It’s a two-fer tonight for the newly created "Clean Tech" category. This time we revisit the ban-light-bulbs movement that is still circulating in California and elseware.

It turns out that the free market (and Wal Mart’s ability to sell a lot of CFLs) really is capable of responding more effectively than government regulation.

The free market, all on its very own — people reacting purely to price pressures, the differences in costs of the bulbs and the electricity to power them — is leading the switchover. We don’t actually need any governmental action; we’re already producing over 50% of the compact flourescents that will be needed, perhaps an even higher portion.

BTW, I couldn’t help but notice that whenever the CFL debate comes up there is someone who chimes in with "well the incandescent light bulb is 140 years old and really hasn’t changed". Of course the core principle behind incandescent lighting hasn’t changed but the technology certainly has making the argument factually inaccurate on it’s face, but more to the point, how many of these pundits know that fluorescent light bulbs were first debuted in 1893, making it 114 year old technology…

Tags: CFL