Concept Document for retrofitting the Street lights with LEDs

Background

The Conference of Parties (COP), by its decision CP.15, state that “We agree that deep
cuts in global emissions are required according to science, and as documented by the IPCC
Fourth Assessment Report with a view to reduce global emissions so as to hold the increase in
global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, and take action to meet this objective consistent
with science”.
A study by Mckinsey: “A cost curve for greenhouse gas reduction” is briefly discussed
below: It shows the estimates of the prospective annual abatement cost in euros per ton of
avoided emissions of greenhouse as well as the abatement potential of these approaches in
gigatons of emissions. The abatement cost for wind power, for example, should be understood
as the additional cost of producing electricity with this zero-emission technology instead of
the cheaper fossil fuel-based power production it would replace. The abatement potential of
wind power is our estimate of the feasible volume of emissions it could eliminate at a cost of
40 Euros a ton or less.
At the low end of the curve are, for the most part, measures that improve energy efficiency.
These measures reduce emissions by lowering demand for power. This is shown in the figure
1.1

Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
The figure 1.2 indicates that the two pronged measure of improving the supply and demand
side can have significant contribution to the reduction of GHG emission. The supply side can
implement modern technology for power generation to reduce specific emissions. While
Demand side can contribute positively towards the solution by adopting energy efficient
technologies and a more energy conserving lifestyle.
Scope of the concept document

The present concept document is aimed at addressing primarily the implementation of

Energy efficient outdoor lighting system to reduce the demand on the grid, and hence
reduce the GHG and aid in sustainable development.

This document can be used as a tool for planners to expedite the implementation
process by providing the technical, financial aspects of the project and hence reduce
the time needed for the implementation of the GHG emission targets.

Concrete examples of the contribution of Outdoor lighting innovation is making to

sustainable development, environmental regeneration and mitigation of Green House
Gases is provided.

This report was prepared using the guidelines laid out in the IPCC 4 AR for
computing the emission equivalents.

Taking the cue from the UNEP’s GEO-2000 Global Environment Outlook “Taking an
Integrated approach: Changes are needed in the ways we think about the environment
and in ways in which we manage it. First, environmental issues need to be integrated
into mainstream thinking. Options for add-on environmental policies have been
exhausted in many sub-regions. Better integration of environmental thinking into
decision-making about agriculture, trade, investment, research and development,
infrastructure and finance is now the best chance for effective action.” it is thought
to obtain a comprehensive decision making process which will incorporate
environmental aspects into the planning process.
LEaDing the Lumens

Human beings have made the earth much brighter place as seen by the Astronaut
Sunitha William’s image

In addition to the buildings, vehicles, there are tens of millions of street lights,
consuming trillions of kilowatt-hours of electricity each year contributing to the GHG.
These lights provide increased safety and comfort to citizens, but their cost, both
financial and environmental, has become a growing concern to citizens and
municipalities worldwide.

The concept paper aims to catalyze action to reduce the energy and maintenance cost
of outdoor street lighting, while eliminating mercury pollution, reducing light
pollution, and improving lighting quality.

Brief history of outdoor lighting

Mercury vapour lamp – main problems include mercury disposal, lumen maintenance,
and energy consumption issues

Low pressure Sodium oxide (LPS or SOX) lamps – color issues, color rendering
index (CRI)
High-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal Halide (MH)

LED

In just the past few years, high power light emitting diode (LED) technology from a
few vendors has achieved the brightness and efficacy to compete with the best
conventional light sources in outdoor area lighting, including street, parking and path
lighting. LEDs can create high quality, directional white light using minimal power,
and last several times longer than HID lights.

As seen from Figure 2.1, the efficiency of LED is shown to increase as per the guide
“The Role of Electricity : A new path to secure, competitive energy in a carbon-
constrained world” produced by Eurelectric – Union of the Electric Industry.

Figure 2.1

Considering the latest findings in LED development, all the factors which can further
help planners to decide on the public lighting systems are delved into below.

The “Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Development” can catalyze market

penetration of LED. The pilot project and its stakeholders can become a pioneer for
setting best practices in the use of energy efficient systems. The pilot programme
would experiment with LED street lighting and provide bench marks for other
cities/towns/municipalities/institutions around the globe, provide feedback to LED
manufactures to undertake design innovations based on the assessment.

An effective and efficient lighting system will

• Provide a high level of visual comfort

• Make use of natural light
 • Provide the best light for the task
• Provide controls for flexibility
• Have low energy requirements

A pilot programme can be designed to facilitate market penetration of LED

lights. The design can be made considering the following objectives and the
relevant scope of the pilot maybe decided based the regional needs.

