SLNP in rural areas will drive the demand of LED

According to a study by Invest India, the LED lighting market in the country grew 130-fold within five years, increasing from annual sales of 5 million bulbs per year in 2014 to about 670 million in 2018 resulting in 30 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy savings annually. While the initial driver of the LED market creation was driven by governments’ demand under the ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All’ (UJALA), the next level of deamdn creation will be originating from Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), through which government not only aims to replace the regular street lightings with LED lights but also looks to address the highway lighting infrastructure in the country. Incidentally, SLNP is the world’s largest streetlight replacement programme and UJALA is the world’s largest domestic lighting project.

The LED bulbs equipped road infrastructure not only helped with energy-efficient, cost-effective lighting but also offered and higher lumen output than conventional incandescent bulbs, lighting up the darkest city corners. The SLNP made roads safer for pedestrians and motorists due to enhanced brightness. There are plans to retrofit or install 30 million LED streetlights by 2024.

Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the Indian LED market to reach US$ 9.7 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 23.31% during 2022-2027, with the country clocking the fastest growth in the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The ambitious growth plans of India is also expected to intensify further, driving up the demand for the LEDs as the government rushes in to fulfil India’s commitment to reach net zero by 2070 according to Prime Minister’s announcement at COP26.

As per the updated Nationally determined contributions (NDC), India now stands committed to reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030 from 2005 level and LED usage in residential, commercial and infrastructural usage is going to lead the way forward.

LED lighting has also become a key enabler of the ‘One-Word Movement’ LIFE – that is ‘Lifestyle For Environment’ as it has truly armed the vision of change for wider population to live a modern lifestyle that does not harm our planet. According to studies, India’s massive LED bulb campaign is reducing emissions by 40 million tonnes annually, as India progressively continue to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions.