Chris Davidson asked:


In the current world climate it can be hard being an investor. With financial markets in meltdown and the huge boom in property in slowdown, investors are wondering where the best place is to not only secure their money, but also to grow it too.

There is one particular investment that promises much right now; renewable solar energy. In particular the Solar market which captures UV light (known as photovoltaic) as opposed to direct sunlight has seen huge growth in the last 3-5 years. An easy example of this technology is the strip on your calculator, which uses UV light to power up. So just why are investors excited by this sector?

Energy production price versus Oil – firstly, solar has never been popular because it has been too expensive to produce compared to the price of oil. Russell Hasan from Altenews.com, in his “research report on Solar investment: the Dawn of Solar Power”, states that the breakeven point with Oil is around the $50 a barrel level, which means in today’s marketplace Solar is now becoming a really viable option. Governments historically have been slow to subsidise, but a number of markets are now starting to grow dramatically.

Feed-in tariff law – Before Solar started becoming more competitive, a number of developed nations took the lead in providing subsidies for the solar industry. The 3 global market leaders are Japan, Germany and the US, with Germany in particular bringing in a law in 2004 which interested investors greatly. The Act states that any excess renewable energy that is produced must be bought back by the utilities at a set rate per Kilowatt. Solar gets a preferential rate of 47-57c/Kilowatt compared with any other source, such as wind, depending on the type of installation. As a result, it means that the owner of the solar energy generating system can create an income stream whilst also helping the environment. Similar laws are in place in other EU countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Greece.

Solar is a growth industry – the Solar Energy industry is one of the best performing industries of today. According to Solar Buzz, a solar research group:

• Demand for solar has grown at 30% annually for the last 15 years

• Solar PV installations rose by approx. 62% in 2007 compared to the previous year

• Solar prices have fallen 4% on average annually over the last 15years

The reasons for growth as many and varied and will be covered at length in a further article.

High yielding – one of the main reasons investors have started looking at solar are the high yields on offer. It is difficult to predict from each installation how much income can be generated but banks who lend to buyers are generally looking for a minimum 8-10% yield before approval. Depending on the amount of sunlight, conservatively projected gross yields in the region of 10-15% are easily achievable.

High level of financing – because these investments are so secure, as discussed below, banks are prepared to lend to a high level, particularly in Germany. Anywhere in the region of 85%-90% LTV is being offered, which when compared to the average 50% LTV on property, makes interesting reading.

Immediate income – one of the great bonuses to Solar investing is the investor can generate income pretty much straight away. In the case that rooftop space is being sourced from them, a typical installation and finance approval period is in the region of 12 to16 weeks. Therefore, provided that rooftop space is available, a return on investment begins very quickly and reassures investors as to their decision. If this is compared to off-plan property for example, the build period can be as much as 2 to 3 years, which means it takes a lot longer for investors to start generating income and see whether the investment is working or not.

Security – in an age where investors are after security of their funds as much as growth rates, solar investments can be an extremely secure way to invest your money. In Germany, solar investments come with a 20 year government contract to buy back the excess you produce, and schemes along similar lines are popping up in France, Italy, Greece, Spain to name a few. Your installation can be registered independently of the property at the local land registry so if the property changes hands, the panelling system on the roof doesn’t.

Many other traditional investments are not working – Historically, shares and property have been the main investment vehicles available, and right now it seems that these routes to profit are not working.

With a lack of equity in the marketplace and the subsequent rise in commodity prices, the financial markets have become an even more volatile place to invest money. There is no doubt that huge profits can be made, particularly in the commodity sector, but the risks are far higher. In the world of property investment, there has been a huge global demand, and therefore boom for all types of investment products, from holiday homes to City buy to lets, from apart-hotels to land sub-division projects. Again there is little doubt that some of these products will pay off, but with over-supply common in many areas, returns will be seen in the long-run provided investors have chosen the right location and price point in the first place.

In conclusion then, investors will be hearing much more about solar energy as an investment vehicle in the coming months and years. It is becoming cheaper to produce and has an attractive income stream, is government and bank backed which means it is secure, and it give investors peace of mind that they are contributing to the global need for energy independence from oil and long term security. Future articles will delve into this sector in more depth to provide investors with as much useful information as possible. From there we can all decide whether this is not only the next growth sector, but also if it is one of the answers to the human race’s pressing energy concerns.

