Fluorescent future


the production of six million compact fluorescent lamps ( cfl s) every year in India would eliminate the need of 3,700 megawatts of power plants and save about us $6 million, according to a study by Ashok Gadgil of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California, usa. This was revealed during a meeting on Efficient Lighting: Issues and Opportunities, organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( assocham ) on July 4, 2001, in New Delhi. cfl s are energy saving fluorescent tubes that are packaged in a compact form. "In India, there are 300 million general lighting service points and if 10 per cent of these are converted to cfl , 4,400 million kilowatt per annum of electricity would be saved, reducing the country's electricity bills by Rs 1,320 crores,' said N K Bansal of the Centre for Energy Studies of the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. "India needs to concentrate more on the optimisation of its existing power capacity rather than adding more power plants,' stated Suresh Prabhu, Union minister for power.