A joint venture of Central PSUs in the power ministry, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), is spearheading a number of flagship programmes that are helping the nation achieve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. EESL’s activities span lighting, domestic appliances, electric vehicles, etc. As far as lighting is concerned, EESL is championing the energy-efficiency cause through two programmes – UJALA and SLNP. In this exchange, we have Animesh Mishra, Chief General Manager (PR), EESL, asserting that these two programmes are making a huge contribution in India’s journey towards becoming a low-carbon economy. LED lighting, once considered a niche segment meant only for the affluent, has now reached even rural roads.
The UJALA scheme is perhaps the largest energy-efficiency programme anywhere in the world. Has the success of UJALA met EESL’s expectations?
UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs) is indeed one of the largest energy-efficiency programmes in the world and, yes, it has met our expectation at every step. UJALA’s primary objective was to overcome cost barriers in the adoption of LEDs, and it has succeeded in doing that.
In 2014, the cost of a LED bulb in the retail market was Rs.400-500 per bulb. EESL’s intervention through UJALA brought down the price below Rs.100 per bulb. By acting as a demand aggregator, EESL has enabled a huge market transformation. Moreover, UJALA monetizes energy consumption reduction in households and attracts investments into the energy efficiency sector.
Could you summarize the key features of the UJALA programme?
Few salient features of the UJALA programme are:
- It promotes use of energy-efficient lighting technology at affordable rates for domestic consumers. Consumers benefit from reduced energy bills and better livelihoods.
- It enhances consumer awareness on financial and environmental benefits of using energy-efficient LED lights.
It aggregates requirements across the country and providing an impetus to the domestic lighting industry.
- It provides economies of scale to manufacturers through regular bulk procurement. This helps in reducing the cost of LED bulbs for the retail segment as well.
- It encourages manufacturers to “Make in India”. Domestic manufacturing of LED bulbs has increased from about 100,000 per month in the initial stages of the programme to almost 40 million per month at present.
The cumulative achievement of LED bulbs distributed under UJALA, as we understand, currently stands at over 36.80 crore. Please take us through the distribution pattern in recent years.
Yes, the total number of bulbs that have been distributed so far amounts to 36.86 crore. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 47.87 billion kWh per year with avoided peak demand of 9,585 MW, GHG emission reduction of 38.77 million tonnes CO2 per year and estimated annual monetary savings of Rs.19,150 crore in consumer electricity bills.
The procurement of LEDs is done through an open e-bidding process and the information about the programme is disseminated through a website www.ujala.gov.in which monitors real time progress of the UJALA scheme. The site also provides information about the places where these bulbs are made available, quality control measures and results of independent verification of savings done from time to time.
In 2019-20, over 1.24 crore LED bulbs were distributed and in 2020-21, this figure was around 60 lakh.
Which states are today leading in terms of LED bulbs distributed? Please give us an idea of the energy savings that have accrued so far due to UJALA. (Value terms, avoided generation capacity, carbon emission reduction, etc).
Odisha is the leading state in terms of LED distribution, with around 5.23 crore LEDs distributed so far. In Gujarat, ranking second, 4.14 crore units have been distributed. Uttar Pradesh with 2.63 crore and Rajasthan with 1.73 crore are amongst the leading states. The state-wise segregation of LED distribution can easily be found on UJALA dashboard.
The price of LED bulbs has drastically reduced over the recent years? Is it merely because of economies of scale? Please discuss.
One of the major reasons for the drastic reduction in the price of LED bulbs has been economies of scale, made possible by demand aggregation and bulk procurement. Yet another reason for the reduced price is the reduced marketing costs. UJALA has been a nationwide success, with mass awareness about the scheme and the socio-economic benefits of using LED bulbs. (See graph)
Has the fall in LED bulb prices in any way affected the quality of LED lamps, especially in terms of longevity?
No, the fall in prices of UJALA LEDs has not affected the quality at all, as EESL procures these bulbs as per the latest technical specifications and follows a strict quality control mechanism. Quality checks are done before every dispatch to ensure the quality of bulbs.
