LANSING - It's not a hot-button election issue like sending jobs to China or failed economic policies. But renewable energy has entered into this November's contests, and it's about to become a much bigger debate. Gathering steam are measures both in the Legislature and the Michigan Public Service Commission that could require utilities to have part of their future power generation come from renewable sources. Such a renewable portfolio standard, enacted in 21 states, has the backing of Gov. Jennifer Granholm and many current and prospective state lawmakers.

Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chair Peter LARK said he is leaning toward a statewide 21st Century Energy plan that ups the state's alternative energy production from 3 percent to 10 percent by 2015, pushes energy conservation and brings aboard the "cleanest coal fire plant" available to take care of the expected 1.2 percent increase in energy consumption.

As the first major advance in electric lighting, the incandescent light bulb made its appearance in the early 1900s. With the ability to be produced inexpensively for a wide range of voltages, incandescents work via an electric current that passes through a thin filament of tungsten wire, heating it and causing it to release light. This creation brought about changes in commercial buildings in every possible way. However, as technology and demand have progressed throughout the past 100 years, these once-remarkable bulbs are now being replaced by fluorescents, HID lamps, LEDs, etc.

Fast Company reports that, in the next 12 months, starting with a major push this month, Wal-Mart wants to sell every one of its regular customers--100 million in all--one compact fluorescent bulb. In the process, it may change energy consumption in the United States, and energy consciousness, too. Teaming up with General Electric, which owns about 60% of the residential lightbulb market in the United States, Wal-Mart wants to single-handedly double U.S. sales for CFLs in a year, and it wants demand to surge forward after that.

American Bright Optoelectronics has introduced a new LED lighting module powered by a custom AC driver from Lynk Labs. The BWCL series can accept input AC voltage ranges of 3-1000 volts, and American Bright says this affords the designer the greatest possible freedom to design fixtures bases on desired aesthetics rather than packaging of compatible drivers.