Chris Davidson

http://www.discoverandinvest.com



William

Jonathan Gal asked:


A recent study indicated that the cycle of global warming is “locked in” and will not stop for approximately one thousand years. This is going to cause some catastrophic issues, including the loss of habitat for many creatures, flooding and of course the disease that breeds in such conditions, and many other problems.

So many people wonder what on earth they can do to help reduce the affects of the human population on the planet, and the answer is to look for alternative energies and resources. Currently the most promising alternative energy is solar power. It has existed since the late 1880s and has been perfected since the first true solar panels were created by Bell Laboratories in the early 1950s.

Today’s researchers, engineers and scientists are moving even farther through experimentation with new methods of gathering energy from the sun, and helping mankind to reduce their vast use of fossil fuels which have set us on such a destructive path.

Okay, says the average homeowner, what does all of that mean for me? Well, any homeowner can look around and see a few places where they could replace or reduce their electrical usage with solar power. Let’s begin at the front doorstep – are there solar accent lights in the yard? How about accent lights along the driveway or sidewalk? Is there a motion sensor light somewhere on the property? What about the back door, is that lit by an electrically operated light as well? Each and every one of these fixtures could be quickly, easily and affordably replaced with solar powered lights units. Not only will they save energy, they will save the consumer money on electrical bills and the annoying need to constantly replace light bulbs thanks to the use of LED lights in almost every solar lighting fixture available.

Where else? Let’s look at your cell phone. Do you leave it plugged into a wall charger all night? Do you have other gadgets and gizmos that require a regular recharging in order to operate? Well, you could invest in a small, portable and weather resistant folding solar charger. These items can easily power today’s most popular portable electronics like cameras, MP3 players and cell phones. Just imagine the immediate effects of every cell phone owner opting for a solar charger instead of their wall chargers!

Clearly, the solar power industry is just going to continue to expand and this is quite a relief to those who worry about the kind of impact our generation is going to make on the coming ages.



Yvonne

Yuga Rishi Shriram Sharma Acharya asked:


The sun is said to be the life force of creation. It is because of the sun that life sustains on planet earth. Assuming that for one day the solar deity refuses to rise at dawn life on earth would become chaotic and unruly. Solar rays imbue creatures with zest and zeal and hence the sun is given utmost importance. And despite all this know for sure that the sun is not merely a ball of blazing inferno. It is not as though it is merely emitting flames of gases like hydrogen/helium which in turn manifest immense energy. This in fact is the material or gross description of the sun. In its subtle aspect the sun is the director of our thought process, chief of all planets and inducer of great sentiments in our psyche. It is indeed the very soul of all living beings. A deeper outlook tells us that spiritually it is the light of God as cosmic consciousness and that of super mind. The word Soorya or sun means that which inspires us with sacred sentiments.

For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ and http://www.awgp.org/

The root import of the spiritual leg of Indian Culture is definitely solar meditation. The demon Raavana was defeated by Lord Raama only after imbibing the mystery of the heart of Aaditya or solar deity. Yudhishthira and his brothers first got initiated into solar meditation from Dhaumya Muni. The energy that manifested as a result made them invincible. Our Rishi literature oozes with eulogies of solar deity. In the Rig Veda (5/81/1) it is said that the widespread eulogy of solar deity/Savita is indeed great.

Sun is Savita deity in the form of divine existence of the sun as creator-illuminator. Savita is that which is a creator, eulogized as absolute truth, nurturer of all humanity and who coaxes man to give up his limited ego ‘I’ and merge into cosmic divine existence. We dedicate this e-book to Yuga Rishi Shriram Sharma Acharya who has merged into cosmic consciousness i.e. the substratum of Savita-sun, authority that destroys sins and deity of Super Mantra Gayatri.

