Light-Emitting Diode helps in energy conservation
Ghana's energy crisis has deteriorated in recent times, hitting households and businesses. Industries are laying-off workers and domestic power consumers are reeling under heat.
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In the midst of these, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) offers an enhanced energy efficient lighting solutions and can help conserve energy in order to sustain the economy.
Benjamin Xornam Glover of the Graphic Business caught up with the General Manager of Philips Lighting West Africa, Mr Felix Darko, and first asked him why LED Lighting is one of the surest ways of solving Ghana's energy crisis.
FD: Globally, about 98 per cent of energy produced is wasted, and Ghana is no exception. Hence, if we can bring about efficiency in the way we use energy, the consequences are immediate and enormous. In the area of lighting, a typical household or business uses not less than 20 per cent of electricity used to produce lighting.
And with conventional lighting, 60-80 per cent of this electricity goes to waste – heat generation and energy losses. LED lighting can cut the electricity wastage by up to 80 per cent, saving households and businesses cost on their electricity bill. The reduced electricity usage translates into savings on the national grid, thereby ensuring reliability in the supply.
In 2006, when Ghana went through a similar energy crisis, the Government identified replacement of Incandescent Bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs as a quick and cost effective way to address the problem.
And through that exercise, we were able to save about 120MW of peak power, which solved the energy crisis. Now, we have a newer technology – LED— which is more energy efficient and if rolled out or adopted on a large scale can bring about significant savings in our energy usage and cost. The other benefits of using Energy Efficiency (or what is called demand side management) to address the power crisis is that the cost of this approach is lower than going through Power Generation (supply side approach), is quicker to execute and has less consequences on the environment.
GB: How much on the average does it cost and what savings can one make by just switching over to LED lighting from conventional lighting?
FD: Philips has a wide LED portfolio, providing lighting and solutions to suit many applications – home, office, street, factory, warehouse, stadium, etc. Price ranges are wide to meet the pocket and budget of every project.
Typically, it will take a business under a year to recoup the initial investment of switching to LED through the savings from reduction in electricity and maintenance cost. After the initial investment cost has been recouped, the rest is benefits impacting on your bottom line.
GB: What complementary role do you expect from the government in terms of solving the energy problems?
FD: Government should continue to create the awareness of energy efficiency and encourage businesses and individuals to conserve energy by switching to energy efficient appliances, including LED lighting.
GB: What are some of the success stories you can share with regard to business that have opted for LED lighting in Ghana?
FD: In Ghana, our most recent success story is the one on “Palace switch to LED lighting and saves more than 50 per cent on electricity bill.” Palace approached Philips on how they have high expenditure on fuel in powering their generator and how their business is affected anytime there is a switch from grid to generator.
GB: What are some of Philips LED lighting solutions that can help cut energy costs for businesses?
FD: One new innovation that Philips provides for businesses is that no matter your current lighting solution, we can provide LED alternative, which offers greater benefits and meets your budget. We have a wider portfolio to meet all needs.
GB: What has been the market's response to this drive for people to switch to LED lighting?
FD: The benefits of energy efficiency aren’t always understood because many people are not so aware of their energy bills, so they don’t know how much they waste or how much can be gained. It is important to increase awareness and that is exactly what Philips is doing in the Ghanaian market.
When people and businesses appreciate that by switching to LED they can cut their electricity bill by up to 50 per cent, they will make the move. Additionally, because of the longer lifespan of LED, compared to conventional lighting, households and businesses save on replacement and maintenance cost when they switch. And in case you use a generator, switching to LED results in a reduction in fuel usage.