CFL project in UN books

The world’s biggest scheme to reduce carbon emissions by selling Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) to individual households has now got United Nations’ recognition.

A CFL lamp consumes one-fifth of the electricity — the biggest carbon emitting sector — consumed by traditional incandescent lamp.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s (BEE) Bachat Lamp Yojana (BLY) got registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this week. This means individual players — private or state government — won’t have to register projects with the UNFCCC.

Private players would be able to earn carbon credit for each CFL they sell by registering with BEE, which will notify the total credits earned to the UN. A credit is equal to a tonne of carbon emission saved.

Registration with BEE will enable CFL distributors to sell the lamp for Rs 15 a piece and recover the remaining cost by selling the credits in the international market. The rate for a carbon credit is $15.

“It is a win-win situation for private players and consumers,” said Ajay Mathur director General, BEE. Penetration of CFL at present is less than 10 per cent because of its high price, said Mathur.

In 2010-11, the government estimates to save 750 MW of power. Domestic appliances and lighting sector accounts for almost 22 per cent of the total electricity demand in India.It is estimated that there are over 400 million light points in India lighted using Incandescent Lamps. ICLs are extremely energy in-efficient, with just 5 per cent of the electricity input converted to light.