Let there be light: LED lights
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Gigaton Potential
According to the International Energy Association, energy-related CO2 emissions reached 36.3 gigatons in 2021 - “a record high”. With lighting technology capturing 15-18% of the electricity consumption globally, this amounts to 5-6.5 Gt impact from lighting alone.
For reference: in 2019, the world emitted 51 gigatons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases. Project Drawdown estimates we need to cumulatively eliminate 1,000 GT from 2020–2050 to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius[1].
You Might Be Interested If...
You are excited to invent novel, efficient technologies
You wish to reduce emissions in your own household in a cost-effective manner
You are interested in working on technologies with 100s of 1000s of applications
What You Should Know
An increase in CO2 emissions correlates with increased demand for energy in 2021. Under the pressure of elevated prices for natural gas and oil, countries gravitate toward coal to solve their energy needs. Over 40% of growth comes from coal power plants, a record 10.5 gigatons [2] annually.
Why do we care about power plants when we are discussing LED light bulbs? While the light bulb itself does not emit CO2, the more efficient it is at generating light, the less energy is required from power plants. A single 100 Watt light bulb, left on for 4 days a week, can generate ~125 kg of CO2 per year[3]. But if you replace that light bulb with a 17 Watt LED light, you can offset CO2 emissions by 83%. LED lights can also last up to three times longer than conventional light bulbs, reducing the need to manufacture new ones.
LED lights' rapidly decreasing costs and remarkable efficiency contributed to their rapid adoption. LED lighting companies increased their share of global lighting sales from 5% in 2013 to 48% in 2021—a great case study of how fast climate solutions can scale. [4]
Key Players
The global lighting market was estimated to be ~$118B as of 2019 - the same sources estimates it will reach ~$164B by 2027, which equates to an annual growth rate of ~4-5% [5].
Currently, LED technology takes up around 80% of this market 😲. Some of the major companies operating in the market are:
Opportunities for Innovation
🌿 Reducing emissions in the process of manufacturing LED lights
The LED manufacturing process emits more than twice the CO2 of conventional lamps and luminaries[7]. Some parts of a LED bulb such as the light element, LED, and chip have to be developed from scratch. However, the diffuser, filtering element, and reflector can all be recycled. Recycling these can significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of the LED manufacturing process.
Author Bio:
Vazgen Babayan is a Group Product Manager at Adobe. He is passionate about writing, technology, and human psychology. Vazgen enjoys swimming, traveling, and learning more about the world and our role in it.
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