Taipei, Oct. 26, 2012 (CENS)--China's incandescent phase-out this month is expected to create multibillion RMBs of business opportunity for LED (light emitting diode) lighting makers there.
The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) began as the first step to ban sale and import of incandescent bulbs above 100 watt.
Commission officials say China is globally major producer and user of incandescent bulbs, having produced 3.85 billion bulbs and consuming 1.07 billion bulbs in 2010. Lighting accounts for 12% of China's electricity consumption. The commission estimates replacing incandescent bulbs with energy-saving lamps as LEDs would save around 48 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and around 48 million metric tons of CO2.
Commission officials say phasing out incandescent bulbs will help accelerate improvement of China's lighting technology and structural upgrade of China's lighting industry, as well as achieve reducing CO2 emission and energy consumption as set in the 12th Five Year Plan.
China's industry executives say energy-saving and LED lamps will dominate China's lighting market starting this year.
Some industry executives believe energy-saving fluorescent lamps will lead LEDs to fill the market vacancy left by incandescents due to relatively lower prices. For instance, a typical 10W LED bulb retails for triple that of an equivalent florescent lamp.
To facilitate development of China's LED lighting industry while phasing out incandescent bulbs, the Cabinet will subsidize LED lighting buyers with a fund up to RMB2.2 billion (US$349 million), aiming to achieve the goal of installing 10 million indoor LED lamps and 1 million outdoor LED lamps in China in the near term.
(by Ken Liu)
