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GE banks on LEDs, ditches compact fluorescent bulbs in the US
If you're the sort of person who gets worked up about what goes in your light fixtures, listen up. Starting today, GE is phasing out production of compact fluorescent light bulbs — yeah, those curly ones — in the US in favor of more efficient LED light bulbs. Don't expect those other bulbs to just disappear all at once, though. GE North American lighting GM Daraius Patell said the company plans to end production by the end of the year, but CFLs probably won't be downright scarce until the end of 2017.
Efficient incandescent bulb cannibalizes its own waste heat
A team of researchers from MIT announced Monday that they have developed a novel method to make conventional incandescent lights far more energy efficient. Incandescents, the ones with the white hot filament in the middle, are notorious energy hogs because they generate massive amounts of waste heat in addition to light.
GreenChip lighting lets you flip the switch remotely, thumbs nose at IPv4 depletion
Despite the looming IPv4 apocalypse, a new lighting system coming out of NXP Semiconductors promises an "IP address for every light bulb." The GreenChip "smart lighting solution" incorporates NXP chipsets into both LED and compact fluorescents to enable dimming, extended lifespans, quick start times, and IP connectivity -- via IPv4 or IPv6. Proprietary network software allows users to control their bulbs from smartphones, PCs, and other devices, enabling them to fiddle with mood lighting -- including adjusting color -- via a specific IP address. So at least when IPv4 doomsday finally descends someone will have their lighting just right. Video and PR after the break.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Brain-shaped bulbs, houses that fly, and hydrogen bolts from the sky
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat showcased several hot new eco vehicles including the world's fastest plug-in hybrid and an insane screwdriver-powered tricycle that sends you flying through the streets headfirst. The field of alternative fuels also advanced by leaps and bounds as the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new breed of cost-effective biofuel and a team of researchers discovered a way to efficiently produce hydrogen from urine. From flying houses held up by balloons to skyscrapers that harvest energy from bolts of lightning, this week we also showcased some of the world's most incredible buildings. We were wowed by the futuristic finalists of the eVolo skyscraper competition, which included underwater spires made from plastic debris and massive megaprojects that contain entire cities. This week we also spotted several exciting new examples of green consumer tech - from a clever brain-shaped CFL bulb to ASUS' new line of cardboard computers to a wearable mix tape you can pin on your sleeve. We also celebrated the launch of Apple's latest tablet by rounding up 14 of the best eco-friendly iPad cases, sleeves and bags. Finally, we kicked off a contest where you can win a beautiful recycled leather iPad case from Dewdrop Designs, and we shared 11 chic travel essentials for jet-setters on the go.
GE introduces 'hybrid' bulb with both halogen and CFL elements, instant-on meets efficiency
We're pretty okay with waiting the second or so it takes a typical CFL to light up, but sometimes, when we're checking for monsters in closets and other inconspicuous places, it'd be nice if things were a little more expedient. For those times (and for generally impatient people) GE is introducing its Hybrid Halogen-CFL bulb. It's basically a typical CFL unit, but look closely inside those coils and you'll spot a wee halogen bulb peeking out. It's like two bulbs in one, the halogen unit powering on almost instantaneously then fading off once the CFL element gets itself all riled up. We're wondering how well the output from the two elements match, whether you'd be able to notice the transition, but we're even more curious about the cost. GE says we'll have to wait a few months to learn that bit of info, and the same holds true if you're looking for a release date more specific than "2011." Hopefully it isn't too late in the year, as LED bulbs are getting cheaper by the minute.
GE closes last US factory making incandescent light bulbs
There may still be plenty of competition among potential successors to the incandescent light bulb, but there's little question that the traditional light bulb is on the way out -- a fact now further backed up by GE's closing of the last major factory making the bulbs in the US. GE had apparently considered a $40 million investment to retrofit the plant -- located in Winchester, Virginia, and employing some 200 workers -- to manufacture compact fluorescent light bulbs, but it says that bulbs made at the plant would have cost 50 percent more than ones from China, which is where the vast majority of CFLs are made. Of course, that shift hardly happened overnight -- be sure to hit up the Washington Post article linked below for a brief history of what led to this point, and a closer look at the plant itself.
Swirly CFLs relax a little bit, get kind of cute in the process
We never really had a problem with traditional CFL design, but it's always nice to have options when you're looking for new ways to decorate. London-based outfit Plumen has bent the usual coil shape into a more abstract pattern that we're sure will fit perfectly in our quirkily stark / offbeat loft uptown. The Plumen 001 model shown here ships on October 5th in the UK for £20, or €30 in the rest of Europe, but mum's the word on a North American release. From the looks of their Flickr, there are even crazier shapes in the works, though. Hypnotic spinning bulb footage after the break.
