NYK installs a next-generation energy-saving fluorescent lighting system on six car carriers
To make improvements in energy and economic efficiency, NYK has installed E·COOL, a next-generation energy-saving fluorescent lighting system produced by Optrom, Inc., on six NYK-operated car carriers. Since April 2012, approximately 13,000 fluorescent lights have been replaced by E·COOL, the company reports.
E·COOL uses a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) that has been used for years in LCD monitors. The CCFL has superior features both in terms of energy-saving capabilities and economic efficiency. It consumes less power, has a longer operating life, offers greater brightness, and is flicker-free, thus making it gentler on the eyes. A power-consumption savings of around 40 percent is expected compared to the use of conventional fluorescent lamps. When a car carrier’s lighting system is replaced by E·COOL, CO2 emissions on voyages are reduced by up to 1 percent. During fiscal 2013, NYK plans to replace around 40,000 conventional fluorescent lamps with E·COOL.
Optrom, Inc. is headquartered in the city of Sendai in Japan’s Tohoku area, which was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami. The company is donating part of the proceeds of E·COOL unit sales to the area to assist with reconstruction. A part of the proceeds for the sale of the E·COOL units to NYK will be donated to the NPO Child Line Miyagi,* which is based in Sendai, for reconstruction support through a charitable trust overseen by the Japan Philanthropic Association,** a non-profit organization. Child Line Miyagi operates a toll-free hot line for children under 18 years old, and has expanded its activity to support children from the damaged area.