Easier to save power than produce it: How Kerala is turning filament-free

As part of the project, consumers will be provided with affordable LED bulbs to replace CFL lamps and incandescent bulbs.
LED bulb
LED bulb
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In April 2018, the Pilicode grama panchayat in Kasargod was declared filament-free by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This meant that the filament bulbs used by the households and offices in Pilicode were replaced by LED bulbs, after several rounds of awareness sessions on saving energy. Thrilled by the results this programme produced -- saving tens of thousands of units of power – the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and Energy Management Centre (EMC) made plans to implement it all over the state. Finance Minister Thomas Isaac announced in his budget speech of 2020 that CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and incandescent bulbs in the state will be replaced by LEDs – Light Emitting Diodes. The change was supposed to have been in effect by November 2020. But a month after the budget presentation, the coronavirus had begun to spread and Kerala went into a lockdown.

Although delayed, the project is back on now, with CM Pinarayi launching it two weeks ago. LED bulbs will be offered at an affordable price of Rs 65 a piece (market price is Rs 100) and with a three-year warranty, to those who apply for the project. The payment for the LED bulbs can be made in instalments or as part of the electricity bill. In Anganwadis and for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, these will be distributed free of cost.

“For long now, new hydel-based sources of generating power have been nearly nil in Kerala. For various environmental reasons, new projects had not taken off. About 70% of the electricity required by the state has been imported from other states every day. We need about 62 million units to 88 million units (during summer) every day. Only 30% of this electricity is produced in the state. We have been thinking of various measures to reduce this dependency, and realised that it is easier to save a unit of energy than to produce one. The discussions led to the idea of Filament-free Kerala,” says the Chief Public Relations Officer of KSEB.


KSEB worker Sivadas with 660 LED bulbs for distribution

The project has been envisaged as part of the Urja Kerala Mission launched in 2018, for integrated development of the electricity sector in the state. Filament-free Kerala is among the five projects it aims to implement, the others being Saura (establish 1000 MW of solar power), Dyuthi (reduce power interruptions), TransGrid 2.0 (reduce transmission losses) and eSafe (awareness campaign on electric safety).

Proper disposal of used lamps

A few years ago, CFL lamps were introduced as a means of saving energy. It still does the job, but less efficiently than an LED bulb. The CFL uses only 14W, where a filament bulb uses 60W of power. But a nine-watt LED bulb can replace a 20W CFL lamp, saving 11 W. The CFL also has the risk of containing mercury vapour.

“Tube lights and CFLs contain mercury vapour, which is harmful for the environment. So they need to be disposed of properly. The KSEB and the EMC need to ensure that,” says energy expert RVG Menon.

The EMC, which will hand out the LED bulbs, will also be collecting used CFL lamps and incandescent bulbs.

“When a consumer registers for the filament-free project, we offer them LED bulbs as well as collect their used CFL lamps in return. The CFL lamps will be disposed of scientifically through Clean Kerala Company – formed under the Local Self Government Department for hygiene management. At its Aluva plant, the company will remove the mercury vapour and reuse the glass,” says Johnson Daniel, head of Energy Efficiency Cell, EMC.  

Watch: KSEB video on Filament-free Kerala

One crore LED bulbs are being distributed in the first phase of the Filament-free Kerala project. Tube lights will be taken care of in the second phase.

“We found that in a day, about 100 to 150 MW (MW or KW?) of power consumption has reduced since LEDs have replaced filament bulbs. We are also implementing this in the streets of Kerala – replacing street lights with LEDs, for a project called Nilaavu,” adds the KSEB official.

Those who wish to register for the filament-free project can apply here

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