After the earthquake and associated damage at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, researchers began investigating the nation’s energy consumption and saving methods. An Institute of Energy Economics study, overseen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, determined that if every fluorescent and incandescent light in Japan were replaced with an LED lamp, the country could reduce its energy consumption by 9%. The IEE concluded that 1.6 billion lights are used in Japan, which accounts for 150.6 kilowatt-hours of energy. If Japan replaced all its lighting with LEDs, the country would slash its energy consumption to 58.4 billion kilowatts per hour, with the most significant amount of savings in office buildings.
In Osaka Prefecture in Japan, LED lighting has been installed at a park on the Kizu River. Brand new 25-watt Philips Lumiled 25-watt LED lamps replaced high-pressure mercury lamps throughout the park, reducing electricity bills by 88%. The brightness of the new lamps, according to Gizmag.com, is comparable to the mercury lamps, but with much more uniform lighting than the old lamps. The LEDs can be targeted at the ground or a specific location without any light escaping above the lamp, reducing light pollution.
LED lighting plays an essential role in reducing energy consumption worldwide. Many countries are becoming proactive with the lessons learned in Japan after a natural disaster.
