises that the bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on.

Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.”

The bulbs are already widely used in the UK following EU direction to phase out traditional incandescent lighting by the end of this year.

But the German scientists claimed that several carcinogenic chemicals and toxins were released when the environmentally-friendly compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were switched on, including phenol, naphthalene and styrene.

Andreas Kirchner, of the Federation of German Engineers, said: “Electrical smog develops around these lamps.

“I, therefore, use them only very economically. They should not be used in unventilated areas and definitely not in the proximity of the head.”

British experts insisted that more research was needed and urged consumers not to panic.

Dr Michelle Bloor, senior lecturer in Environmental Science at Portsmouth University, told the Daily Express: “Further independent studies would need to be undertaken to back up the presented German research.”

The Department for the Environment insists the bulbs are safe, despite the fact that they contain small amounts of mercury which would leak out if the glass was broken.

Advice on its website states: “Energy efficient light bulbs are not a danger to the public.
“Although they contain mercury, limited at 5mg per lamp, it cannot escape from a lamp that is intact."

“In any case, the very small amount contained in an energy efficient bulb is unlikely to cause harm even if the lamp should be broken.”

The latest report follows claims by Abraham Haim, a professor of biology at Haifa University in Israel, that the bulbs could result in higher breast cancer rates if used late at night.

He said that the bluer light that CFLs emitted closely mimicked daylight, disrupting the body's production of the hormone melatonin more than older-style filament bulbs, which cast a yellower light.

The Migraine Action Association has warned that they could trigger migraines and skin care specialists have claimed that their intense light could exacerbate a range of existing skin problems.

Labels: CFLs, germany, markt, ndr, phenol, voc