Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy R.K Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, March 22 informed that the UJALA programme was successful in bringing down the retail price of LED bulbs from Rs 300-350 per LED bulb in the year 2014 to Rs 70-80 per bulb, in a short span of 3 years.
About UJALA
UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Light Emitting Diode (LED) for All), launched on January 5, 2015, aimed to provide energy-efficient LED bulbs to domestic consumers at an affordable price.
UJALA was launched to increase the demand for LED lights by aggregating requirements across the country and providing economies of scale to manufacturers through regular bulk procurement. It helped the manufacturers to reduce the cost of LED bulbs not only for UJALA program but for the retail segment as well.
Saving Energy
The UJALA programme aims at enhancing consumer awareness on the financial and environmental benefits of using energy-efficient appliances and creating a market for energy-efficient appliances.
According to the Union Power Minister, the distribution of 36.79 Crore (as of March 16, 2022) LED bulbs resulted in energy saving of 47,784 million units of electricity per annum. Further, a peak demand reduction of 9,566 MW and 38.70 million tonnes of CO2 emission reduction annually was also registered.
It also promotes the use of the most efficient lighting technology at affordable rates to domestic consumers which benefits them by way of reduced energy bills and improved quality of life.
Street Lighting National Program
Street Lighting National Program (SLNP) was also launched on January 5, 2015, as “Prakash Path” – National Program for the adoption of LED Street Lighting. The main objective was to convert conventional street lights with energy-efficient LED Street Lights.
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) was designated as the implementing agency to implement this program across Pan- India. Union Minister R.K Singh also informed the House that till date, EESL has installed over 1.23 crore (as of March 16, 2022) LED street lights in ULBs and Gram Panchayats across India.
This has resulted in energy saving of 8516.7 Million Unit of Electricity per annum, peak demand reduction of 1419.45 MW and 5.87 Million tons of CO2 emission reduction annually.
Benefits
The LED initiative has added to the government’s efforts towards energy efficiency in the country. In addition to reduction and better management of energy consumption in peak demand, the UJALA and SLNP programmes are also helping in various other avenues. For instance,
– Green House Gas (GHG) Emission Reduction: It has helped in mitigating climate change by implementing energy-efficient LED-based street lights. This has resulted in reduced GHG emissions. Furthermore, reduction in energy intensity has supported India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals.
– Improvement in the safety and security in public areas in rural, semi-urban, and urban settings through better illumination.
