Bright future for energy efficient lighting

New integrated circuits promise to make fluorescent lamps more "green." Light it up — International Rectifier devised this demonstration of a new CFL ballast chip for the device's European debut. In the U.S., Technical Consumer Products will make lamps incorporating the new chip under the Commercial Electric brand. Several makers of halogen light systems in Italy plan to use the halogen version of the ballast IC, says International Rectifier. The typical solid-state ballast circuit for a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) uses discrete components. The operating point depends on lamp electrical properties and temperature. So the operating point may change as the lamp ages, potentially leading this self-oscillating circuit into resonance and failure. A new IC reduces component count by 20% and keeps the operating point stable over temperature and lamp variations. Chip developer International Rectifier says the resulting ballasts will be more reliable and should fit in a smaller space. Get ready for new rules from the Dept. of Energy. Next year, DOE will implement regulations effectively making it impossible to equip some kinds of fluorescent lamps with transformer-style ballasts. The DOE regs have energy consumption in mind. Lighting accounts for about 25% of all U.S. electrical power. No wonder, then, the DOE wants lamps to get more efficient. So its new regulations dictate what are called ballast efficacy ratings — basically a measure of energy efficiency. The ratings are such that transformer-style ballasts aren't efficient enough for many of the most common fluorescents used in shop and factory lighting. The regulations apply mainly to longtube fluorescent lamps. They don't apply to low-power-factor ballasts as used in residential settings. Nevertheless, the handwriting is on the wall. Lamps of all kinds will have to be more efficient in the future. This future is coming quickly in Europe. The EU will ban all