Energy Planet Northwest

Mayor gets GE to create jobs and hand over the dough ias part of LED lighting contract.

LED manufacturers are beating each other to death trying to gain access to the revenue stream of one of the lighting industries leading brands, GE. Though GE lags in it's  share in the LED lighting  market, it is awakening.  Further reductions should be realized with the reduction of cost of GaN type led chips which are claimed to last even longer than the most commonly used LED technology. Volatile times are ahead for the LED lighiting industry and the customer and ecology should benefit as that LED bulbs use significantly less power than other types of illumination. last significantly longer, are more robust and do not contain mercury which is considered a hazardous material. LED lights, though seemingly costly are already more economic than incandescent and fluorescent lighting, saving customers 100s of dollars over their life. One might expect LED bulbs to be priced in the price range of quality compact fluorescent bulbs in the near future.

The USA sold off it's solar patents post Carter. Energy Secretary Chu has taken aim at getting the price of Solar to 25% of its's cost by the end of the decade.

How much is this available without ruining someone else's assets. e.g. their water supply ?

There may be a connection between lower sea Ice levels and colder temperatures at mid latitudes.