Wave goodbye to global warming, GM and pesticides

Radio wave-treated water could change agriculture as we know it. Its Irish pioneers meet Tom Prendeville

Independent.ie, 25 August 2013

MIRACLE GROW: Treated water results
 in larger, healthier crops, says Professor
Austin Darragh of Limerick University

A GROUNDBREAKING new Irish technology which could be the greatest breakthrough in agriculture since the plough is set to change the face of modern farming forever.

The technology – radio wave energised water – massively increases the output of vegetables and fruits by up to 30 per cent.

Not only are the plants much bigger but they are largely disease-resistant, meaning huge savings in expensive fertilisers and harmful pesticides.

Extensively tested in Ireland and several other countries, the inexpensive water treatment technology is now being rolled out across the world. The technology makes GM obsolete and also addresses the whole global warming fear that there is too much carbon dioxide in the air, by simply converting excess CO2 into edible plant mass.

Developed by Professor Austin Darragh and Dr JJ Leahy of Limerick University's Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, the hardy eco-friendly technology uses nothing but the natural elements of sunlight, water, carbon dioxide in the air and the minerals in the soil.

The compact biscuit-tin-sized technology, which is called Vi-Aqua – meaning 'life water' – converts 24 volts of electricity into a radio signal, which charges up the water via an antennae. Once the device is attached to a hose, thousands of gallons of water can be charged up in less than 10 minutes at a cost of pennies.

Speaking about the new technology, Professor Austin Darragh says:

"Vi-Aqua makes water wetter and introduces atmospheric nitrogen into the water in the form of nitrates – so it is free fertiliser. It also produces the miracle of rejuvenating the soil by invigorating soil-based micro-organisms.

"We can also make water savings of at least 30 per cent. When the water is treated it becomes a better solvent, which means it can carry more nutrients to the leaves and stem and percolate better down into the soil to nourish the roots, which in turn produces a better root system. Hence the reason you need less water and why you end up with larger and hardier crops," explains Professor Austin Darragh.

Extensively tested in Warrenstown Agricultural College, the technology is being hailed as a modern day miracle.

Harold Lawler is Ireland's foremost Agricultural Specialist. As Director of the National Botanical Gardens and former Master of Agricultural Science at Warrenstown Agricultural College, he has carried out more research on Vi-Aqua growth-enhancing technology than perhaps anyone else in the world:

"In the bedding plants we really saw a difference in the results; they were much hardier and tougher. You could drop a tray of these plants on the ground and they would not shatter, like ordinary plants.

"We also noticed that the treated plants needed far less fertiliser than the untreated ones. The roots took the nutrients in better whereas with other normal plants leaching of minerals occurs," explains Harold Lawler.

Impressed, Harold Lawler's research team carried out further extensive tests on a wide variety of vegetable plants:

"The iceberg lettuces were far superior with faster germination, and with carrots for example, the crops were on average 46 per cent heavier," explains Harold Lawler.

During recent successful tomato crop field trials in Italy, three of the country's largest Agricultural Co-op's were so impressed with the results that they have now decided to recommend the technology to the country's farming community.

Elsewhere, the Indian government have now concluded their own tests, which confirm that they are able to boost tea (plant) production by over a third while using far less water.

In recognition of the groundbreaking technology, the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, London, recently took the hitherto unheard-of step of granting Professor Austin Darragh and his team the right to use their official centuries-old coat of arms on the new technology – the first time ever that Kew Gardens has afforded anyone such an honour.

The Kew Gardens botanists were not just impressed with the research; they used the technology to restore to life a very rare orchid which had been lying dormant and practically dead in a greenhouse bell jar since 1942. Amazingly, the orchid is now flourishing once again.

Intriguingly, chickens and sheep fed the energised water turned into giants. . . but that's another story!

Limerick University off- campus company ZPM Europe Ltd, who are based in the National Technology Park, Limerick, is now manufacturing the Vi-Aqua technology.

Sunday Independent

Energy firms, employers, ministers seal 'energy agreement'

DutchNews.nl, Wednesday 28 August 2013

The proportion of sustainable energy used in the Netherlands should go up from  4% to 16% of the total by 2023 under the terms of a new 'energy agreement' finalised on Wednesday.

Talks on the deal have been ongoing for six months under the auspices of SER, the government's advisory body made up of union, employer and lay representatives.

Investment

The agreement will lead to billions of euros of investment and create at least 15,000 jobs, SER said. Total energy use should be cut by 1.5% a year across the board.

