The current energy crisis and increasing CO₂ emissions underscore the importance of taking serious measures towards energy efficiency.  Electricity demand for lighting is expected to grow by over 30% by the year 2030 globally. A shift towards energy efficient lighting represents one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to meeting this growing energy demand.   A worldwide shift towards energy-efficient lighting in all sectors would lower electricity demand for lighting by more than 1,000 terawatt-hours and reduce CO₂ emissions by 530 million tonnes annually.

On 10-11 November, 2014 the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) participated at the Global Efficient Lighting Forum, held in Beijing, China that was organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) en.lighten initiative and by Global Efficient Lighting Center.  The Forum gathered more than 200 key stakeholders from 60 countries to discuss the need for an accelerated phase-out of inefficient lighting technologies.  More than thirty presentations were delivered by key experts in the field shedding light on various aspects of transitioning towards more efficient lighting technologies.

Dr. Tareq Emtairah, Executive Director of RCREEE chaired the second general session of the Forum on “Countries and regions leading by example”.  This session discussed cases of successful implementation of efficient lighting programs in different regions of the world. The Forum also presented a venue for networking and building partnerships. During the visit, RCREEE had several meetings with key stakeholders and discussed opportunities for collaboration with Global Efficient Lighting Center and the UNEP en.lighten initiative. 

For more information about the Global Efficient Lighting Forum please visit their website