The great bulb debate
But despite the misgivings of Canadians, using fluorescent bulbs make sense. While more expensive, the new bulbs require 75 per cent less electricity to operate. That saves energy and reduces electricity bills. Generally, lighting accounts for between five and 10 per cent of the total bill.
Based on those arguments, it shouldn't be necessary to ban incandescent bulbs -- in this case by making it illegal to sell them. Clearly, Canadians are tired of governments imposing bans in an effort to mould their behaviour.
Canadians would rather make the choice for themselves, so let them. Governments can encourage consumers to embrace the use of energy-efficient lighting, and they might consider incentives to buy fluorescent bulbs - like foregoing sales taxes. A coupon campaign launched by the Ontario Power Authority, for example, saw more than 2.8 million people try fluorescent bulbs at a discount.
Allowing people to save money by making responsible choices is a better idea than taking away their right to choose.
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Idaho gets vast majority of electricity from renewables, almost half from hydropower
BOISE - More than 80% of Idaho’s in-state utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable resources in 2018, behind only Vermont, according to recently released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly.
Idaho generated 17.4 million MWh of electricity in 2018, of which 14.2 million MWh came from renewable sources. Idaho uses a variety of renewable resources to generate electricity:
Hydroelectricity. Idaho ranked seventh in the U.S. in electricity generation from hydropower in 2018. About half of Idaho’s electricity generating capacity is at hydroelectric power plants and seven of the state’s 10 largest power plants (in terms of electricity generation)…
