KUCHING: Lighting accounts for a staggering 1,900 million tons of CO2 emissions each year which equals to six per cent of the total global emissions.
This calls for the need for energy and environmentally friendly solutions such as LED technology.
GE Lighting highlighted this in a recent press statement. Commercial Office & Hospitality Vertical leader Derek Ng pointed out that a country such as Malaysia, where buildings consume almost half of the electricity generated nationally, sees lighting being a huge contributor.
“It is not surprising then that energy demand in Malaysia is expected to reach 116 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) by 2020, bringing with it a threat of carbon dioxide emission increasing by as much as 221 per cent and placing Malaysia as 26th amongst the top 30 greenhouse gas emitters in the world,” Ng commented.
“Today three out of every four Malaysians live in an urban environment. This growth presents a significant challenge to addressing the country’s environmental footprint.
“As our population grows, so too will our need to illuminate our towns, cities and homes,” he pointed out.
At the heart of addressing the sustainability, lighting needs must be the use of LED lights, both in our homes and throughout our urban environment.
“It’s the realisation of this opportunity which led the Malaysian government to work with Carbon Trust, recognising the significant positive impact of LED lighting on environmental sustainability.
“And sustainable lighting solutions have been shown to work.
“LED technology has already had significant positive impact for GE and its partners within Malaysia.
“Working with the convenience store giant 7-11 to retrofit over 1,700 stores nationwide with LED lighting resulted to energy efficient savings of RM8.5 million each year.
“This economic impact is a direct result of the environmental benefits in reduced energy consumption, and not one limited to any particular industry,” Ng highlighted.
He further explained, “Equally, the very communities we live in must be part of this initiative.
“GE is working with partners to develop efficient solutions in Malaysia. In Setia Echo Hill Township, amidst the scenic hills of Sememyih, GE’s R250 Roadway LED system is installed to offer the best possible lighting with the smallest environmental footprint.
“It offers a perfect solution for a development in which every aspect of sustainability is considered. In utilising this ultra-efficient LED solution, the community’s lighting will have 30 per cent reduced energy consumption and save an estimated 772,000 lbs per year of C02.
“This potential for innovative solutions is amplified further by the increasing interconnectivity of our cities.”
Aside from that, he noted that GE’s Intelligent Cities technology provides a state of the art energy management system for lighting.
“By introducing this intelligent environment through the industrial internet, we can utilise sensor components within the LED lighting systems operated by GE’s Predix software, creating a smarter urban environment that provides illumination whenever it is needed, and only when it is needed.
“In doing so, this technology can offer energy savings of up to 50 per cent and reduce maintenance costs by up to 80 per cent,” he said.
As populations rise and ever greater numbers of our citizen move to urban environments, those environments will face increasing challenges.
LED lighting offers a reliable, efficient solution to address that challenge.
“We are proud to see the Malaysian government take an equally forward thinking approach in embracing this. Yet we must also educate the wider public to the benefits.
“GE’s commitment to research and development is always pushing for the next solution. Now with our ultra-efficient LED lightning technology, we’ve never been better placed to illuminate our world today, while reducing our impact on tomorrow,” Ng commented.
Intelligent Environments for Cities