The Hindu : Front Page : CFLs to replace incandescent bulbs in pilot project

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Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
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CFLs to replace incandescent bulbs in pilot project

B.S. Satish Kumar

It will be launched in Bangalore Rural district in a month

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) is in the process of launching an ambitious energy conservation project for the replacement of incandescent bulbs in households with highly energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).

The pilot project, which will be taken up in Bangalore Rural district, envisages the replacement of a maximum of four incandescent bulbs in each house, adding up to five lakh bulbs. The project is expected to begin in a month.

Agency chosen

Sources in BESCOM told The Hindu that they have zeroed in on a reputed agency, which was chosen through bids, for implementing the project. The highlight of the project is that the agency will replace incandescent bulbs in households with CFLs. Consumers will have to pay around Rs. 15 for each CFL as against the market cost of more than Rs. 100.

The agency will recoup the remainder by showcasing the entire project under the Clean Development Mechanism and claiming carbon credits, as the project will help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

The logic is that there would have been a need for more energy generation, leading to burning of more fossil fuels causing environmental pollution if the energy conservation project had not been taken up.

The project will benefit consumers as their monthly electricity bills will come down with the use of CFLs. At the same time BESCOM will be a major beneficiary as the project will reduce the demand for power, thereby helping in the management of power supply, especially during the evening peak hours.

Savings

According to an estimate, CFLs use only 20 per cent of the energy consumed by incandescent bulbs. Replacement of one incandescent bulb with a CFL is expected to result in a saving of Rs. 17 a month to consumers (on the presumption that the replaced incandescent bulbs were being used for about four hours a day).

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. Managing Director B. Shivalingaiah notes that it will be possible to conserve 800 MW to 1,000 MW of power if incandescent bulbs in all households in the State are replaced with CFLs.

The sources said that the project would be extended to not only other districts of BESCOM but also the areas covered by the remaining electricity supply companies in the State depending upon the success of the pilot project. The authorities concerned are keen on extending this project to the remaining parts of the State within three to six months of launching the pilot project.

Each household participating in the project will have to sign an agreement that bans the sale of the CFLs provided. The CFLs supplied by the agency will be subjected to random sampling checks to ensure quality.

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