Objective 1: Enable policy making towards energy efficiency

Trends towards environmental degradation can be slowed, and economic activity can be
shifted to a more sustainable pattern. Choices for development, and levels and patterns of
consumption, are shaped by human aspirations and values, and these choices can be
influenced by policy intervention. (source : UNEP :GEO 2000)

Objective 2: Employment generation

Case Study for LED can produce a plan for creating jobs for weaker sections in the
lighting industry (the lighting industry in the Asia region is still in its nascent stage
and there is tremendous potential for employment and economic opportunities)

Objective 3: Benefits to Transportation sector

The pilot can help the Transportation department to identify ways to improve the
location of these outdoor lighting structures which provide comfort to the users at the
same time cause minimal hindrance to the vehicle users.) Industry can be prodded to
come up with more efficient designs from this perspective.

Objective 4: Environment outreach programmes

Environment outreach program can be developed for educational outreach activities

by conducting competitions around innovative LED designs (which can also increase
penetration of Energy Efficient LED lighting in other sectors as well). Refer to
Oshrams lighting design for ideas (http://www.led-emotionalize.com/). This can be
done in collaboration with the regional Science and Technology Councils.

Objective 5: Impact on Urban Heat Island Effect

Objective 6: Quantify the Environmental Impacts

Energy Impacts on the Environment

Electricity use for lighting has many environmental impacts apart from the
consumption of non-renewable resources. These impacts vary depending on the
energy generation mix. Coal-fired power plants are associated with air pollution and
acid rain, and are also the largest source of air-born mercury emmisions(EPA 1997).
Hydropower plants can affect fish populations and the availability of water for
farmers. Nuclear power plants have long-term disposal costs. Even renewable energy
sources can have negative impacts, such as the interference of large wind turbines on
bird migrations.
Every kilowatt-hour reduction in lighting energy use directly reduces these negative
impacts of electricity use. Table shows the sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon
dioxide emissions of electricity generation.

These emissions are considered key “indicator” chemicals that negatively impact air
quality, the production of acid rain, and global climate change.

Reducing the need for additional power plants has been one of the biggest motivations
for utility programs that promote lighting energy efficiency. These “demand-side
management” programs act to balance power generation needs by reducing demand
for electricity, as opposed to increasing electricity generating supply. More people can
be served with existing equipment if everyone uses electricity more efficiently. Fewer
power plants means less pollution and fewer sites that must be found that will tolerate
the construction of a new power plant.

Local Pollution Control

Energy Efficiency also results in the reduction of other co-pollutants which are
emitted along with the Green House Gases and the local Pollution Control Board can
reward the implementers of LED systems with the equivalent pollutants mitigated.

Objective 7:LED Lighting Impacts on Peak Electric Loads

Street Lighting generally operates during the 6:00 pm to 6:00 pm which is likely the
peak demand period for many regions. LED lighting has the potential to improve the
load factor. Managing peak demand is extremely important for the utility. Generating
plants that operate during peak periods are typically more expensive to operate. In
addition, peak load management can avoid the threat of systems overload and
burnouts, and can help utilities reduce their costs in serving customers. With reliably
lower peak loads, a utility may be able to defer the need for building new power
plants, which can be extremely expensive, or avoid purchasing power from other
suppliers at the highest rates.

Demand Side Management cost benefit equivalent can be raised from the regional
utilities plan allocation fund – (this has the potential to qualify for innovative proposal
request category as well)

Objective 8: Power System Improvement Projects

Lesser financial investments would be needed for Power System improvement due to
the lesser need to upgrade overhead lines, transformers due to lesser street lighting
demand compensating for Load growth.

Objective 9:Resources Efficiency

Natural resources are extracted from the earth to manufacture lamps, ballasts,
transformers, luminaires, lenses, controls and other lighting equipment. Energy and
other resources are then used to manufacture the products. Additional resources and
energy are used to package the products and to deliver them to distribution points.
When their useful life is up, many lighting products end up in landfills. Some lighting
products such as incandescent lamps last less than 1000 hrs, so this process is
frequently repeated for many products resulting in resulting in environmental
degradation stress and degradation, locally and regionally, causing strain to the
environment. LED with a higher lifetime do fall on the higher side of the resource
efficiency.

Objective 10:Disposal Issues

Some lamps may contain hazardous materials that may be considered hazardous
waste. Mercury is a component of all fluorescent and most HID lamps. But in LED
there are no hazardous waste.

