Re: Anyone moved to LED Lighting?

[David Nebenzahl <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 11/21/2009 9:28 PM Don Klipstein spake thus:

>   Compared to incandescents, in USA on average CFLs actually reduce mining
> of mercury-containing materials and transfering mercury to the
> environment.  This is because about half of all electricity produced in
> the USA is obtained by burning coal, a major source of mercury pollution.

You know, we've only heard you say this here about, oh, 117,000 times.

Your assertion (about CFLs resulting in less mercury contamination)
contains a *major* fallacy. It implies that when one use a CFL instead
of an incandescent light bulb, the electricity somehow, magically turns
"cleaner", with less mercury emitted.

If you run a CFL, your electricity *still* comes from the same
mercury-spewing coal-fired power plant. You're just using less of it
than if you use an incandescent bulb.

Now, it's true that if *enough* people used CFLs, *and* if the resulting
power savings were enough for the power companies to say, "Hey, let's
start shutting down our dirty old coal-fired power plants", then one
could truly say that the use of CFLs reduces mercury emissions. But that
hasn't happened yet. Nowhere near it. They're still burning lots of
coal, and planning on building even *more* coal-fired plants.


--
I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on
Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours.

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