CAIRO: Green energy is a hot topic around the world, and the trend is quickly spreading to Egypt and the wider MENA region. Though awareness of the benefits of green energy remains low, efforts are being made by local companies and the government to promote the switch to efficient green technology in several areas. Lighting technology is one of the fastest-growing areas of development in energy-efficiency, as evidenced by the increasing use of efficient LED lighting at locations around Cairo. Shocking statistics about energy use underlie the urgency of switching to green lighting technology. Worldwide, 19 percent of electricity is used for lighting. Meanwhile, two-thirds of all installed lighting is energy inefficient and based on technologies developed before 1970. According to research by international lighting company Philips, switching to energy-efficient lighting can provide an average of 40 percent in energy savings per light point. In practice, this means lower electricity bills for public and private sector buildings and residential homes. Philips Egypt launched in June a campaign to promote the use of energy efficient lighting in Egypt through the launch of their "Green Switch campaign, which aims to educate people about the benefits of energy inefficient lighting, and the urgency of speeding up the replacement process. At current replacement rates, it will take 30 years to fully benefit from the potential energy savings provided by new lighting technology, which add up to a potential ?120 billion of savings in running costs and a possible resulting carbon reduction of 630 million tons. Though energy efficient products are slightly more expensive, the resulting reduction in energy use more than compensates, according to Tamer Abolghar, general manager of Philips Lighting East Africa. "Egypt has good electricity infrastructure, but awareness of the benefits of energy-saving products is essential. The products may be a bit more expensive, but people need to understand how much they will save on electricity bills by adopting these products, he said. The company's goal of rapidly replacing old lighting technology faces the challenge of educating the public about the benefits of green technology. Philips is networking with local NGOs, university engineering departments and government agencies and launching awareness and marketing campaigns to ensure that the public understands the benefits of making the green switch. "We are networking as much as possible, but it will require coordination and the participation of other companies and the government to make this effort a success, explained Abolghar. According to Abolghar, the Egyptian government has been making efforts to expand the use of energy efficient lighting in new publicly funded projects initiated under the stimulus package - an effort that Philips has benefitted from. "Philips Egypt has not been negatively impacted by the financial crisis; on the contrary, we've been doing well on the project side of our business due to our involvement in government projects supported by the stimulus package, Abolghar said. A ban on the sale and use of old lighting technology in Egypt has been proposed as well, following similar bans in Europe and Australia meant to speed up the green switch process. Abolghar says the ban could be implemented as soon as 2012, and is optimistic about its potential for expediting the replacement process. He added that, on a practical level, older technology will become less available over time as producers switch manufacturing to new technology and will therefore be used less. "Old lighting technology will simply be harder to find in the coming years, he said. As the replacement effort continues in Egypt, the implementation of international standards for energy efficiency will become more crucial. "The key for Egypt is adopting international standards from the beginning; if every country tries to have its own standards it will delay implementation of the green switch plan, and it will take longer to introduce new products into the market, said Abolghar. For now, the future looks bright and Abolghar says that green lighting technology will move more and more into the area of LED technology in the coming years. The installation of colored, computer-controlled LED lighting on the Cairo Tower is Philips' poster project for the new technology: energy efficient and visible to all of Cairo by night. "The future of lighting is in LED; LED technology has already started to gain ground worldwide due to its energy savings benefits and advanced digital technology that allows lighting to be controlled by computer software. Once you control and connect light, you can do whatever you want to do.
