Accelerating energy efficiency in infrastructure development projects – specifically to help meet rapidly growing municipal energy demands at the national level—is a focus area in India’s 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017). India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), along with its state partners, is leading the advancement of municipal energy efficiency programs in the country. In support of this goal, SEAD convened an Energy Efficient Street Lighting Stakeholder Consultation Meeting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on March 21, 2013.
SEAD chose to hold a workshop in Chennai because the Tamil Nadu government has prioritized the implementation of efficient street lighting projects and proposed to form a “State Energy Conservation Mission.” The State has participated in a number of activities aimed at building capacity and readiness for municipal-level energy efficiency project implementation. The Directorate of Municipal Administration is in the process of designing an energy efficient street lighting program for selected municipalities.
The key goal of this workshop was to identify and address the challenges and opportunities in transitioning towards energy efficient street lighting systems in India. In support of this goal, SEAD achieved the following:
The meeting was attended by municipal, state, and national government officials, lighting experts, project implementers, energy service companies, financial institutions, and members of standards bodies. Organizations that were represented include:
The Stakeholder Consultation Meeting highlighted the need for the type of technical assistance that SEAD can provide to accelerate India's transition to more efficient street lights. In response to feedback from users in India, SEAD is developing a new version of the Street Lighting Tool. SEAD will continue to offer training on the tool, and promote the tool in partnership with the Electric Lamp and Component Manufacturers' Association of India, the Bureau of Indian Standards, India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and others.