…………………………BRAHMAVARCHAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

A realized saint of Kanpur (India) who is no longer in our midst said in the year 1986 AD: While worshipping the sun we are actually meditating on the divine power of our revered Gurudeva Shriram Sharmaji. This saint was an accomplished Taantrika. Whosoever was blessed by him attained desired fruits. Sometimes this saint came to Shantikunj (Haridwar, Uttaranchal, India, website: www.awgp.org) for 5 days and then would return to Kanpur (India). Physically he had never visited any pilgrim spot and yet when he described them it seemed as though he actually had done so. He would say: When I go to sleep I visit all pilgrim spots with my subtle astral body. This was absolutely true. Initially he was an ordinary official in the postal department but later had obtained so many divine powers through austerities that whomsoever he blessed attained their desires. Therefore we were surprised when this saint said he desired to meet Gurudeva. He wanted to get initiated by Gurudeva else he felt he would miss out on attaining his spiritual goal.

We asked this saint: Why do you want to get initiated? You have chanted so many Gayatri Mantras and have as a result obtained so many divine powers. Hence why this desire for initiation? The saint answered: Do you think I have come to Shantikunj to roam around aimlessly? Oh! At Shantikunj one finds so much divinity all around. Mahaakaal (God of Time) himself dwells here. I do not know whether you have fully understood the greatness of your Gurudeva but whatever I know about him tells me that after many eons Lord Maheshwara and Mother Parvati have come down on earth to bring about a powerful transformation of this world. Hence if I get initiated by him I shall definitely attain salvation or Moksha. The time has arrived for me to shed my mortal coil and know for sure that Gurudeva too will end his sojourn on earth in about 4 years time. He will merge his subtle body so the time now is ripe for me to get initiated by him.

Despite the saint’s observations my curiosity had not been fully satisfied. I queried thus: You too are an accomplished sage then why would you want initiation? He replied: You yet have not understood its importance. The Divine Powers/Sidhis which I possess are mere peripherals and are bound by time and space. They no doubt influence everyone and yet despite this what divine prowess Gurudeva possesses can easily liberate a devotee from the shackles of time and space eternally. Assuming that I am a small bulb of light revered Gurudeva is its very powerhouse and much greater than the gigantic sun too. To date he has experimented albeit successful on a large scale on human consciousness. He has induced a ‘Shirshaasan’ in the sun (head on the ground and feet dangling in air). His power has merged into divine sun god. Savitri pervades the entire cosmos and Gurudeva via meditation and other such subtle spiritual endeavors has merged into it. Hence forth you will see this power influencing the entire world. I yearn to fulfill my ‘selfish’ desire of initiation. It is very difficult to come in contact with such a great preceptor. You are fortunate to contact that great preceptor whom devotees have tried to meet for eons together. You all have done so for carrying out his stupendous mission in this world. Now it is for you to realize his true divine greatness. Only then you will understand that Divine Powers/ Sidhis possessed by my self are naught in its comparison. Please help me get his grace via initiation that will ensure that no longer will I undergo the vicious painful cycles of birth and death.

Later as time went by, the prophecy of the great saint made above proved to be absolutely true. He did get initiated by revered Gurudeva, he then gave up his mortal frame and Gurudeva too shed his mortal frame as predicted. All this we witnessed actually happening in front of our eyes.

The above episode is written for pious minded readers so that they too can realize our preceptor’s true greatness after reading what the great sage of Kanpur had to say about Gurudeva. The sage deftly gauged the spiritual aura and divine greatness of revered Gurudeva. In fact our Gurudeva him self would say: You all must meditate on a form. Hence if you choose to meditate on the sun meditate on my form. If you meditate on me it is synonymous with meditating on the sun. Hence when we meditated thus we noted that the preceptor oriented power was centered on the sun. We could easily meditate on solar Gayatri and thus all mental complexes and riddles were solved. So it was crystal clear that Gurudeva’s divine power had attained oneness with solar power.

Our revered Gurudeva Yuga Rishi Shriram Sharma Acharya had done intense Gayatri worship which is known to purify man’s psyche in totality. He further worshipped Savitri for sanctification of external nature. Today post death via his subtle body he is continuing with this sacred task. It is only an incarnation of God who merges with solar deity can carry out such a stupendous mission of transformation of an era. Anyone with lesser divine potential can never succeed in such a gigantic mission. Super Mantra Gayatri and the sun are the very life force of Indian Culture. In past times as long as divine men of India worshipped the solar deity, so long India led in all aspects of knowledge based sciences. It oozed with supreme joy and all round progress. It is a fact that when falsehood and demonic forces start ruling the roost divine people with the aid of solar power have transformed human nature into godliness. The sun helps manifest vigor, activities, high thinking and can liberate our psyche from vices and taints. In this manner pure sentiments of sacredness proliferate. It is hence that preceptor power chooses an icon of worship for his/her disciple.