Some €400m has been earmarked for subsidies for private landlords to make their properties more energy efficient.

The deal also involves closing down old coal-fired power stations earlier than scheduled, the setting up of a special fund to pay for energy efficency measures - with cash from pension funds - and a major focus on offshore wind energy generation.

Reactions

Reactions to the plans have been largely positive, news agency ANP said. Most political parties welcomed news of the deal, although the left-wing greens GroenLinks said it is a 'first step'.

'If we want to combat climate change and protect our environment we will have to be a lot more ambitious,' party leader Bram van Ojik said.

The agreement still has to be signed by all 40 parties involved in drawing it up.

Edible algae -- coming to a rooftop near you?

Google – AFP, William Davies (AFP), 27 August 2013

A woman prepares a spirulina shake in Bangkok on June 24, 2013

(AFP/File, Nicolas Asfouri)

BANGKOK — On a hotel rooftop in Bangkok, dozens of barrels of green liquid bubble under the sun -- the latest innovation in urban farming.

Proponents of the edible algae known as spirulina say it could help provide a sustainable source of protein as an alternative to meat.

Three times a week, Patsakorn Thaveeuchukorn harvests the green algae in the barrels.

"The algae is growing so fast, normally the doubling time is around 24 hours," said Patsakorn, whose employer EnerGaia uses Bangkok's rooftops to grow spirulina.

With its high levels of protein and nutrients, "it is beneficial to food security," he told AFP.

A worker checks a spirulina farm on the

 top of a hotel in Bangkok on June 24, 

2013 (AFP/File, Nicolas Asfouri)

"If you compare it to meat it will take six months to grow a kilogram of beef, but this we can grow in a week," said Patsakorn.

Spirulina has been described by health food experts as a super-food, and it is becoming more popular worldwide.

Rosa Rolle from the UN's food and agriculture organisation (FAO) says it has been an important food source for centuries.

"It grows naturally in Lake Texcoco in Mexico. It was eaten by the Incas," she told AFP. "It's in many countries that border Lake Chad in West Africa and is a protein source for a lot of people."

However she warns that it can lead to health problems for people suffering from gout, as it produces a lot of uric acid, and says people need to be educated about spirulina's positive and negative effects before they consume it.

"You need some nutritional information, but for people without medical conditions it would be fine," she said.

The empty space on top of Bangkok's many skyscrapers provide suitable growing conditions for spirulina as the constant high temperatures and sunlight are ideal breeding conditions.

Fresh spirulina is pictured at a spirulina

 farm on the top of a hotel in Bangkok on

June 24, 2013 (AFP/File, Nicolas Asfouri)

The algae also helps combat carbon dioxide levels through photosynthesis, its champions say, and growing it in cities means it can reach consumers the same day it is harvested.

Once the spirulina algae has been collected, it is hand rinsed and spun dry in a modified washing machine.

It then has to be hand pressed into jars, as there is no machine yet available that can work with the thick, jelly like substance it produces.

"There has been a lot of trial and error," Derek Blitz, technology director at EnerGaia, told AFP.

"It is great for vegetarians and vegans. It's also packed with anti-oxidants. It is really good for cleansing your body."

In their laboratory, lines of different sized test tubes all connected to one another act as the breeding ground for the algae. On the rooftop, barrels of different shapes are in testing, to see which will produce the highest yield.

The company says it is the only producer of fresh spirulina in the world; other companies only sell dried and processed varieties.

Jars of the algae have a shelf life of around three weeks from harvest, though Blitz plans to increase that so it can be exported abroad.

A spirulina laboratory is pictured in

Bangkok on June 24, 2013 (AFP/File,

Nicolas Asfouri)

"The advantages of having it fresh are that it has virtually no taste, so you can mix it with anything," he told AFP.

"Eating dried spirulina is like eating a cooked vegetable as opposed to a raw one, so you are getting a little bit more nutrition out of it (when fresh). The other reason to eat fresh produce is because there's a lot less energy involved in producing it."

And chefs across Bangkok are starting to experiment with the algae. Bill Marinelli, the owner of the Oyster Bar, is a convert.

"It is really good for you," he told AFP, in between mouthfuls of green pasta made with the algae. "We add it to dishes to increase the nutritional value."

The colour of the algae is so strong that anything it is mixed with instantly turns green. But despite that, and the fact it has no flavour, Bill is still keen to use it in his dishes.

