California approves TV efficiency mandate

The California Energy Commission unanimously approved the first energy efficiency standards for televisions in the state over opposition from the Consumer Electronics Association, reports CNET News.

The rules mandate that televisions sold in California starting in 2011 consume 33% less electricity than current models and 49% less by 2013. The regulations affect TVs that are 58 inches wide and less.

Although it's a state-level regulation, it is potentially significant outside California as other states are considering adopting similar rules. Unlike voluntary programmes, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar programme, the rules mandate certain levels of efficiency.

Brocade Communications Systems is offering service providers a new switching router that it says brings 1Gb Ethernet and 10Gb Ethernet capabilities along with enhanced space and power efficiency, states eWeek.

Brocade's NetIron CER 2000 Series compact switch offers high performance in a 1U (1.75-inch) form factor, with 24G or 48G Ethernet ports with two 10G Ethernet uplinks.

The goal is to give service providers greater capabilities in providing such services as VPNs and IP voice and video, while at the same time reducing their overall costs, says Nadeem Zahid, manager of service provider marketing for Brocade.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a way to boost the energy efficiency of solid-state devices by harvesting the currently wasted heat they generate for conversion into usable electricity, states Computing.co.uk.

The organisation has published a paper on the subject this month in the Journal of Applied Physics and hopes to see its so-called quantum-dot devices commercialised in the next couple of years.

They are initially likely to be used in high-value systems such as computer chips but, as they become cheaper, could be used in everything from solar panels to transportation technology.