India and the United States will jointly lead the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Initiative (SEAD), which will work towards increasing market demand through international cooperation in manufacture incentives and research and development investments.
The SEAD will also augment cooperation for phasing out inefficient equipment, setting minimum standards. It is estimated that global collaboration in raising appliance efficiency can potentially obviate the need for around 1,300 mid-sized power plants by 2030.
The initial focus will be on television and lighting as they account for around 15 per cent of household electricity, and their homogeneity across the world makes collaboration easier. In addition, policy toolkits and efficiency awards will be developed to facilitate and incentivise action on increasing energy efficiency.
Super efficient TV
The agreement on the SEAD was arrived at during the global ministerial meet on Clean Energy held in Washington recently. India also contributed on-ground experiences of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, a statutory body under the Power Ministry.
The SEAD would help to internationalise the Indian Super Efficient Equipment Programme (SEEP), now being developed. The SEEP could gain from cost-effectiveness with multi-country participation in promoting the development of agreed superefficient television and LED lights. The experience in the development and implementation of the SEEP could inform similar programmes in other countries.
Another key initiative launched at this meet was the Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership (GSEP). Its main focus is on accelerating energy efficiency in commercial buildings and industrial blocks, which together account for about 60 per cent of global energy consumption. A main GSEP component is instituting a certification process for buildings and industries to set up efficient Energy Management Systems. India, through its Energy Conservation Act, 2001, already requires commercial and industrial facilities to institutionalise efficient energy management.