"I'm looking at it as an alternative to animal protein. We can cut back on the amount of protein we serve as fish or meat, and incorporate spirulina for the additional protein source," he said.

Spirulina has been used as a food supplement for decades, and is popular among body builders. The question now is whether consumers will see it as a possible alternative to meat and fish.

Regulating Electron 'Spin' May Be Key to Making Organic Solar Cells Competitive

ScienceDaily, Aug 7, 2013

This is the laser set-up used to to make

 the actual measurements reported in the

paper. (Credit: Dr. Akshay Rao)

Organic solar cells, a new class of solar cell that mimics the natural process of plant photosynthesis, could revolutionise renewable energy -- but currently lack the efficiency to compete with the more costly commercial silicon cells.

At the moment, organic solar cells can achieve as much as 12 per cent efficiency in turning light into electricity, compared with 20 to 25 per cent for silicon-based cells.

Now, researchers have discovered that manipulating the 'spin' of electrons in these solar cells dramatically improves their performance, providing a vital breakthrough in the pursuit of cheap, high performing solar power technologies.

The study, by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Washington, is published today in the journal Nature, and comes just days after scientists called on governments around the world to focus on solar energy with the same drive that put a man on the moon, calling for a "new Apollo mission to harness the sun's power."

Organic solar cells replicate photosynthesis using large, carbon-based molecules to harvest sunlight instead of the inorganic semiconductors used in commercial, silicon-based solar cells. These organic cells can be very thin, light and highly flexible, as well as printed from inks similar to newspapers -- allowing for much faster and cheaper production processes than current solar cells.

But consistency has been a major issue. Scientists have, until now, struggled to understand why some of the molecules worked unexpectedly well, while others perform indifferently.

Researchers from Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory developed sensitive laser-based techniques to track the motion and interaction of electrons in these cells. To their surprise, the team found that the performance differences between materials could be attributed to the quantum property of 'spin'.

'Spin' is a property of particles related to their angular momentum, with electrons coming in two flavours, 'spin-up' or 'spin-down'. Electrons in solar cells can be lost through a process called 'recombination', where electrons lose their energy -- or "excitation" state -- and fall back into an empty state known as the "hole."

Researchers found that by arranging the electrons 'spin' in a specific way, they can block the energy collapse from 'recombination' and increase current from the cell.

"This discovery is very exciting, as we can now harness spin physics to improve solar cells, something we had previously not thought possible. We should see new materials and solar cells that make use of this very soon" said Dr. Akshay Rao, a Research Fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, who lead the study with colleagues Philip Chow and Dr. Simon Gélinas.

The Cambridge team believe that design concepts coming out of this work could help to close the gap between organic and silicon solar cells, bringing the large-scale deployment of solar cells closer to reality. In addition, some of these design concepts could also be applied to Organic Light Emitting diodes, a new and rapidly growing display technology, allowing for more efficient displays in cell phones and TVs.

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"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism, Higgs Boson), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

“ … Physicists say that electrons spin. They don't, and they can't. There's no surface on an electron, since they are energy. They don't spin, but instead have an electronic potential. Every single particle on this planet, everything you can see, all things in this Universe, are created with polarity. This is new information now. All things are created with polarity, and they're designed to be self-balancing. And because of the polarity of what you would call plus and minus, they move and try to balance themselves within a field - all things, both physical and other.

However, all polarities are prone to be biased by what I will call peer pressure. Electrons that carry (or spin with a polarity) of what you would call a certain kind of charge - we'll call it positive - are drawn to those that are negative so that they will null themselves out. They seek each other out to create the null of balance. They seek to be balanced, and if they are not, they are not happy. I use this word only to emphasize the condition of a particle of physics that does not find its balance. Even the unscientific can appreciate this.

But even with atoms, there are not always matched pairs of electrons, since there is no atomic rule that says that electrons will always be created in even numbers. So there will often be what I will call the odd one out and when that happens, the entire atom will then be charged positively or negatively, depending upon the odd one out. When this happens, this atom will seek out another atom, which has an odd one out of an opposite charge. That has a name: Magnetism. I've just explained magnetism. Now, science knows part of that already. What they have not realized yet, however, is that all things have a duality. They suspect it and there are theories that will show it soon enough, and I've given it to you today because it always has existed in someone's mind.

