ADB, DOE start swap to fluorescent lamps

MANILA, Philippines - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Department of Energy (DOE) will hold today (Sept. 26) the first large-scale swap of incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamp (CFLs), signaling the gradual and voluntary phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the country.

The bulb swap project is the first of its kind in Asia and will kick off the first phase of the $18-million bulb swap program of the ADB and the DOE.

The so-called National Residential Lighting Program (NRLP) forms part of the $31.5-million Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP) loan from the ADB.

Aside from NRLP, the other components of the PEEP are: Public Lighting Retrofit Program; Energy Efficiency Testing and Lamp Waste Management; Super Energy Service Company and Efficient-Building Initiative.

Sohail Hasnie, senior energy specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department, in a pre-event interview said five million bulbs would be given away for free to qualified households for the first phase, which will involve Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao and Cagayan de Oro City within the next few days.

The second phase would entail the distribution of eight million CFLs for free to the rest of the country.

Hasnie said qualified household can receive a maximum of six CFLs, which could last up to 10 years depending on usage.

He explained that the objective of the program is for the Filipino households to be able to appreciate the use of CFLs.

The NRLP is expected to be completed by early next year.

Hasnie said the NRLP will allow the Philippine government to earn carbon credits which can be sold to defray part of the loan.

The ADB official said the DOE is now finalizing an agreement with Asia Pacific Carbon Finance Group for the sale of the carbon credits that would be earned from this program.

It is expected that the country would be able to raise approximately $1.4 million up to 2012.

“This is the firs time an Asian country is receiving carbon market credits for bulb replacements,” he said.

Another group, he said, would be talking to DOE for the purchase of the next batch of carbon credits from the program.

“We see it being finalized with the next two months or so,” he said.

ADB said it would support the government’s effort to reduce the country’s power bills. Each CFL is expected to save customers P400, or around $8.50, each year for the next seven to 10 years.

Hasnie pointed out that the project will help the Philippines save about $100 million every year in fuel costs and a deferral of an investment of $450 million in power generation and associated network capacity.

Only 20 percent of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb produces light, with the remaining 80 percent wasted as heat.

In contrast, a CFL uses all of its electricity input to produce light. While an average incandescent bulb’s life is only about 800 hours, the CFLs used in the project will have a lifespan of 10,000 hours with a two-year warranty.

“CFL distribution program is like building ‘virtual’ power stations,” Hasnie said, “Put simply, if one million incandescent bulbs are replaced with CFLs at a cost of about $1.5 million, the electricity demand will be reduced by about 50 MW. The impact on the power system will be the same as building a new 50 MW power station, which costs at least $50 million, another $2 million–$3 million each year to operate, and three to four years for construction.”