LEDs will soon be used for almost every lighting application and will significantly reduce the demand for electricity . Since the advent of the new government in India in 2014 , the LED sector has been witnessing a huge boost , with several predictions claiming that India is on the verge to become the largest LED based market in the world . LED ( light-emitting diodes ), as a technology , has been around for over 5 decades now but has been gaining tremendous popularity in recent times due to its energy efficiency and durability features . Phenomenal growth has been recorded over the past five years in the LED market and the trend is expected to continue over the next five years .
In India , Narendra Modi government has undertaken flagship scheme called UJALA ( Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All ), introduced initially as Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme ( DELP ), with an aim to replace high-power consuming , inefficient lightings with the energy-efficient LED lamps . This has accelerated the LED market in India in a tremendous momentum .
" With India selling 770 million LED bulbs every day , the country will soon become the LED capital of the world . Prices of LED bulbs have come down to Rs . 55 from over Rs 332 two years ago ," said Piyush Goyal , power minister .
According to Saurabh Kumar , MD , Energy Efficiency Services , the nodal agency for implementing the UJALA scheme , stated that India consumes around 12 % of all LED lighting systems sold in the world . He says that the UJALA scheme has played an instrumental role in this . More than 9.7 crore LED bulbs have been distributed so far under the scheme .
It is projected that , the UJALA scheme would save Rs 40,000 crore in annual electricity bills for consumers . The scheme is also expected to result in reduction of 20,000 MW load , energy savings of 100 billion units and bring down greenhouse gases emission by 80 million tonne a year .
Hon ’ ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the LED bulb as “ Prakash Path ” – “ way to light ".
Speaking on the scheme , Kumar says , " UJALA ' s beauty is that there is no subsidy involved , neither by the Centre nor by any state government .
Under the scheme , the price of an LED bulb will cost Rs . 85 for a 9-watt on an average . Some states have received even lower prices during bidding . According to a report titled , “ India LED Lighting Market Forecast & Opportunities , 2020 ” by research based management consulting firm TechSci Research , the country ’ s LED lighting market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 32 % during the span of 2015-20 .
In India , lighting sector accounts for about 20 % of the total power consumption . Currently most of the lighting needs in domestic and public sectors are met by high-power consuming incandescent or CFL bulbs . The UJALA scheme aims at replacing around 77 crore inefficient bulbs in the country with LEDs .
The rise in LED consumption in India can be accounted under the following factors : Central government ’ s schemes like UJALA , offering subsidized LED lighting products ; Rising personal disposable incomes ; Declaration and implementation of smart city projects ; Awareness drives on energy efficient power consumption technologies and its benefits ; Application of LED lightings by government in public space such as parks , streets , railways , metro stations , parking lots and other public places .
In 2015 , the outdoor lighting application alone generated a revenue share of over 60 % in India LED market and the trend is expected to continue through 2021 .
Currently adoption of LED lighting products has been recorded highest in the Southern and Northern states of India due to higher literacy rate and awareness . Rising urban population of the country , that has rose to 33 % in 2015 , is expected to further drive demand for LED lighting in India during next five years .
The “ India LED Lighting Market Forecast & Opportunities , 2020 ” report observed that upsurge in adoption of LED lighting is encouraging major players to set up manufacturing and assembling units in India in the near future . These include Philips , Innovlite , GE , Havells , and Syska amongst the few of the leading players in India ’ s LED lighting market , along with various new entrants expected to venture in , in the coming years . The report also states that Philips LED continues to be the dominant player in the country ’ s LED market , followed by Syska LED lights , as the third largest contributor to the total revenue , along with Havells , Innovlite , Osram , Bajaj , and GE among others .
This rising trend in LED has witnessed several exclusive LED exhibitions and trade fairs in major Indian cities . Light India and LED Expo are the prominent among them all .
In the international arena , LED lighting has already taken several technological leaps with advanced concepts and technologies in LED becoming an integral part of urban infrastructure .
According to a recent report by Philips Lighting , at Smart Cities Expo World Congress in Barcelona , urban populations are growing rapidly and 60 % of the world population is predicted to be living in cities by 2030 . Philips Lighting Research unveiled an image of how connected lighting technology will play a key part in supporting the smart cities that are expected to be inhabited in just over a decade .
The company claims to be working to aid in paving the way for massive urban growth by developing a people-centric blueprint for lighting and Internet of Things ( IoT ) services in the smart city of the future . The column on LED and LED based lighting consists of latest technologies offered by the companies .
ELE Times | 17 | December, 2016