So from the very smallest to the very biggest, even the galaxy has duality. At the center of your galaxy, what you call the black hole, is a quantum push/pull engine, and I'm going to tell you in a minute why it's that way.

Here is a big question, and I will answer it right now. Why does everything have a polarity? Why would it be created this way, even down to the electron? The smallest thing, even to what you call the Higgs Bosen [God Particle] and the quarks, they all have polarity. There isn't a piece of nature that you're going to find that doesn't have polarity. Why? I will tell you why: Physicists will laugh. Not in ridicule, but in agreement. If it were not this way, the Universe would be a dull, boring place to be. Because, by creating a duality in every single particle, you create an active Universe that is self-balancing and is never at rest. If it were not this way, it would be static, unchanging, and non-creative. Therefore, without polarity, there would be no life. Life is created by having a duality, a polarity in atomic particles. Life is that which is necessary for the Universe to exist. There's no reason for physics without life - and you thought it was the other way around, didn't you? Life was an accident on one planet. Oh, how 3D of you! Life is the DESIGN..…”

Norway to act as flagship for Tesla sales in Europe

Gigaom.com, Katie Fehrenbacher  AUG. 7, 2013

Tesla said on Wednesday in its Q2 earnings report that it has delivered its first Model S cars to customers in Europe in Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The electric car company said that in the second quarter it made “several hundred” Model S cars for service loaners, customer test drives and deliveries to customers in Europe.

The first car was delivered in Oslo, Norway (picture below), according to Tesla’s twitteraccount.

Tesla OsloNorway will act as a flagship market of sorts. Just this year, Tesla expects to deliver 800 cars to Norwegian customers. Tesla is also building out its Supercharger network around Norway, and says its chargers will cover 80 percent of the population. One of the first Tesla Supercharger stations in Europe is being built in Cinderella, Norway, according to the Tesla twitterfeed.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also noted in an earnings call this week that Norwegian buyers will be interested in the new “sub zero package,” which has add-ons like wiper blade defrosters.

Tesla has a final assembly plant in Tilburg, in the Netherlands, and has its EU headquarters in Amsterdam. In the coming weeks Tesla will open a new retail design store in Brussels, London and Amsterdam.

Musk also said that because Tesla is now production constrained (instead of demand constrained), they aren’t really trying to push sales all that hard in Europe yet. “If you order a car in Europe [now], you’ll get it maybe in November.” Right now we need to make sure our entry into Europe is smooth, service centers are there and the people who manage them are well trained, noted Musk.

In terms of the volume of the overall European market, Musk said that conservatively he thinks Model S sales will be at least half as good as the sales in North America. However, they could possibly be as good as sales in North America, he added.

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Anti-fracking protests in Balcombe signal major shift in public awareness

Cuadrilla demonstrations show how fracking has gone from largely ignored to hotly debated, both publicly and politically

theguardian.com, Fiona Harvey, Monday 19 August 2013

Anti-fracking protester in Balcombe holds a poster featuring a Ghandi quote.
Photograph: Tim Andrews/ Corbis

The partially drilled oil well at Balcombe, which has been besieged by thousands of protesters, is not the UK's first or largest fracking site. In fact, it is not even a fracking site at all, as Cuadrilla's plan is to extract oil by conventional drilling if possible.

But it has caught the public imagination in a way that the recent history of fracking in the UK has not, with the scale of the last few days of protest signalling a major shift in the public consciousness of the issue, and a major headache for the government.

Anti-fracking is drawing together a sizeable coalition of people at demonstrations: "middle England" has been as much in evidence as Occupy; Daily Mail readers have outnumbered Guardianistas; first-time protesters mingled with veterans; old and young joined hands; and people whose primary concern is preserving the countryside found common cause with climate change activists.

The breadth of the opposition to fracking was amply illustrated in last week's Guardian poll – 40% oppose it in their area, 40% support it. The fight for the government – particularly Conservatives who are much more pro fracking than the Lib Dems – is over that 20% who are so far undecided. Fracking – the process of blasting high-pressure water, sand and chemicals at dense shale rock to release the tiny bubbles of methane or oil trapped within – has gone from being an obscure bit-part player in the energy industry to taking centre stage, and that is just where its proponents do not like it.

When Cuadrilla started exploring in the UK, in 2009-10, it attracted little attention outside the oil and gas industry. As a venture capital-backed company, it had no need to raise money on the stock market or to publicise its plans. Rather the opposite – there was no fanfare and little attempt to inform anyone, outside the handful of government agencies whose permission Cuadrilla required.

