Abstract

The European Commission is investigating the idea of launching soon a voluntary programme encouraging non-residential electricity consumers (public or private) to commit themselves to install energy-efficient lighting technologies in their facilities wherever (1) it is profitable, and (2) lighting quality gets maintained or improved. The principle is to invite top-managers to sign a Memorandum of Understanding stating that they will undertake all the profitable lighting upgrades within a given time period.

In the United States, significant energy savings are claimed by the organisers of such a scheme, called Green Lights. In Europe, the concept hasn’t been much experienced but an interview among 43 companies shows favourable dispositions. A European Green Lights programme could be established by EC-DGXVII with a strong support from the Joint Research Centre and National Energy Agencies. These Agencies could help fund, tailor and market the programme. They could also provide European partners with a customised technical support.

Paper

Download this paper as pdf: Paper

Panels of

Panel 1: Policy (incentives, normative measures, policy mixes to achive CO_2 reduction)

Panel 2: Technologies and Products (innovation, marketing, market transformation)

Panel 4: Environmental Perspective (externalities and life cycle approaches, local and global impacts and incentatives)

Panel 3: Dynamics of Consumption (social and cultural perspectives, actors and their interactions)

Panel 5: Land use,Transportation and infrastructure (urban and regional planning, approaches to change in well entrenched systems)