The use of LED lighting in lieu of T-8 and T-5 tube lights can significantly reduce energy consumption and expenditure as well as improve business competitiveness, this was revealed during the “Workshop on Promotion of Energy Efficient LED Lighting in Garment Industry in ESCO Model” on January 13, 2016. The workshop was jointly organised by Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHand, its government counterpart of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA).
In his keynote address Dr Md Ziaur Rahman Khan, Professor, EEE and director, Centre for Energy Studies, BUET, stressed that the uniqueness of the project is the standardisation of LED and incorporation of ESCO to ensure proper monitoring after installation of the LEDs.
M A Mannan MP, State Minister, Ministry of Finance and Faruque Hassan, senior vice president, BGMEA were the chief and special guests respectively at the workshop. Md Anwarul Islam Sikderndc, chairman (additional secretary), SREDA, Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) chaired the event. Other attendees included David Hancock, programme manager, GIZ; Abdul Hai Sarker, chairman, Purbani Group; Md Shah Jobaer, managing director, Energy + Electric & Electronics Pvt Ltd and Ziaul Hoque Khan, CEO and managing director (CC), IDLC Finance Limited.
The event focused on the findings from GIZ’s pilot project on “Promotion of Energy Efficient LED Lighting in Garment Industry,” which demonstrated the energy saving potential of LED lighting even after taking into account the minimum lighting standards required for precision work at garments factories. As the project’s technical partner, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) conducted a baseline study to assess the lighting demands of the project’s partner Karim Textile of Purbani Group. BUET designed the specifications for replacing the existing energy intensive T-5 and T-8 tubes with more energy efficient LED lights. Energy + Electric & Electronics Pvt Ltd, as Energy Service Company (ESCO), manufactured and supplied the specified LEDs.
As per study findings, compared over a period of more than six months for the same number of operating hours, LEDs consumed 57% and 33% less energy compared to T-8 and T-5 respectively. The study also revealed that more than 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum can be avoided if the existing 3,613 tube lights are replaced with LED lights.
Seeing the viability of the project, IDLC Finance Limited agreed to extend a loan for the project at a concessional rate and signed an agreement with Karim Textile during the workshop. A Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed between GIZ, Purbani Group, Energy + Electric & Electronics and IDLC to successfully implement the pilot project and transform the energy saving potential into reality.
GIZ also intends to be involved in comprehensive energy efficiency improvements in the garments sector, like motor efficiency and boiler efficiency, through pilot projects and capacity development of stakeholders. The initiatives are part of the GIZ-implemented Sustainable Energy for Development (SED) programme, which is a joint undertaking between SREDA, Power Division, MPEMR of the Government of Bangladesh and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