Objective 11:Light Trespass

Light trespass can be most simply defined as unwanted light from a neighbouring
property. IT has become a subject of increasing concern as the prevalence and
intensity of outdoor lighting has grown. Potential sources include street lighting,
security lighting, sports lighting, billboards and signs, and car headlights.

Objective 12:Impact on Biosphere

This project can be a case for understanding and findings of human lighting on the
biology of life. Good case for UN year of Bio-diversity.

The haphazard lighting currently used to support our 24/7 lifestyle affects our natural
rhythm, our physical and spiritual well-being, and our ability to see and study the
stars. Continuous illumination also relates to the natural rhythms of animals, birds,
reptiles, bugs, and yes, even plants. More conscious lighting design can help us
address these issues, and some early thinkers can set the tone by implementing
appropriate outdoor lighting and environmental stewardship.

Objective 13:Light quality doesn’t equal light quantity

Light quality doesn’t equal light quantity. The most common rationale for nighttime
lighting is uniform lighting at an appropriate low intensity is better at helping us see at
night than non-uniform light at brighter levels. Consider the way our eyes function:
when we walk into a building from bright sunlight, our eyes take time to adjust to the
change in the intensity. The same thing occurs at night as we look from highly
illuminate zones such as parking lots to non-illuminated zones.

The intensity of light required to illuminate objects adequately at depends on the site.
Exterior lighting at a rural site will appear brighter than the same lighting system
installed in a fully developed city or suburban with a higher ambient light level.
The international lighting commission(Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage,CIE)
developed the lighting zone classification system and is adopted by the International
Dark-Sky Association(IDA). Hence it is important to identify appropriate nighttime
light levels for various demographic regions and lighting applications.

Objective 14: Feedback to the National brand name performance indices

This program can feed to the National brand name performance feedback (National
lighting Product Information Program)

Objective 15: Electrocutions statistics study

Lesser accidents due to Electrocutions are also likely with LED lighting.

Objective 16: Decade of Education

Can provide an outreach center for the UNs environment outreach programme by
conducting training programmes, events to sensitise create awareness about the need
for energy conserving decision making.

Structure of a Pilot programme

Step 1 : Objective of the pilot programme can be defined based on the suggestive
objectives discussed above.
Step 2 : Observation and Establishment of Baseline Lighting Levels
Step 3 : Presentation/Submission of the Concept note to various funding agencies
Step 4 : Choose the funding source
Step 5 : Follow through the funding body’s procedures for procurement/installation
Step 6 : Report the outcome at the end of the study of the benefit of global use.

Typical Analysis of the project benefits

Energy and Cost Existing option LED replacement

Analysis / year Sodium Vapor 250 W 45 W
Number KWhr Cost Number KWhr Cost
Bulb & Rs Rs
Luminaire 5000 3500/unit 5000 65000/unit
Energy / Year
(KWhr) 6066300 1095000
Energy Cost /
Year (Rupees in
lakhs) 212 38

This analysis if extended to include the savings in lesser maintenance of LED lights
and less frequent replacement will make the results even better.

In addition to the evident financial benefits of the energy saving LED lighting, there
are other benefits to the human society as well as is evident from the “Schematic
Framework of anthropogenic climate change drivers, impacts and responses” –
Climate Change 2007 : Synthesis report by IPCC shown in Fig 3.1
The implementation of the LED lighting system ( 5000 street lights ) can result in a
reduction of GHG to the tune of 4339945 kg of CO2. (This GHG equivalent is based
on the fuel mix for South India)
Outcomes of the Pilot Program

• Document actual field performance of energy reductions due to the

incorporation of LED and /or ALT technologies in a variety of applications
over the course of 6 months monitoring, including cumulative GHG
reductions.
• Experience public reaction to a variety of retrofit situations
• Accident reports
• Determine the suitability of the approach for other future pilots, with similar
scope and financial constraints
• Facilitate capacity-building in a variety of
cities/towns/municipalities/institutions and other groups to enable them to
perform monitoring in-house.
• Facilitate international adoption of a common-sense approach to the field
evaluation of energy-reducing outdoor lighting technologies.
• Impact of the public lighting on species in the region ( Effect on bio-diversity)
• Provide on-going training on the Energy efficiency options, procurement
process
• Source of regional employment generation
• Healthy neighbourhood
• Capacity Building mechanism
• Waste Management
• Renewable option ( If Solar is also considered )
• Need to train a Servicing sector for maintenance (Employment opportunities
and preparedness for the newer market). As the efficiency curves given below
shows that LEDs are going to be the preferred lighting option of the future.
Case Studies

COP-15 Bella Centers

Ann Arbor, US LED lighting program