Strategies For Sustainability: Light Emitting Diodes
‘Let there be light!’ In most of the developed world, light bulbs have been common appliances since the 1880s. For many, to flick a switch, sit in a brightly lit hall, or wait at a stop light may seem like an ordinary act with no consequences for the environment, but this is a wrong assumption. Conventional lights, incandescent and kerosene lights, etc. , create massive losses in energy. Everything from the (conventional) lights in the backs of refrigerators in Montreal to the (conventional) street lights in Tokyo - every light on this planet stresses the Earth’s complex systems. The solution? Light emitting diodes (LED). Identified to have “a diverse range of lighting now available, meaning that virtually any type of bulb currently in commercial or residential use can be replaced by an LED bulb. “Because LEDs transfer 80 percent of their energy use into creating light — rather than heat, like the older technologies”, LEDs are the most efficient lighting source yet. Free of the toxic materials and energy/disposal issues associated with fluorescent lighting, it is a seemingly great and easy solution. However, while LEDs have advanced in terms of brightness and the cost of lumen per watt, the rate of LED adoption remains sub-par. There is little consumer generated demand towards LEDs; this along with an overall system’s analysis, pinpoint the essential problem and, therein, solution - a paradigm shift must occur in consumer behavior.
Characteristics
The system we identified for the purpose of this assignment is detailed in Appendices F and G. There currently exists a reinforcing loop between the availability and norms regarding consumption of non-renewable conventional lights and the overconsumption of electricity from these lights. As one node increases or decreases, the other will as well. These lights, in turn, lead to waste, pollution, health and environmental problems. In the past few years, people, realizing these inefficiencies and waste problems, are slowly adopting LEDs. While at first it seems a balancing loop will be produced (an increase in LED use should mean a decrease in conventional lighting), the system is now suffering from the Rebound 1 Effect, otherwise known as the Jevon Paradox - extending the reinforcing loop. Through a rosy perception in the overall benefits of LEDs, over time there is actually increasing usage and, thus, electricity consumption: “the monetary savings from decreased energy consumption could result in both increased use of lighting (direct rebound) as well as an increased demand for other goods and services owing to income effects (indirect rebound)”.
Additionally, there exist some symptomatic delays. One example being Kerosene lamps that produce toxic fumes, thus endangering public health. If this situation continues, it could lead to health emergencies worldwide and the problem of light efficiency would be put on the backburner. “Acute exposure to kerosene may result in CNS effects including irritability, restlessness, ataxia, drowsiness, convulsions, coma and death”. In this case, the delay gives rise to more pressing problem that will ultimately worsen the first (a decrease in public health will lead to greater stress on public services and an increase in large-scale electricity consumption, i. e. hospitals). The Economy The Mckinsey 2012 Global Lighting Market Model forecasts the global light market will average to 100 billion Euros by 2020. Due to the complex and competitive nature of the lighting market, there are three key macroeconomic indicators for semiconductor industry. The first is global population growth estimates and, subsequently, general geographic distribution of the population and its effects as the fundamental driver for growing light demand. The second factor is the expected increase in urbanization; urban cities use more light than rural cities, adding disproportionate stress to the global lighting market. And third, an increase in government investment into research and development of LED market penetration, notably from Asian countries. Some key institutions to identify are major companies (such as Phillips lighting), governments (through green energy promotion) and regulations, such as Energy Star Specification and the proposed 2020 EU regulations designed to bring about a shift in consumer habits regarding the lighting industry.
Issues
Electricity accounted for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US in 2016; assuming all conventional lights can be replaced with LEDs, it is evident that there is a lot of room for improvement in this sector. However, to reach maximum efficiency, the Jevon Paradox must be addressed. Instead of focusing only on the LED industry, the whole consumption system must be analyzed to create incentives for consumers to change their behavior regarding energy consumption - a paradigm shift. “Paradigms are the sources of systems. From them, from shared social agreements about the nature of reality, come system goals and information flows, feedbacks, stocks, flows and everything else about system. ”
Overconsumption of non-renewable energy must be reined in. However, the fundamental solution cannot be simply decreasing non-renewable energy usage through LED adoption. There must be a shift from non-renewable energy towards renewable energy as a whole. Technological fixes, such as LEDs, will not work to solve sustainability problems and moreover, they frequently lead to worse situations because of the Jevon Paradox. “The long run successes of the technological fix has also led to unjustified expectations that such solutions can always be found”. Instead of focusing solely on creating/improving new technologies, it is crucial to foster an overall change in consumer behaviour. There are two dominant norms hindering this paradigm shift from occurring: lack of awareness and lack of accessibility. In the Developed Countries, people remain unaware of the benefits’ of LEDs. If institutions were to invest more into educational campaigns, LEDs could better permeate the market, generate more demand, and, thus, decrease the cost leading to greater accessibility.
In Developing Countries, the main impediment is a lack of access to the grid, preventing individuals from using any electricity at all. Due to the current state of societies, governments and the physical grid, “governments, NGOs and the private sector will need to adopt new 3 business models and work closely together” to make LEDs accessible to all people, especially those living in rural areas and in slums. However, the challenge remains: many cannot “afford a ten-year investment up front for solar-LED lights. And many cannot handle conventional finance plans, which require fixed payments regardless of their income that month. Therefore we would need the capital to pay for solar. . . for 400 million households that depend on kerosene and, furthermore, business models for those households to pay for the electricity they use, at the price it really costs, which is a lot less than kerosene. ”
Leverage Points
One could say that LED lights alone are not, in fact, a green product. There is no proof of its ability to mitigate the environmental impact by consumers. It could even lead to what is called “backfire, ” the situation where the increase in lighting consumption outweighs the increase in lighting efficiency and leads to a net increase in electricity consumption and related environmental impacts”. However, the LED’s compatibility with solar electricity is a noteworthy leverage point . LEDs do not require much energy when solar-powered. This perfect combination results in an efficient, renewable, and sustainable source of light that can be used anywhere and can replace non-renewable lighting; moreover, solar energy on its own is net positive. Unfortunately, a current limitation of solar panels is in their production, maintenance and disposal stages, they do have an environmental impact. But, just in the last 10 years, increasing production efficiency and technological advancements in the solar industry has led to a 62% decrease in the amount of materials used and energy consumed. The numbers remain promising. Implementing Solar LEDs as a fundamental solution in the energy consumption system will, therefore, guarantee a positive environmental impact even when overall electricity consumption increases with growing LED demand. And moreover, the energy collected by the solar panels during the day will decrease the average need for non-renewable energy specifically at night. Solar-powered LEDs would achieve the “net green” and meet the requirements of a sustainable solution. In order to implement these changes, there is a need for financing, public policy, and partnerships to create the supply chains and distribution networks capable of distributing electrical systems to every household that needs them. These needs might require $6 billion in credits and loan guarantees.
It can be daunting for one to start their solar journey; the main barriers to solar energy adoption can be summarized the lack of information, guidance, and accessibility. The very lack of infrastructure in the LED market calls for educational advertising to the customer about the cost savings inherent to solar-energy is essential. Tapping into the power of community to familiarize solar panels and build trust around solar panels is the key to lead the population towards the sustainable and efficient solar-powered LEDs.