In the Kapil Tantra it is said:

It is most desirable that Yoga specialist preceptors examine the inner nature and inclination of their disciples so as to decide which image of worship is best suited for them. Which are these icons/images? They can be Vishnu- chief of sky, Maheshwari- Goddess of fire, sun, Shiva, Ganesh etc. Any one of these can become an image.

The above 5 powers are found in Gayatri and the sun. This was told to us by Gurudeva and according to him it makes our worship all powerful. Revered Gurudeva says: It is a foregone conclusion that this era is going to be transformed. Its pivotal role will be played by India. The spirituality of the entire world is concentrated over here and the golden sunrise of a new era shall dawn here. To make this come true and in order to destroy the darkness of 2000 years so as to manifest Sat Yuga or Golden Age majority of great men have taken birth in India. If world history is pondered over deeply, never has so much been accomplished speedily as has been done in the last 10 decades. Revered Gurudeva writes: In the near future the mission to be fulfilled will revolve around human nature, process of thinking and a stupendous transformation of the world’s subtle atmosphere. The question asked is that how will all this take place? Its deep import has been explained by our preceptor center that merged into the solar deity and who had prophesized the onset of a Golden Era in the 21st century.

In order to solve the problem of atheistic tendencies so as to enhance human sacredness the divine power most required is that of Goddess Savita. In the Taiteriya Samhitaa the Rishi says:

“O, all knowing sun god! Please bless me and sanctify my psyche”. It is quite possible that because of this Rishis of yore have worshipped the conscious center of the Purusha (Almighty God) seated in the sun (Yajur Veda 40/17). In the Shukla Yajur Veda (31/18) great Rishis say:

I know the great Purusha seated in the sun in his Aaditya form and who is beyond darkness. He is the bestower of light and is Almighty God himself.

This eulogy is not beyond reason because Rishis worshipped the sun as protector of our vital force. It is both a creator and propagator and hence is said in the Atharva Veda (1/31/4): We pray that for ages to come we shall visualize the cosmic divine light illuminator i.e. Sun-God.

Revered Gurudeva Yuga Rishi Shriram Sharma Acharya continuously published literature on the worship of Gayatri-Sun-Kundalini from March 1977 to May 1977. In the April 1977 issue he writes that there is a dire need to create a proper environment for high leveled spiritual practices especially after keeping in mind contemporary circumstances. He exhorts us to create a forest like atmosphere in Gayatri Tirtha Shantikunj and Brahmavarchas so as to imbue it with Divine Energy. In one such article titled “The Mahaapraana of Savita-Savitri” he writes that the greatest need today is of an advanced intellect and that he has shown the importance of meditation on the divine effulgence of Goddess Savita. He says savita should be our icon so that its divine power gets an opportunity to sanctify the subtle world. In a special issue of Akhand Jyoti Magazine (January 1987) he says, with reference to Kundalini Energy, that in the coming days it will be awakened through solar/Savita worship. In this manner the destiny of planet Earth will shine effulgently.

Say who is that individual who can transform the destiny of entire planet Earth? The answer is one who is of the stature of Vishwaamitra (who tried to create a parallel cosmos) and has the potency/prowess of the Rishi clan. From time to time via published literature our revered preceptor has told us that by looking upon the radiant Savita (sun) as a manifestation of formless God we must imbibe deeply the divine power of Sun-God. The one can overcome all fear and stress related in this entire era. He further elaborated that solar movements/activities will be responsible for the advent of a New Era. “These days the earth has entered the womb of the sun so as to transform earth’s destiny to greatness”. With these words he proclaimed that this newly transformed planet Earth will be hallowed and in turn it will transform the entire cosmos. Solar flare ups and solar spot oriented radiations will prove dire for demonic forces and this in turn will augment Divine Powers. During conversations with revered Sir he often said that: I have given you symbolic yellow colored garments to wear so that you can absorb the power of Sun, Brihaspati, Gayatri and Guru. When Sun and Brihaspati unite the color that ensues is yellow. He felt that in today’s time instead of ochre robes worn by Sanyaasins who run way to the forest out of dispassion yellow garments are most required to be worn by devotees. Such people will be incessantly blessed by the solar deity. The fact remains that ere preceptor element Brihaspati is not imbibed it follows suit that Gayatri-Savitri element too will not be imbibed.