The company's first application to frack went through the local and parish councils near Blackpool unopposed and almost unremarked. Cuadrilla consulted with the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive, both of which had to work swiftly to establish protocols on fracking, and went about drilling its first wells. There was local grumbling, but few outside the affected villages took much notice.

It was only after the first exploration in early 2011 that Cuadrilla attracted attention, when its Lancashire operations literally woke up the neighbours. Two small earthquakes – too little to do any damage, but strong enough to be noticed – struck the local area. Questions were raised, drilling was stopped. It was then nearly a year before the tremors were conclusively ascribed to Cuadrilla's activities.

At this point, in spring 2012, fracking began to gather significant public attention. The coalition government sought to calm fears with new regulations that would halt drilling if tremors occurred, but it also announced a series of tax breaks and other incentives for fracking, and strong support for gas more generally, which angered climate change campaigners. A growing anti-fracking chorus internationally, including from the US where it has been linked to air pollution, the despoliation of the landscape and the over-use of water compounded many people's fears.

So too did leaks from the industry that suggested Cuadrilla had failed to notify the safety authorities of damage to one of its wells, and the revelation that tall chimneys flaring excess gas were likely to be a common sight at fracking wells.

Even so, people in the main drilling area near Blackpool were apprehensive but not out on the streets. What changed over the next year was a combination of greater public awareness of the problems that can accompany shale drilling, bullish government support for shale gas ("we'll see how thick their rectory walls are and how they like flaring at the end of the drive" is how Tory energy minister Michael Fallon threatened middle England), and most of all the decision by Cuadrilla to make Balcombe – a small village in the leafy heart of the Sussex commuter belt – its next target. The quiet invasion of Lancashire two years ago may have gone unnoticed the first time, but the company should have realised that this time round it would be different.

Now, not only government ministers and conservationists but the Church of England has weighed in. It is important to note that an indigenous source of gas, if it can be extracted safely and without too much destruction, could play a part in making the UK more self-sufficient in energy and, given certain conditions, could even reduce bills. But these are still very big ifs.

With thousands of people now protesting at Balcombe and more at sites around the country, the anti-fracking movement is now clearly a force in UK politics. This may in itself provoke a backlash, and result in further support for gas, but it cannot be ignored.

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Scientists Report Quantum Teleportation Breakthroughs

PC Magazine, Damon Poeter, August 16, 2013

Two research teams publishing in the current issue of Nature said they have achieved breakthroughs in controlling "quantum teleportation," a process which uses the peculiarities of entangled quantum states in a pair of particles like photons to transfer information from one location to another instantaneously.

Scientists from Japan and Switzerland, in separate studies, produced new research developments which "could change the very face of computing and technological security," according to the National Journal.

The Swiss team, led by Andreas Wallraff of the Quantum Device Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, accomplished "full deterministic quantum teleportation with feed forward" using a "chip-based superconducting circuit architecture," or in other words, a microchip, the scientists said. The upshot is that the device the team created appears to get around a big problem in quantum teleportation—that measuring the particles used in the process, known as qubits, alters them.

The Swiss team crafted a chip with tiny circuits that "each act like an atom," the National Journal reported, explaining that "[t]iny transmission lines connect the circuits and carry microwave radiation, which essentially joins the circuits and their properties to one another." Using this device, the scientists were able to input quantum information into one circuit and cause a signal going to a second circuit to change, then "use that altered signal to determine circuit A's original properties and transfer them to circuit B."

In plainer terms, the scientists were able to reliably "teleport" an electrical current from one circuit to another and measure the changed state with altering it, something no one had accomplished before.

The Japanese team, meanwhile, developed a "hybrid technique involving continuous-variable teleportation of a discrete-variable, photonic qubit." That novel technique minimizes photon loss during the quantum teleportation of information between photons, "allow[ing] for a faithful qubit transfer even with imperfect continuous-variable entangled states," they said.

These developments and other quantum teleportation breakthroughs are seen as key to the maturation of quantum computing and quantum encryption, two related, nascent technologies which theoretically could pave the way for vastly more powerful computers than we have today and uncrackable security protocols to protect the transfer of information between them.

