100 LED lamps for Sri Lankan fishermen; OSRAM and Infineon introduce energy-efficient LED lamps to Sri Lanka

Joint news release by Osram Opto Semiconductors and Infineon Technologies

Jun 30, 2010 | Business & Financial Press

Neubiberg and Regensburg, Germany – June 30, 2010 – Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) and OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH both champion the cause of sustainable development and environmental protection. In collaboration with the OSRAM partner network LED Light for you, the German company Diana Electronic Systems has developed an energy-efficient LED lamp for the Global Nature Fund to be used in Sri Lanka. Local fishermen will use the lamps instead of their environmentally harmful kerosene lamps when fishing at night.


There are 85,000 canoe fishermen in Sri Lanka, many of whom catch prawns in the mangrove swamps at night. The prawns are attracted by the light of the fishermen's kerosene lamps and trapped in a complex system of baskets. While the prawns are fished sustainably, the kerosene lamps used by the fishermen pose a genuine environmental hazard. Leaking kerosene can pollute the water and spawning grounds; moreover, these lamps emit surprisingly large amounts of CO 2. The country's 85,000 canoe fishermen burn roughly 100,000 liters of kerosene every night or 30 million liters per year, corresponding to 75,000 metric tonnes of CO 2 per year.


LED lamps for Sri Lanka


Launched by the environment foundation Global Nature Fund, the project “Improving livelihoods of fishermen in Sri Lanka by introducing LED and compact fluorescent lamps for night fishing” aims to solve this problem. The environment foundation is sponsored by the Wuppertal-Institut, Dicota and Sika AG. Its objective is to promote the use of eco-friendly LED lamps for night fishing, as well as other forms of energy-efficient lighting in homes and public buildings. Supported by the LED Light for you (LLFY) partners OSRAM and Infineon, Diana Electronic has developed a robust, watertight, low-cost alternative to replace the fishermen's kerosene lamps. The Global Nature Fund is distributing 100 of these LED lamps to the fishermen in a first phase. Virtually all kerosene lamps are to be replaced in the long term.


The LLFY network provides guidance in a highly fragmented LED market, supports potential users of LED technology and helps to find partners who have been certified according to stringent quality criteria to implement the LED lighting projects. The lamp made by Diana Electronic uses standard LED drivers from Infineon and amber-colored OSRAM LEDs of type Golden Dragon.


“On the one hand, this will not only help to protect the sensitive ecosystem of the mangrove forests from leaking kerosene and reduce CO 2 emissions, but will also provide the fishermen with innovative technology allowing them to continue their night fishing and thus safeguard their main source of income on the other,” said Michael Wohs, European Sales Manager at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors. Catches are not expected to suffer, as the light of the amber-coloured OSRAM LEDs of type Golden Dragon is very similar to that of the kerosene lamps.


The project marks another step towards introducing energy-efficient lighting in Sri Lanka and will make a major contribution to protecting the local environment. OSRAM and the Global Nature Fund already supplied fishermen on Lake Victoria in East Africa with energy-saving products back in 2008. OSRAM provides long-term support to countries in economically underdeveloped regions, helping them make more effective use of energy-efficient lighting.


For further information on the subject go to:

http://www.globalnature.org/LED and http://www.osram.de/offgrid


Press contact at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH

Marion Reichl

Tel. +49 (941) 850-1693

Fax +49 (941) 850-444 1693

e-mail: marion.reichl@osram-os.com

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).

Information Number

INFIMM201006.056

Press Photos

  • Sustainable LED lamps are now used for night fishing in the mangrove forests (Photo: Global Nature Fund).
    Sustainable LED lamps are now used for night fishing in the mangrove forests (Photo: Global Nature Fund).
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  • Sri Lanka's canoe fishermen have so far used kerosene lamps (Photo: Global Nature Fund).
    Sri Lanka's canoe fishermen have so far used kerosene lamps (Photo: Global Nature Fund).
    Osram_LED_SriLanka_2

    JPG | 476 kb | 1665 x 1278 px