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Ever volatile fuel prices, security of supply, renewable energy cost reductions and environmental-climate concerns are dramatically accelerating the demand for greener alternatives.

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These technologies are finally establishing themselves in the energy mix and becoming mainstream .....an emerging multi trillion dollar market rapidly becoming one of the most significant industrial sectors this century. The future is bright for renewable energy sources and a greener sustainable world.

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« Industry leaders prop… | Home | Hacked climate emails… »

California may pull the plug on power-guzzling flat-screen TVs

04 11 09 - 15:41 California may pull the plug on power-guzzling flat-screen TVs


By Michael B. Farrell


San Francisco - The state that first championed the ban on energy-hogging refrigerators in the 1970s now has its sights set on power-hungry TVs.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) could adopt new efficiency standards for televisions with screens smaller than 58 inches as early as next week. If the commission OKs the requirement at its Nov. 4 meeting, TVs sold in the state will have to be 33 percent more efficient by 2011 and consume 49 percent less energy by 2013. The move is meant to curtail on the amount of electricity used to fuel Californians' TV habit, which has been growing as consumers continue to buy larger and cheaper flat-screen sets that use more power. Televisions and their various accessories - such as DVD players and cable boxes - now account for about 10 percent of an average home's electric bill in California.

"Electricity use by televisions is growing," says Adam Gottlieb, CEC spokesman. "Two percent of the state's energy consumption goes to power televisions."

In the end, says Mr. Gottlieb, compelling manufacturers to sell more energy-efficient TVs will amount to saving consumers and the state a lot of money. He says it will conserve enough electricity to power 864,000 homes annually and add up to $8.1 billion in savings over the next decade.

While environmentalists are applauding the move and some manufacturers have backed the proposed standards, the Consumer Electronics Associations, a trade group, is steadfast in its opposition.

It says the regulations would cost California $50 million in lost tax revenues, due to the drop in TV sales, and result in 4,600 lost jobs.

"The consumer electronics industry is committed to achieving energy efficiency in ways that benefit consumers and inspire innovation. The CEC's proposal to eliminate consumer choice and remove 25 percent of televisions from the market is a job killer and does not benefit consumers," it said in a statement.

The CEC standards will not apply to sets larger than 58 inches partly as a concession to the industry, says Gottlieb. But more than 1,000 models smaller than 58 inches are already on the market that meet the new efficiency guidelines, he adds.

"This is not banning products. The TVs that people will be able to buy will be more energy efficient and save them money," he says.

The Kansas City Star reported recently that the surge in television sales is being fueled by less expensive sets and the recent national switch to digital broadcasting. Market analyst Tamaryn Pratt told the paper, "Here we are in a terrible economic time and the demand for TVs of all kinds has grown incredibly."

In California, consumers buy about 4 million televisions a year.

Back in 2005, the Monitor reported that TV energy was expected to "reach about 70 billion kilowatt-hours per year nationwide" in 2009 - about 50 percent higher than the usage in 2005.

"Bigger screens aren't the only culprits for TV's growing energy draw. The nation's move to high-definition TV, or HDTV, requires sets to deliver more picture clarity, which draws more power," the article explained.

Manufacturers resisted, too, when California placed tighter restrictions on refrigerators in 1978, Gottlieb said. But today, he says, the typical fridge is larger than its avocado-colored ancestor and uses 75 percent less energy. Used tags: , , , , ,

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UN's Ban sure of a Climate Treaty ahead of the Copenhagen Summit next month

Monday 30 November 2009 at 01:13 am Washington - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was encouraged by the interest being shown by world leaders ahead of the United Nations' climate change summit to be held in Copenhagen next month, saying that a strong framework fora Climate Treaty could be in place by 2010.

Ban, who has repeatedly called climate change and its attendant consequences of increased droughts, floods, rising seas and more violent storms "the defining challenge of our era," will urge the leaders of the 53-member Commonwealth to attend the summit, confident that strong momentum is building for a framework that can be molded into a legally binding climate treaty as early as possible in 2010. more

Hacked climate emails: conspiracy or tempest in a teapot?

Tuesday 24 November 2009 at 4:28 pm Hacked climate emails: conspiracy or tempest in a teapot?



By Pete Spotts,


For all its gee-whiz discoveries and its influence on public policy, science can be a messy, sometimes ugly enterprise.

When the science is paleontology, astronomy, or geophysics, internal politics, thinly or not-so-thinly veiled personal attacks, and water-cooler discussions among influential scientists about whose research is junk and not worth publishing draw a collective yawn from anyone outside the relatively small circle of researchers involved.

When the topic is global warming, however, look out. more

California may pull the plug on power-guzzling flat-screen TVs

Wednesday 04 November 2009 at 3:41 pm California may pull the plug on power-guzzling flat-screen TVs


By Michael B. Farrell


San Francisco - The state that first championed the ban on energy-hogging refrigerators in the 1970s now has its sights set on power-hungry TVs.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) could adopt new efficiency standards for televisions with screens smaller than 58 inches as early as next week. If the commission OKs the requirement at its Nov. 4 meeting, TVs sold in the state will have to be 33 percent more efficient by 2011 and consume 49 percent less energy by 2013. more