Our revered preceptor understood clearly that Knowledge of Tantra would be dangerous for his disciples and hence he designed a compact religious program (Anushthaan) of Super Mantra Gayatri. He imbued this Gayatri with his wholesome Tantra Power and penance. In addition worship of Savitri and Brihaspati too was included which would hence forth cause no harm to any spiritual aspirant/devotee. Time and again Gurudeva advised his disciples never to hurriedly switch over to Tantra Science. Instead they were sagely advised to regularly chant the Gayatri Mantra, purify subtle nerves/Naadis, do Praanaayaam, meditate on the sun etc. If all this was done with utmost sincerity Gurudeva promised to fulfill the rest. In actuality it is the preceptor who energizes the Mantra. Through psychic imprints or Sanskaaras words are interwoven into various Mantras. Our revered Gurudeva made widely available the otherwise secret Gayatri Mantra to one and all without any discrimination. He made subtle changes in it and the Sootra on which he made us meditate on the solar deity along with Mantra Japa is simply outstanding.

That Divine Authority which had merged into the solar deity had proclaimed that by sending the lower vital force to the upper vital force entire world community will get transformed positively. This Divine Authority had made a Sankapla or powerful mental resolve in the spring season of the year 1980 wherein inducing an onset of a New Era after working on the thought process of world humanity with the help of his subtle body. On page 17 of his book “What should we do in the 21st century” he says that Shantikunj has a great community of individuals akin to an eagle hiding eggs under its wings. They will be mediums of heralding a radiant world future in the 21st century. In order to spiritually nurture them a powerful Divine Energy has manifested at Shantikunj. It is Mahaakaal or Lord of Time who has declared that a New Era in the 21st century is bound to manifest radiantly. With faith by bowing down to our preceptor who is solar deity incarnate we pray that we become apt instruments/mediums in fulfilling this wondrous divine resolve of his.



Carmen

Justin R. asked:


Many parents want to teach their children about renewable energy and energy efficiency early in life because once they get in the habit of it, it will be a habit they continue to follow for the rest of their life. But where should you start when teaching renewable energy for kids?

A good start would be defining exactly what renewable energy is. You can suggest they make a list of non-renewable and renewable power sources and build from there. Some examples would be:



Non-Renewable: Oil/Gas, Natural Gas, Coal, Nuclear

Renewable: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Water



Explain to them how renewable energy comes from natural forces. It is different from fossil fuels as it does not make greenhouse gases or other pollutants.

You can further explain how the mass production of electricity using renewable energy sources has only recently become more popular. Some of the reasons why it’s becoming more popular include: climate change caused by pollution and fossil fuels are all being used up and becoming more expensive.

A great idea is to teach kids about energy efficiency. Have them make a list of all the powered devices they use for a day such as TV, computer, lights, etc. and for how long, and if possible the wattage of each device. If they can’t get the wattage, you can look up the average wattage for each device for demostration purposes. Do a rough calcuation to show them how much power they’re using in a day.

Now have them do an ‘energy conservation’ day where they turn off devices when they’re not using them, turn off lights when not in a room, turn down the heat/AC a couple degrees, etc. Now recalculate the daily wattage and show them how much energy they saved with a few simple changes.

Another great idea is show them how installing a solar panel or windmill can generate electricy for their own home. It’s not as expensive as you might think. You don’t need an expensive commerical system. You can build your own for $100-200 dollars and your kids could even help if they’re old enough. The less they take energy for granted, the better.

These lessons will stick with them (especially at such an impressionable age) and they’ll be using these practices for the rest of their life. Teach renewable energy for kids, the sooner the better!



Debra