My Clean Break column from Monday takes a look at the emerging battle between General Electric and European lightbulb makers Phillips and Siemens. GE wants to breath new life into the incandescent bulb while the rest of the light bulb pack wants to march more aggressively forward with a shift to compact fluorescents and eventually LEDs. GE’s introduction recently of a new advanced incandescent light bulb technology will certainly add volume to the debate, and raise the issue of whether our policy focus should be on banning particular bulb technologies or setting hard rules on light bulb efficiency that is technology-blind.

Another story of mine that appeared today is a short look at Ted Sargent, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto and nanotechnology expert, who has been invited to the exclusive TED conference in California to speak about the future of spray-on solar technologies. Sargent led the U of T team that developed quantum dots that can absorb infrared light and convert it to electricity. These nanoparticles, which can be added to polymer liquids and literally sprayed on surfaces, could increase the efficiency of thin-film solar PV technology by collecting energy from the invisible spectrum of the sun. It could also lead to the inexpensive production of energy-collecting materials, such as solar clothing, tents and pool covers. Sargent will be sharing the stage with Bill Clinton, Paul Simon and Sir Richard Branson, to name a few. Quite the honour.

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