Gotta give credit where credit is due. Since 1976, the Maryland-based
non-profit National Lighting Bureau has
served as the Nation's most trusted lighting information source. With sponsors to include GE Lighting, Illuminating
Engineering Society of North America (IES), Lutron Electronics Company, Inc., National
Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA) and the U.S. General Services Administration they surely
have their finger on the collective pulse of this industry. A recent NLB report comes at a time when many
across our industry were wondering if bad news is becoming the new normal.
Energy
Savings Potential of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications says that growing
reliance on Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting will conserve 2,700
terawatt-hours (2.7 trillion kilowatt-hours) of energy use over the next 20-years
saving building owners about $250 billion at today’s energy prices while
reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 1.8 billion tons of carbon, assuming
today’s power-plant generating mix stays in place.
The NLB report predicts that, compared to conventional
incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, and high-intensity-discharge (HID) white-light
sources, the rate of LED market penetration will increase steadily, rising to
36% of general-illumination lumen-hour sales in 2020, and to 74% percent by
2030.
“In 2030,” the report states, “the annual energy savings due
to the increased market penetration of LED lighting is estimated to be
approximately 300 terawatt-hours, or the equivalent annual electrical output of
about fifty 1,000-megawatt power plants. At today’s energy prices, that would
equate to approximately $30 billion in energy savings in 2030 alone. Assuming
the current mix of generating power stations, these energy savings would reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 210 million metric tons of carbon. The total
electricity consumption for lighting would decrease by roughly 46 percent relative
to a scenario with no additional penetration of LED lighting in the market –
enough electricity to completely power nearly 24 million homes in the U.S.
today.”
“The predicted reductions in energy consumption,
greenhouse-gas emissions, and operating and maintenance costs are extremely
positive. Nonetheless, not just a few lighting-industry insiders believe that
the role of LED lighting may not be quite as prominent as forecasted,
principally because of the efficiency and longevity advances being made by
alternative sources, fluorescent in particular," said National Lighting
Bureau Chair Howard P. Lewis "As such, LEDs may have more competition in
the years ahead, not less, all of which is a good thing. More products and more
types of products will be competing on the basis of efficiency, cost, and
functionality, meaning not only that the study’s forecasts about energy and
cost savings will likely be realized, they may even be exceeded.”
The study focuses on four
principal sectors of the U.S. lighting market – residential, commercial,
industrial, and outdoor stationary – where an array of lighting products
competes for market share.
With energy costs in the Western Pacific among the highest in
America, it is time to take a serious look at those solutions to reduce
consumption and improve efficiencies where you can.
To learn more about the LED lighting products
and other related electrical products that GET, LLC provides, please check out
our website at www.get-guam.com or call us to discuss solutions for your
important lighting needs.