Please take us through the broad process of empanelling an LED lighting manufacturer into the UJALA/SLNP scheme. What quality checks are usually performed?
EESL procures LEDs from lighting manufactures through an open tender process, which is in line with the norms formulated and standardized by the Department of Expenditure, Procurement division.
EESL procurements conform to BIS specification IS16102 (Part 1) and (Part 2): 2012 for self-ballast lamps. Similar specifications apply for LED streetlights. The home lights carry a 3-year free replacement warranty against technical defects. The streetlights carry a 7-year warranty.
To ensure that manufacturers honour their quality commitments, EESL retains 30 per cent of the contract value as bank guarantee for the entire period of warranty.
Additionally, EESL follows a 3-tier approach to ensure that quality of LED bulbs is not compromised at any stage:
Bidding Stage: The prospective bidders are required to provide bid documents along with the following test reports from National Accreditation Board of Laboratories (NABL) accredited labs:
Distribution/Installation Stage: EESL picks up samples of LED bulbs/streetlights at each place where distribution is taking place, as well as from the manufacturing facility. These samples are then tested at NABL-accredited labs. These tests are carried out at the manufacturers’ facilities (Pre-Despatch Inspection) as well as from the field locations where these are being distributed.
Post-Distribution Stage: EESL maintains a 24×7 call centre in every location to enable consumers to register complaints. Mass awareness campaigns are used to inform the public of the toll-free number and the locations where bulb replacements can be done. The toll-free number is listed on the LED bulb packet as well. For streetlights, the manufacturer is responsible for a service level agreement wherein a streetlight, if it is found to be defective, has to be replaced within 72 hours. EESL either uses the call centre of the urban local body, if available, or sets up its own call centre wherever the project O&M phase commences.
For SLNP Scheme, empanelment of LED lighting manufacturer has never been executed till date. All manufacturers are selected for the work executed on the basis of Open Tender Enquiry (OTE).
“The total number of bulbs that have been distributed so far amounts to 36.86 crore. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 47.87 billion kWh per year with avoided peak demand of 9,585 MW”
We understand the government itself is a big consumer of electricity by way of lighting products. What is currently the penetration of LED lighting in the government sector? Does EESL have any special programme to address the government sector?
In order to integrate energy efficiency measures in the government sector, EESL launched Building Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) in 2017. The programme is aimed at retrofitting commercial buildings in India into energy efficiency complexes.
Till now, EESL has completed 11,586 buildings, which has resulted in annual energy saving of 224 million kwh and reduction of carbon emission by 1,83,000 tonnes. Additionally, the work as part of BEEP is in progress in 747 buildings including railway stations and airports.
Energy audits shows energy saving potential to the tune of 30-50 per cent in these buildings. Major interventions in these buildings are in area of lighting and air-conditioning systems.
Speaking of the Street Lighting National Program (SLNP), what is the current achievement in terms of replacing existing street lights with LED-based ones?
Till date, EESL has installed over 1.25 crore LED street lights in urban local bodies and gram panchayats, across India. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 8.42 billion kwh per year with avoided peak demand of 1,403 MW, GHG emission reduction of 5.80 million tonnes of CO2 per year and estimated annual monetary savings of Rs.5,894 crore in electricity bills of municipalities.
We understand that apart from urban local bodies, SLNP is also being implemented at village panchayats. Tell us more.
Yes, EESL has executed Gram Panchayat SLNP in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand. In Andhra Pradesh, 23,68,630 streetlights have been installed in 10,226 gram panchayats, followed by 3,90,262 streetlights in 2,712 gram panchayats of Jharkhand, and 34,323 streetlights in 235 gram panchayats of Telangana.
Going forward, we plan to install additional 1.6 crore smart LED streetlights across India by 2024. SLNP has been a catalyst of a large-scale socio-economic and ecological transformation. In the years to come, our aim is to light all of India’s streets at night, thereby enabling a safe and secure future for the citizens of India.
