In this issue we provide information about:
- Secretariat of the Pacific Community regional activities on energy efficient lighting;
- New solar lighting laboratory in India;
- Call for proposals and finance opportunities;
- Lamp sampling and inter-laboratory comparison testing;
- New CIE LED lamp test method;
- The IEA 4E Solid State Lighting Annex;
- Specialist retailer lighting training developed by the Australian government;
- A consultation report on incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent lamps;
- Informational and technical webinars;
- IEC Technical Committee participation requirements; and,
- Advance notification of the next lites.asia meeting.
Pacific Regional Efficient Lighting Strategy Development Underway
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Improving energy efficiency offers the Pacific region multiple benefits, including reduced dependence on imported petroleum fuels, increased energy security, lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. To support the efforts of Pacific Island Countries and Territories in achieving savings through efficient lighting, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)’s Energy Programme, in partnership with the UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative and with support from the Australian Government, convened an inception workshop of the Pacific Regional Efficient Lighting Strategy project in September 2014 in Nadi, Fiji.
Laying the foundation for the development of a robust regional strategy for the reduction of electricity consumption by lighting in the region, the workshop participants discussed the key issues relating to the regional transition to energy efficient lighting and the need for an integrated policy approach.
The International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC) was contracted by SPC to coordinate the development of the regional efficient lighting strategy. Five technical working groups were established to lead the development of respective strategy components: (1) minimum energy performance standards, (2) monitoring, verification and enforcement, (3) supporting policies, (4) environmentally sound management and (5) off-grid lighting. A regional meeting of the technical working groups will be organized in February in conjunction with the Pacific Appliance Labelling and Standards steering committee meeting.
For more information on the inception workshop and the development of the regional strategy, click here.
TERI Solar Lighting Laboratory Receives Accreditation
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The Solar Lighting Laboratory (SLL), recently established by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, is the first laboratory in India to receive accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL) for International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) IEC 62257- 9-5 standards applicable to stand-alone lighting for rural electrification.
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The laboratory adheres to IEC standards for the testing of solar lighting systems and provides a resource for the testing of off-grid lighting products for the region.
For more information about SLL’s research, training and testing services, click here.
To learn more about IEC 62257-9-5, Recommendations for small renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification - Part 9-5: Integrated system - Selection of stand-alone lighting kits for rural electrification, click here.
Financing Opportunities for Efficient Lighting Projects
The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) works to stimulate technology cooperation and enhance the development and transfer of technologies at the request of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s developing country parties. It offers three core services:
- Technical assistance to developing countries to enhance transfer of climate technologies;
- Provide and share information and knowledge on climate technologies;
- Foster collaboration and networking of stakeholders on climate technologies.
Any UNFCCC participating country can submit a request for assistance through their National Designated Entity (NDE)
For lites.asia member countries considering the development of energy efficient lighting Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), a recent regional workshop in Viet Nam in October 2014, explored how the CTCN can support the development and implementation of these valuable mechanisms. The Guidebook for the Development of a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action on Efficient Lighting is a practical resource for governments, private sector investors and civil society organizations planning to create an efficient lighting NAMA.
Funding for climate change mitigation projects can be requested via the GEF STAR finance opportunity for countries. The UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative can provide assistance to countries to develop national or regional GEF project proposals on efficient lighting. For more information on technical and methodological guidance to countries, please contact UNEP at .
Lamp Sampling and Testing Activity
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As part of its Southeast Asia and Pacific Monitoring, Verification and Enforcement (MVE) project, supported by the Australian government, UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative is collaborating with six Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) on a lamp testing activity. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diode (LED) lamps are being sampled from the national markets, under the coordination of International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), and shipped to the Global Efficient Lighting Centre (GELC) in Beijing, China for testing.
The generic results for the 80 models of CFLs and 20 models of LED lamps will be published and distributed to the lites.asia members in mid-2015. These results will help stakeholders become familiar with the process of evaluating the efficiency of lamps and learn more about using product sampling and test results to improve their compliance programs.
Inter-laboratory Comparison Testing
Another activity under the UNEP Southeast Asia and Pacific Monitoring,Verification and Enforcement (MVE) project, the inter-laboratory comparison testing of LED lamps, has begun. Six laboratories, located in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are participating.
The Global Efficient Lighting Centre (GELC) is the reference laboratory for the comparison testing. Some of the lamp characteristics to be measured include: total luminous flux, active power, luminous efficacy, chromaticity, correlated colour temperature and colour rendering index. Testing procedures will follow the requirements of the new CIE test method for LED lamps (see article below).
The results of the comparison tests will demonstrate how closely the participating laboratories approach the assigned values. It will allow strengthen their capabilities and allow them to compare performance testing results with GELC and each other.
CIE LED Lamp Testing Method
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The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) recently published a new draft test method for LED lamps (Draft International Standard DIS 025/E: 2014, Test Method for LED Lamps, LED Luminaires and LED Modules). The standard should help stakeholders ensure compatibility of results between different measurement laboratories and support demonstration of compliance with regulatory requirements.
