Philips Lighting delivered its one billionth LED bulb at a special ceremony in Bonn attended by representatives of the UN and the International Energy Agency, becoming the first company to reach the milestone and setting it on track to meet its 2020 two-billion LED lamp goal. According to the firm, the energy savings resulting from all these power-efficient light bulbs is the equivalent of 30 medium-sized coal-fired power stations and the CO2 emissions from 12 million cars. As a result, the firm called on governments to commit to 100 per cent energy-efficient lighting targets in buildings and street lighting. “This milestone demonstrates that we can successfully drive the transition from conventional lighting technologies to LED, which can make a significant contribution to global climate change objectives,” said Harry Verhaar, head of global public and government affairs at Philips Lighting. “Energy efficiency is the low hanging fruit – today, energy efficiency improves by about 1.5 per cent every year but simply doubling this to three per cent, per year would set us on a sustainable path.” The milestone demonstrates that efficient and clean energy policies are an increasingly key part of global business strategies.
Business Green 17th Nov 2017 read more »
On 28 November, the Industry committee of the European Parliament will deliver a crucial vote on the EU 2030 energy efficiency target. According to Clémence Hutin, who works for the Climate Justice and Energy Programme of Friends of the Earth Europe, there is cross-party support for an ambitious 40% target, but she warns that two key rapporteurs on the file are no friends of energy efficiency. Both, she says, have incorrectly argued that higher energy efficiency could increase energy poverty. According to rapporteur Adam Gierek, energy poverty can only be fought by making power plants more efficient, de facto supporting so-called cleaner coal. This focus on primary energy disregards the opportunity to act on one of the root causes of energy poverty: leaky, inefficient homes that waste energy and drive up bills. Such a shift also risks exacerbating the problem of energy poverty, as Europeans would pay life-support for dirty power plants without reaping direct benefits of energy savings in terms of comfort and reduced bills. Markus Pieper is another problematic figure on the file, from the European People’s Party (EPP), as he presents ambitious efficiency policy as costly and unaffordable for citizens, and decries the “increase in energy bills” increased renovation efforts would represent.
Energy Post 15tyh Nov 2017 read more »
