Andhra Pradesh switches to LED efficiency

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh will be one of the first states to take up energy conservation under the DELP (Demand Side Efficient Lighting Programme) on a massive scale to meet future energy requirements.

The pilot project, which will later be adopted for the entire state, has begun with Guntur district where 20 lakh LED bulbs will replace  traditional incandescent bulbs in every household. By implementing this, Guntur alone will save an estimated 75 to 80 MU per annum.

The project is being implemented by the Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL) and is funded by PFC, PGCIL, REC and NTPC at a cost of Rs 1,000 crores.

The project in AP is being undertaken on a pilot basis in four districts including Guntur, Anantapur, West Godavari and Srikakulam.

In Guntur, where the project was started earlier this month, close to 80,000 bulbs have been distributed over the last 10 days.

Research has shown that every unit saved is equal to two units produced. AP alone has a potential to save 8,000 MU annually from domestic, agriculture, industries and street lights.

“According to the baseline survey conducted in AP, each household was using two incandescent bulbs on an average. The LED bulbs have a life span of 10 to 15 years, if used for  four to five  hours daily. We have also asked the manufacturer to give a back-to-back warranty to the consumers for five years on the LED bulbs. This means the manufacturer will have to replace any  defective bulb within the five-year warranty period,” said vice-chairman and managing director of EESL, Saurabh Kumar.

“Energy efficiency is the need of the hour as natural resources are depleting fast. Moreover, it will help in significantly reducing electricity bills of the consumers,” said CEO, state energy conservation mission A. Chandra Sekhara Reddy.

Efficient pumpsets for farmer on cards

In the second phase of the energy conservation plan, agricultural pumpsets will be replaced with energy-efficient pumpsets. This has been launched as a pilot project at Rajamnagar, where 3,000 pumpsets will be replaced free of cost for the farmers.

Since power is free for the agricultural sector in the state, the inefficiency of the pumpsets has been very high for decades, as there was no incentive for the farmers to save electricity. The project aims to exchange the inefficient pumpsets with five-star rated pumpsets. This will increase the efficiency of the pumps by 30 per cent and reduce consumption.