The UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) and SLNP (Street Lighting National Programme) completed six years of successful implementation. Both schemes have been implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power.
UJALA, which stands for Ujala (meaning “bright” or “clear” in English) Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All, is a Government of India scheme launched in 2015 to provide affordable LEDs to replace old and inefficient lights used at homes.
This is one of the most successful government-led energy efficiency schemes in India. It is providing LED bulbs at highly subsidized prices to households as well as commercial establishments across the country.
Every domestic household having a metered connection from their respective Electricity Distribution Company is eligible to get the LED bulbs under the Scheme.
Under UJALA, EESL has distributed over 36.69 crore LED bulbs across India. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 47.65 billion kWh per year with avoided peak demand of 9,540 MW and estimated GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction of 38.59 million tonnes CO2 per year.
It has helped in the growth of domestic LED (Light-Emitting Diode) markets. It has helped to bring down the average household electricity bills by 15%.
The State Level Net Metering Policy (SLNP), launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Power, is a government scheme designed to promote energy efficiency in Indian homes and offices. The policy encourages customers to generate their own electricity using solar power, saving on utility bills, and earn money by selling any excess energy to the grid.
Under its Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), Energy Efficiency Services ’ Limited (EESL) is replacing conventional street lights with LEDs at no upfront cost to municipalities, allowing them to save thousands of dollars on maintenance and electricity bills.
This scheme is expected to enable peak demand reduction of 500 MW, annual energy savings of 190 crore kWh, and reduction in 15 lakh tons of CO2.
The SLNP, has plans to bring an investment of Rs. 8,000 crores by 2024 to cover the entire rural India. This move is expected to boost the economy at the grass-root level. Also, it will help in bringing all types of financial products for different sections of society through this platform.
Over 1.14 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till date, enabling an estimated energy savings of 7.67 billion kWh per year with an avoided Peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 5.29 million tons CO2 annually.
With the help of the scheme, the municipalities were able to save 5,210 crores of Rupees in their electricity bills.