Well, changing to compact fluorescent bulbs DOES have one benefit, however small. The monthly cost of lighting my home has dropped, a very real advantage I can recognize and apply.
As for the number of cars on the road it would replace if every incandescent bulb in America were swapped out for a compact fluorescent bulb, that is a totally meaningless estimate for me. We put more new vehicles on the road each year than that.
Five years from now, compact fluorescent bulbs will fast become obsolete, as more and more LED lighting systems are available. Right now, an LED light with the power to replace a 100-watt bulb is ~$20 or so, but with the economies of scale, the Chinese will be producing them for LESS than compact fluorescent bulbs. Individually, one LED emits a singularly bright monochrome light, but in arrays, they provide a much more efficient light source, consuming about 3-5% of the power needed for a similar amount of light from an incandescent bulb, and less than a quarter of the power needed for a compact fluorescent bulb.
“Right now, an LED light with the power to replace a 100-watt bulb is ~$20 or so, but with the economies of scale, the Chinese will be producing them for LESS than compact fluorescent bulbs. Individually, one LED emits a singularly bright monochrome light, but in arrays, they provide a much more efficient light source, consuming about 3-5% of the power needed for a similar amount of light from an incandescent bulb, and less than a quarter of the power needed for a compact fluorescent bulb.”
I too am looking forward to the evolution of LED lighting. Hopefully they can do something about that bluish tint they give off.