Ten programs have been planned to increase energy efficiency in the 2006-2010 period, one of which focuses on environmentally-friendly lighting.
Statistics show that last year, China consumed around 200 billion kilowatts of electricity for lighting alone, representing 13 percent of the total power consumption.
Significant power consumption savings can be made by switching to LEDs; for example, an estimated 90 percent of power used in traffic lights can be saved by replacing incandescent lamps with LEDs.
The program will promote the use of high-efficiency lighting systems in public facilities, hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, and sports venues, as well as developing automated production facilities.
New semiconductor lighting base in Xiamen
China has put considerable effort into developing its semiconductor lighting program, and earlier this year opened a new industrial base in Xiamen. China now has four such bases, the other three being in Dalian, Shanghai and Nanchang.
The East coast city of Xiamen, in Fujan Province, faces the island of Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait. Close trade with and proximity to the island were the deciding factors in the base's location.
Liao Xiaohan, deputy director of Hi-Tech Dept., Ministry of Science & Technology, said, "Taiwan is ranked number two in the semiconductor industry worldwide. The cooperation across the Strait will be beneficial for both regions."
Solid State Lighting event
In April 2005, Xiamen will host the International Forum on Solid State Lighting, organized by the Office of China SSL, Intertech and CAO Group.
The Forum will review progress in solid state lighting throughout the world, covering areas such as epitaxy, chip processing, phosphor development, OLEDs, packaging, integration and control.