Related Article:

"THE NEXT 18 YEARS"–  Dec 2, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: You are looking  at a Quantum event, clearing a filter - Portal pineal , Higher self to step forward and communicate to You, Still remains in 3D but exposure to multi dimensions, Evolution of humanity, Intent, Mayan Calendar, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, 26.000 Years, Milky Way, Nostradamus, 1987, Beginning to a New Time, Channellers/Teachers, Center of Galaxy – Black hole, Bridge of Swords, Pleiadians, Children, Inventions – The discoveries (e.g. : Airplanes - Medicines – Radio ...): These new Discoveries were given all over the planet when Human consciousness was ready for it, New Inventions are coming, the timing depends on how the middle East problems are solved, Biology reaction of quantum energy; new radio of the future, seeing quantum energy, when it is revealed all science books will have to be rewritten, This will be an AHA moment – be possible to communicate with the rest of Galaxy, NASA, Church/religion will be effected the most by these discoveries, The quantum discovery will see the grid, life, gardens and will redefine life, DNA (3 billion pieces) evolving piece DNA are chancing, Gaia/Humanity are linked, new instruments will start to reveal the DNA variance, Evolution revealed: Autistic children have born with the removal of their 3D structure in the brain, Gaia/Spirit are testing these quantum beings  (Evolved DNA), Universe central clock = Rifs,  Globally there will be only 5 currencies, Wars on earth will be declared barbaric, Middle East, Global Unity, .. etc.)

14 year old girl picks fight with bully TV host - and WINS!

14 year old Rachel Parent debates Kevin O'Leary on the issue of Genetically Modified Food. Rachel's website: http://www.gmo-news.com/

Canadian Biotechnology Action Network: www.cban.ca petition for mandatory GMO food labelling: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Brin

Rachel Parent

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After delays, solar panels again being installed on White House

LA Times, By Neela Banerjee, August 15, 2013

WASHINGTON – The White House began installing solar panels this week  on the first family’s residence, finally making good on a pledge President Obama made almost three years ago.

The installation follows a speech Obama made in June on tackling the causes of climate change and dealing with its effects. Administration officials announced in October 2010 that solar panels would be installed in the White House as part of an initiative to make government buildings more energy efficient, but the work was repeatedly delayed.

Environmentalists and solar energy companies welcomed the news.

“Solar is fast becoming America’s most popular home improvement, and we are very pleased to see the first family follow the American people’s lead. Support for solar energy is one issue that rises above the political fray,” said a statement from Sungevity, an Oakland-based solar company.

Sungevity was part of a coalition of solar businesses and environmental groups that petitioned the administration in early 2010 to bring back solar power to the White House.  President Carter had solar panels installed there, but President Reagan had them taken down in 1986.

When the project was announced in 2010, Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said it would show that “American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country.”

Renewable sources generate only a small portion of the country’s electricity, but their share has grown. The United States installed 723 megawatts of solar energy in the first quarter of 2013, which accounted for more than 48% of all new electric generation capacity built over that period, according to the Solar Energy Industries Assn., a Washington trade group.

The White House said the project would “help demonstrate that historic buildings can incorporate solar energy and energy-efficiency upgrades.”

The administration said the solar equipment is “American-made,” but declined to give any other details, including the cost, the name of the vendor, how much energy it will save or when it will come on line.

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Indian villages lit up by off-grid power

BBC News, Sanjoy Majumder, Uttar Pradesh, 16 August 2013

Many say off-grid power has transformed their lives

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Inside her mud and brick hut in the village of Purva in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sukhrani is making a pot of lentils for dinner - in complete darkness.

The glow of a candle and the flame from a wood fire are the only sources of light for the woman who is in her 60s.

Her village has no electricity - it has never had any.

"I have never seen an electric bulb," she says, as she squats on the floor, wiping sweat off her face.

"The village I was born in had no electricity. I moved here after my marriage - and there was none here either."

Purva is just one of hundreds of thousands of Indian villages which are either not connected to the country's power grid, or lack uninterrupted power supply.

Rohit Chandra of the Omnigrid
 Micropower Company says opportunities
are immense

Sixty-five years after India's independence, it is estimated that more than half of the country's more than 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity.

For many like Sukhrani, it is a reality they have come to accept.

"I've heard that some people have electricity but I've never experienced it, so I don't even know what it's used for," she says.

'Nice and bright'

But just five km (three miles) away, in the neighbouring village of Jangaon, it is a completely different picture.

Ashraf Ali, a bangle maker, lives inside a hut almost identical to Sukhrani but it is bathed in the white glow of a solar lamp.

