Energy - Efficient Lighting in China : Problems and Prospects

China’s choices of energy demand and supply technologies have a large impact on the world’s energy market and the environment. Of its 920 billion kWh electric power production in 1993, it is estimated that 15% was used for lighting consumption (~120 billion kWh). This figure is likely to grow as the country develops, and so improving the energy efficiency of lighting in China could have a tremendous impact on China’s energy consumption. This paper describes key components of the energy-efficient lighting industry from technology and marketing points of view. We identify a few key problem areas and their potentials for improvement.We identify a national savings potential of 40% by shifting to lamps with performance characteristics typical of current Western practice—but without changing the market share of various lamp types—and of 60% by adopting the best commercially available lamps in the West.