Why has the replacement of LED street lights caused controversy? It stems from a lack of oversight over public funds

　　According to reports, Xin Pu, an NPC representative from China Southern Power Grid, raised objections to the promotion of LED street lights during the Two Sessions, arguing that LED street lights are actually not more energy-efficient than high-pressure sodium lamps at the same illumination intensity. Furthermore, the specifications of LED lamps vary considerably among different manufacturers, making maintenance and replacement quite troublesome. Unlike high-pressure sodium lamps, which have been fully standardized, replacement products can be easily purchased once the original bulbs fail. (Yangcheng Evening News, April 8)

　　Laudatory terms such as "green," "energy-saving," and "high-tech" have almost become synonymous with LED. However, the main reason for the difficulty in promoting the LED market lies in the excessively high product prices and maintenance costs of LED lighting.

　　Kunming, which has publicly opposed the installation of LED street lights, indicated that, for the lighting equipment alone, a single street light using LED would cost 1.5–3.5 times more than existing lighting equipment, and due to the lack of standardization, the maintenance cost would also relatively double. The total installation cost per street light would amount to approximately 18,000–20,000 yuan.

　　A new technology product always needs market support in order to continuously improve—this is a truth known to everyone. Therefore, many high-end new products, with their high prices and slightly superior performance, always attract those trend-chasing enthusiasts. As the number of these enthusiasts continues to grow, it also drives the continuous updating and improvement of the new technology products' technology, and product prices become lower and lower, until they finally enter the mass consumer market. Televisions, digital cameras, and computers have all gone through this process! And those consumers who originally bought the eliminated products at high prices, as pioneers of us ordinary consumers, used their purchasing behavior to open up the market for new technology products—their contributions cannot be erased!

　　However, when it comes to a government acting like an enthusiast pursuing fashionable new technology products, that's a different story! Because you are using taxpayers' money, not your own! The spending that supports new technology must also be subject to oversight. If it involves matching central funds and the local area is only serving as a trial, then of course it should be pursued—but it absolutely must not be rushed into en masse without successful experience to build upon.

　　After the central government's 2009 Ten Cities, Ten Thousand Lights plan, without a careful summary of its effectiveness, a new round of LED plans has been launched. Currently, 42 cities, including Guangzhou, have been included in this plan, intending to install 6 million municipal streetlights and stimulate 15 billion yuan in domestic demand—that means only 2,500 yuan per lighting fixture. This is far from the 5,000–7,000 yuan cost disclosed by Kunming according to media reports. The high-pressure sodium energy-saving lamps, which are still usable and environmentally friendly, do not need to be replaced at all. If LEDs are installed in a swarm, it will inevitably cause enormous waste, and we must take this seriously! For such a large-scale promotion and use, it is the responsibility of Xin Pu, as a representative of the People's Congress, to raise objections.

　　First, the government must, as a major measure of urban municipal construction involving low-carbon, energy-saving, and environmental protection, submit it to the CPPCC for broad consultation and effective deliberation among the relevant sectors. Second, it must be referred to the NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee for discussion in order to make reasonable financial arrangements. Third, it must be submitted to the Standing Committee of the NPC for discussion and vote! Once these procedures are completed and the opinions of experts are respected, even if one is a supporter of energy-saving, green, and environmentally friendly new technology products and takes the lead in being an enthusiast, it can be understood!

　　Facts have proven that behind many "new technologies and new ideas" lie enormous commercial interests. Just like many certifications and standards, the huge benefits often touted by investors who have mastered the core technology and hope to open up China's enormous market still carry huge risks. To prevent mistakes, it is better not to use administrative means and not to use public financial funds; if they must be used, oversight must be strengthened, someone must be held responsible, and they must be able to withstand accountability.