Prithvi Datta, of Castlefields, Runcorn, visits Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh, in India, to promote green energy

Prithvi Datta, of Castlefields, Runcorn, visits Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh, in India, to promote green energy
Oct 29 2009 by Oliver Clay, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

AN INVENTOR from Runcorn has visited an Indian holy site to promote his green ideas to businessmen.

Last week Prithvi Datta, a retired refrigeration engineer from Castlefields, and his son arrived in Prasanthi Nilayam – a remote village in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, to gather support for his carbon-cutting ideas.

While in the holy village, also known as Place of Peace, Mr Datta will propose a ‘solar dome’ invention to a team of social entrepreneurs from around the world.

Mr Datta, who tests some of his inventions at his son’s Xpress laundry business in Widnes, said his Evergreen Model 18 Regenerative Energy System combines solar, greenhouse and chimney effects.

Mr Datta hopes private and public bodies will back the project and a working prototype near Prasanthi Nilayam.

He said the solar dome is more efficient and affordable than wind turbines or solar panels used alone.

He said that with patents in place, he hopes the technology will be exported around the world.

The trip to the holy village kicks off a five month tour for Mr Datta.

The majority of the tour will be spent in India, where he is advising the West Bengal Regeneration Energy Development Agency on green energy. He will also visit Canada.

Mr Datta said:

“With blessing from Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the proposed dome will offer nine to 18 kilowatts of usable regenerative electrical power for a longer part of the year, than individual solar or wind turbine system.

With Sathya Sai Baba’s Grace a great reduction in carbon emissions and burning fossil fuels will be possible when the power is not used from the national grid or standby generators.

My family are happy that I am able to make a small contribution to others and the environment.”

Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News Reference

Longest Solar Eclipse of 21st Century to Pass Over India, China

Full Eclipse

Longest Solar Eclipse of 21st Century to Pass Over India, China

July 21 (Bloomberg) — The longest full solar eclipse this century, lasting 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some areas, will plunge cities, including Shanghai, into darkness as it passes over India and China tomorrow.

Shanghai, China’s wealthiest city, will experience 5 minutes of darkness when the moon blocks out the sun at about 9:39 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s orbit moves between the Earth and the sun so that the sun is fully or partially obstructed.

“It’s certainly a buzz because it’s quite beautiful,” said David Thurley, 62, a retired environmental and waste water engineer who traveled from Albury in southeastern Australia to watch the event in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. “It’s through this demonstration that we know how the solar system works and it’s there for all to see.” Thurley has seen two previous eclipses in Australia and Libya.

Tomorrow’s eclipse is benefiting the tourism industries in China and India that have had fewer visitors because of the global recession and swine flu. The Park Hyatt Hotel on the 91st floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, China’s tallest building, has fully booked its 2,830 yuan ($414) package for watching the eclipse that includes a night’s stay and champagne breakfast for two.

China posted a 4.8 percent decline in visitor arrivals from a year earlier during the first five months of 2009, according to the China National Tourism Administration. India’s tourist arrivals fell 9.2 percent in the first six months of this year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Indian Coast
The eclipse will first be visible at about 5:28 a.m. local time on the western coast of India, before the shadow crosses the eastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. It will pass over the cities of Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Varanasi and Patna, according to NASA.

Residents of Mumbai won’t get a view of a full eclipse as the path will move just north of the city, according to the U.S. space agency. A full eclipse will also be visible in parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar before crossing into China, according to NASA.

During an eclipse, Hindus offer prayers by visiting temples and turn containers of food and water upside down. Food left uncovered during the event is thrown out or given to beggars. Some Hindus don’t eat or drink during the eclipse and bar pregnant women from stepping outdoors, sewing or using knives. Many immerse themselves in water for cleansing.

Scientific Basis
“There is no scientific basis for the Indian belief that an eclipse is inauspicious,” said Harish Bhatt, dean of the Faculty of Academic Sciences of the Bangalore-based Institute of Astrophysics. “It is just the moon’s shadow on the Earth.”

Such an event enables scientists to study the temperature of the sun’s gases and chemicals, Bhatt said.

In China, the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hefei, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai will experience a full eclipse, according to NASA.

The ancient Chinese text, Records of the Grand Historian, written more than 2,000 years ago, describes eclipses as indicators of change. China’s State Council, the nation’s cabinet, issued a statement on July 18 calling on local governments to ensure social stability during the eclipse and to prevent the spread of superstition.

The Park Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai has booked rooms for guests coming to view the event, as well as business travelers who have extended stays or are arriving early for the eclipse, said Lillian Zhang, the hotel’s public relations manager.

Eclipses are “stunning and genuinely beautiful,” said Don Rankin, 47, who traveled from London to view the eclipse from Hangzhou with his 14-year-old son. “Whenever you see one, you just wonder when the next one is going to be.” Rankin began planning his trip to China nine months ago. It’ll be the fourth eclipse he’s witnessed.

Bloomberg Reference