An electrical fan is on next to him, also powered by solar energy.

Sukhrani says she has never seen an electric bulb

All this costs him only a few dollars a month.

His wife and he work into the night, making brightly coloured lacquer bangles to sell in the local market, while his children play or read in the next room, which is equally brightly lit.

"Ever since we got solar power in our village, my life has become so much easier," Mr Ali says.

"This light is so nice and bright, it's easier to see. And business has improved because we can work longer hours."

A short distance away is the source of Mr Ali's electricity. A low-rise building with about 25 rectangular-shaped solar panels on its roof.

This one supports 30 villages, including Jangaon, powering up homes as well as schools, telecom towers and local businesses.

'Immense opportunities'

Rohit Chandra is the co-founder of the Omnigrid Micropower Company which owns this plant.

It is one of several hundred private companies that have set up solar power stations in some of India's poorest states bringing off-grid power to villages which otherwise remain cut-off.

"This area - the states of Assam, Bihar, north-east, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh - has about 400 million people, that's about 40% of the population.

"So the opportunities are immense," Mr Chandra says.

Ashraf Ali says ever since they got solar power in their village, their life
has become so much easier

One reason why companies are now turning to solar energy is because the technology has become more accessible and economical. And, of course, India is blessed with plenty of sunshine through the year.

"The panels, mostly made in China, are much cheaper and compact," he adds.

"We have 10 plants at the moment - we are expanding to 100 by the end of the year and plan to increase to 5,000 in the next few years."

But is off-grid power the answer to India's energy needs?

"I think as a country, the sheer volume of energy deficit is such that the problem is never going to be solved in the next three decades by off-grid substituting bigger projects," says Vinayak Chatterjee, who advises the government on infrastructure, particularly in the field of energy.

But setting up these large projects is expensive and power distribution companies are often forced to keep their tariffs low by governments so as to make it cheaper for consumers.

"That's why off-grid power is certainly a solution and intervention that is warmly received in large parts of rural India which has never seen any action from the grid," says Mr Chatterjee.

Back in Jangaon, as the sun goes down the lights come on in the village's main street - from the grocery store to the doctor's clinic at the end of the lane to the street-food vendor at the corner, everyone it appears has a white solar lamp.

It is a small ray of hope which, if properly harnessed, could just change the face of rural India.

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"2013 - What Now ?" – Jan 6, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)

“… New ideas are things you never thought of. These ideas will be given to you so you will have answers to the most profound questions that your societies have had since you were born. Inventions will bring clean water to every Human on the planet, cheaply and everywhere. Inventions will give you power, cheaply and everywhere. These ideas will wipe out all of the reasons you now have for pollution, and when you look back on it, you'll go, "This solution was always there. Why didn't we think of that? Why didn't we do this sooner?" Because it wasn't time and you were not ready. You hadn't planted the seeds and you were still battling the old energy, deciding whether you were going to terminate yourselves before 2012. Now you didn't…. and now you didn't.

It's funny, what you ponder about, and what your sociologists consider the "great current problems of mankind", for your new ideas will simply eliminate the very concepts of the questions just as they did in the past. Do you remember? Two hundred years ago, the predictions of sociologists said that you would run out of food, since there wasn't enough land to sustain a greater population. Then you discovered crop rotation and fertilizer. Suddenly, each plot of land could produce many times what it could before. Do you remember the predictions that you would run out of wood to heat your homes? Probably not. That was before electricity. It goes on and on.

So today's puzzles are just as quaint, as you will see. (1)How do you strengthen the power grids of your great nations so that they are not vulnerable to failure or don't require massive infrastructure improvement expenditures? Because cold is coming, and you are going to need more power. (2) What can you do about pollution? (3) What about world overpopulation? Some experts will tell you that a pandemic will be the answer; nature [Gaia] will kill off about one-third of the earth's population. The best minds of the century ponder these puzzles and tell you that you are headed for real problems. You have heard these things all your life.

Let me ask you this. (1) What if you could eliminate the power grid altogether? You can and will. (2) What if pollution-creating sources simply go away, due to new ideas and invention, and the environment starts to self-correct? (3) Overpopulation? You assume that humanity will continue to have children at an exponential rate since they are stupid and can't help themselves. This, dear ones, is a consciousness and education issue, and that is going to change. Imagine a zero growth attribute of many countries - something that will be common. Did you notice that some of your children today are actually starting to ponder if they should have any children at all? What a concept! ….”