Himachal Pradesh launches CFL scheme

Without a mechanism for safe disposal of burnt-out compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in place, the Himachal Pradesh government launched an ambitious scheme of providing four CFL bulbs each to over 16 lakh domestic consumer families free as an energy-saving measure. Launching the scheme from Kala Kendra at Dhalpur ground in Kullu, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal told the large gathering that use of CFL bulbs would reduce energy consumption by as much as 70 to 150 MW during peak hours, annually saving 270 million units that could be made available to other categories. Sale of this power could earn an additional revenue of Rs 99 crore, he added. Continuing with the information, Dhumal said, “Every consumer will be provided with two bulbs each of 15 watt and 20 watt as a replacement of two each of 60 watt and 100 watt incandescent lamps at his premises in order to encourage use of environment friendly domestic lighting system.” The government has earmarked a budget of Rs 80 crore for the scheme expected to cover 16.3 lakh registered consumers, whose electricity bills might reduce by around 30% after the switch, he claimed. He also hoped to use the scheme to earn carbon credits when traded over the power exchange through Certified Emission Reductions (CER) under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). On acquiring approval from CDM executive board of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the state electricity board would be entitled to about 1,88,496 CERs, which could fetch an additional revenue of Rs 20 crore, he said. In her welcome address, chief secretary Asha Swaroop said the scheme’s objective was to save on electricity bills and power consumption. Named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the ‘Atal Bilji Bachat Yojana’ would target full implementation by December 25, coinciding with his birthday, said the chief secretary.