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West Africa Nations Agree to Phase Out Inefficient Incandescent Lamps
July 10, 2013
West Africa Nations Agree to Phase Out Inefficient Incandescent Lamps
Government representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have successfully established a regionally coordinated framework to transition to energy efficient lighting. The strategy identifies the complete phase-out of inefficient incandescent lamps by 2020 at the latest, which could save the region an estimated US$ 220 million per year in energy costs. The Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Republic of Senegal agreed to sponsor all events of efficient lighting initiative, at the request of ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREE) in order to rally other ECOWAS member states.
The announcement comes on the heels of a workshop for the development of a regional strategy for energy efficient lighting held from July 2-3, 2013 in Dakar, Senegal. The event was hosted by the ECREE and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) en.lighten initiative, with support of the Club of National Agencies and Structures in Charge of Rural Electrification (Club-ER).
The workshop raised awareness and built consensus on the various technical options available at regional and international levels for the development of a concrete regional efficient lighting strategy. By phasing out incandescent lighting, African nations together could save a total of 2.4 terawatt hours of electricity; equivalent to 6.67 percent of total annual energy consumption. The savings would be enough to power over 1.2 million households.
Read more at UNEP News Centre.
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