NFL Network brings summer football, Canadian style
Happy Canada Day everyone, usually we just skip right on by to our own Independence Day but we're giving our up north neighbors props since their football is coming our way this summer, and in high definition. The NFL Network announced it is airing 14 Canadian Football League games in 2010, starting tonight with a monster Montreal Alouettes / Saskatchewan Roughriders matchup. Of course, we have no idea if that's a big game or not, but it is a rematch of last year's Grey Cup championship game. After tonight's debut, there will be three Saturday night games before things come back on Fridays in September. Take this time to read up on the rules (12 men per side? insanity) and the crazy wide field those Canucks play ball on over on the Shutdown Corner -- we'll see you at 7 p.m.
OSRAM Orbeos OLED lights are small, flat, right behind you
The days of OLED wallpaper are still some years away, but you can finally start thinking about replacing those tired light fixtures with something a little more two-dimensional. After testing the waters with its Early Future lamp and then boosting efficiency of its product, OSRAM is announcing availability of Orbeos OLED panels for general consumption. The discs are 80mm wide, only 2.1mm thick, and emit light at a temperature of 2,800K, meaning they're much closer to an average incandescent than those awful CFLs. They're not as efficient, though, managing just 25 lumens per watt compared to your average CFL's 60 - 72. Still, they're about twice as thrifty as traditional bulb tech and can be configured in a variety of interesting ways (shown after the break), but since the company isn't saying just how much any of those configurations will cost we have to figure it's still going to be awhile before you're mounting these under your cabinets.
GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly
Was it Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic? If he was correct, it would follow that GE's new Energy Smart CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb is most magical. A true product of "ecomagination" (their word), the imagineers (Disney's word) at GE have taken the their tried and true CFL hardware and housed it in the form factor of a traditional light bulb. Of course there are already a vast number of options for homeowners wishing to go green on the lighting front, but we're hard pressed to find something that works across the board in traditional lighting fixtures (at least without looking awful as it does so). The product gets its national outing at Target on December 28, and starts popping up at more retailers over the coming months. To tide you over until then, we've provided some earth shattering video after the break.
TSN takes in-house studio programming to high-def
TSN2 just launched on two Canadian carriers last month, but apparently that's not enough for the channel. It's also announcing that beginning this weekend, the network's entire slate of in-house programming will be transitioned to HD. In just a few days, viewers will be able to see the CFL on TSN pre-game show in spectacular high-definition, and in the future, you'll be able to catch NHL on TSN, TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge, Raptors on TSN and In This Corner with Russ Anber -- all in HD. When this is complete, nearly 75% of everything the channel airs will be in high-def, though there's no telling when that final quarter will be seized.
CFL + motion detector = Motionbulb
There's not much to say about the Motionbulb that can't be extrapolated from the above image and the product's name: it's a CFL bulb with a built-in motion detector capable of, uh ... detecting motion from up to 25 feet. Walk into a room, light goes on; leave the room, light goes off. 'Nuff said. They say the $20 bulb will last five years, which means it should still be around when those inefficient incandescents go the way of our favorite robo-dog in 2012.
Football in June? No problem with Worldsport HD
We don't cover many Voom HD stations in our daily HDTV listings, but we thought it would be worth telling Dish Network subscribers that you'll be getting the first of many CFL games tonight. Worldsport HD features the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tonight at 7:30 p.m. While Ricky Williams won't be playing tonight, (nor will the recently-cut Onterrio "The Whizzinator" Smith), it's always nice to watch some three-down football from our northern neighbors. If you were desperate enough to watch the Arena Bowl in HD or can't get enough 720p World Cup action then this will be a piece of cake.
TSN Sportscentre & CFL games in HD
Football, futbol or Canadian football, it's better in high definition, so it's certainly nice to see our neighbors to the north will be getting more of it next year. Along with every CFL game being televised, TSN (Canadian ESPN) will be showing at least 17 games in HD next year. CBC has yet to make an announcement on regular season games, but they did show last seasons Grey Cup for HDTV viewers last season, so we'll see. Also, TSN announced today that they will be switching their nightly Sportscentre program to HD in September. TSN HD will be the first Canadian broadcaster putting out daily news of any kind in high definition.