The document describes the test procedures and the tolerances required for the various device operating parameters and measurement instrumentation used. Guidance is also given on how to report measurement results in a consistent manner. Compliance with the requirements of the Draft International Standard should enable consistency of the data between different laboratories and facilitate international acceptance of test reports and certification of compliance with regulatory performance requirements of different regional bodies.
For more information on the draft standard click here. |
IEA 4E Solid State Lighting Annex Update
Member countries in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Energy Efficient End-Use Equipment (4E) Solid State Lighting (SSL) Annex work together on developing advice for governments on light emitting diode (LED) performance and testing. Previously the Annex has released guidance on LED performance levels.
Recently the Annex announced the final report on the SSL Annex's Interlaboratory Comparison 2013. The exercise was intended to assess the capacity of participating laboratories for accurate measurements in LED testing and assist those labs in gaining accreditation. The project also aimed to evaluate available test methodology for LED lighting.
The 4E SSL Annex has recently released a review of all the current life-cycle assessment studies on LED lamps and luminaires compared with conventional lighting technologies. The review found that energy in use is the dominant environmental impact of lighting systems, thus energy efficient LED systems represent an opportunity to significantly reduce the energy needed to illuminate our buildings and outdoor areas.
The Annex has also recently released a report examining Potential Health Issues of Solid State Lighting. The review evaluated whether energy-efficient LED systems are a safe light source to illuminate our homes, buildings and outdoor areas. The review concluded that SSL technology is not expected to have more direct negative impacts on human health with respect to non-visual effects than other lighting technologies. For electromagnetic fields, human exposure emitted by SSL products does not appear to be a critical issue as their magnitude is generally much smaller than those corresponding to discharge lamps or certain household appliances. The report also provides advice on flicker and glare.
For more information on the Annex, click here.
Specialist Lighting Retailer Training Package Available in Australia
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Recognizing that household lighting is an area where significant energy savings can be made by replacing inefficient lights with more cost-effective and energy efficient alternatives, the Australian government has developed a training package to help retailers assist customers to make more informed choices.
Lighting energy efficiency savings in the home depend on product choice and efficient and effective design. The new training package consists of a retailer guide and suite of residential case studies |
For more information, or to download a copy of the training material, click here.
Australia and New Zealand Release Consultation Report on Incandescent, Halogen and Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Australia and New Zealand have released a consultation report on incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent lamps. This stakeholder consultation report examines the current MEPS programs in Australia for incandescent and halogen lamps and in Australia and New Zealand for compact fluorescent lamps and discusses a number of policy options for the future direction of the program. It is projected that a revised MEPS for incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent lamps, by further shifting the market from incandescent lamps to efficient lighting such as compact fluorescent lamps and light emitting diode (LED) lamps, could help reduce residential lighting energy use by up to a further 65%. Feedback is invited on the Incandescent, Halogen and Compact Fluorescent Lamps Product Profile.
The closing date for submissions is 5.00 pm AEDT on 13 February 2015. Further reports on LED lamps and commercial lighting will also be released for comment in early 2015. To download a copy of the product profile, click here.
Informational and Technical Webinars
UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative is hosting webinars on monitoring, verification and enforcement topics. Three webinars have been held:
- Lighting Product Benchmarking as an Energy Baseline for Change
- Developing a Legislative Framework to Support Successful Monitoring, Verification and Enforcement Activities for Energy Efficient Lighting
- Testing Lamp Efficacy, Lumen Maintenance, Rated Life and Uncertainties
The next webinar, How to Set Up and Maintain a Registry of Lighting Products, is scheduled for 4 December 2014.
To download the presentations and audio recordings from the first three webinars, click here.
Next lites.asia Meeting
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The next lites.asia meeting will be held during the week of 2-6 February 2014 at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. Further information on the dates and meeting theme will be distributed to lites.asia members in December 2014.
The UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative and lites.asia welcome suggestions for topics. Suggestions should be sent to the lites.asia Secretariat at . |
IEC P-member Participation in Technical Work
Australia and lites.asia would like to remind network members of requirements for active participation in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committees (TCs) to which their countries are subscribed. Failure to meet IEC’s requirements could result in a status change from Participating member to Observer member.
More information can be found on the IEC website at http://www.iec.ch/tcnews/2011/tcnews_0211.htm (under heading P-member Participation) or http://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:134:0::::FSP_LANG_ID:25 (under heading SMB ahG 27: P-member participation). Please note that the link to further information (SMB_4491e_R.pdf) from the latter web page requires an IEC user password.
Dates for Your Diary
4 December 2014, 14:00 ICT (9:00 CET)
lites.asia meeting
3–4 February 2014 (dates to be confirmed) – United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
Regional meeting of the Pacific Regional Efficient Lighting Strategy (PELS) Technical Working Groups
February 2015 (date and location TBC) - Nadi, Fiji
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