Inventor K.R. Sridhar describes it as "the plug-and-play future of electricity." The Indian American Silicon Valley entrepreneur and former NASA scientist on Wednesday unveiled his "Bloom Box," which can generate energy by combining air and a range of fuels without going through the dirty process of combustion — all in its owner's back yard.

Bloom Energy Corp. introduced its groundbreaking technology at an event at eBay's headquarters in San Jose, California, along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Bloom Energy Corp. board member.

The Bloom Energy Server, a patented solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, provides a cleaner and more reliable alternative to both today’s electric grid as well as traditional renewable energy sources. Sridhar says each Bloom Box can power up to six homes in India.

At NASA, Sridhar and his team were charged with building technology to help sustain life on Mars using solar energy and water to produce air to breath and fuel for transportation. They quickly realised that their technology could have an even greater impact on Earth. Sridhar, the principal co-founder and CEO of Sunnyvale, California-based Bloom Energy, says, "We believe that we can have the same kind of impact on energy that the mobile phone had on communications."

He is optimistic that just as cell phones circumvented landlines to proliferate telephony, Bloom Energy will enable the adoption of distributed power as a "smarter, localised energy source." Several major companies, including FedEx Corp., Google Inc., Staples Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., have already begun testing the technology or signed on as customers.

EBay's CEO John Donahoe said that the five Bloom Boxes installed on his campus 9 months ago have saved the company more than $100,000 in electricity costs, according to CBS News, which first showcased the Bloom Box in a report on Sunday. The Bloom Boxes cost an estimated $700,000 to $800,000 each.

Sridhar hopes the Bloom Box will lower customers' energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint and improve their energy security. Bloom's fuel cell works in this way: Oxygen is pumped in on one side and natural gas on the other. The two combine inside the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity, without any combustion or power lines.

A Bloom Energy Server consists of thousands of Bloom's fuel cells - flat, solid ceramic squares made from a common sand-like "powder." Each server provides 100 kilowatts of power in roughly the area of a parking space. Unlike traditional renewable energy technologies, like solar and wind, which are intermittent, Bloom’s technology can provide renewable power 24/7.

“Today we are witnessing something special," said John Doerr, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Bloom Energy board member. "This is new kind of product announcement.

It comes long after a product has shipped and it comes directly from marquis customers. For years, there have been promises of new energy solutions that are clean, distributed, affordable, and reliable; today we learn that Bloom, formerly in stealth, has actually delivered. Americans want clean, affordable, energy, 24x7 — and all the jobs that go with it. Bloom's boxes are a breakthrough, serving energy, serving demanding customers, and serving our country."

As with all new inventions the Bloom Box has its share of skeptics. Forbes.com’s Jonathan Fahey asks: “Are we really falling for this again? Every clean tech company on the planet says it can produce clean energy cheaply, yet not a single one can.” But, he concedes, “the company has managed to tap into the hype machine like no other clean-tech company in memory.”

Washington, February 25
The Obama administration is sharply expanding American weapons sales to both India and Pakistan in a bid to forge "closer ties with each country while creating new opportunities for American defence firms", according to the Wall Street Journal.

The US has made billions of dollars in weapons deals with India, which is in the midst of a five-year, $50 billion push to modernise its military. At the same time, American military aid to Pakistan stands to nearly double next year, the leading US financial daily reported. Washington's relationships with the two nations are very different, the Journal said, noting: “India, which is wealthier and larger than its neighbour, pays for weapons purchases with its own funds.”

“Pakistan, by contrast, uses American grants to fund most of its arms purchases. A new US counterinsurgency assistance fund for Pakistan is slated to increase from $700 million in fiscal year 2010 to $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2011. We do straight commercial deals with India, while Pakistan effectively uses the money we give them to buy our equipment,” the Journal said citing a US official who works with the two countries. “But we think that's ultimately in our national interest because it makes the Pakistanis more capable of dealing with their homegrown terrorists.

For 2010 and 2011, India could well be the most important market in the world for defence contractors looking to make foreign military sales,” Tom Captain, the vice chairman of Deloitte LLP's aerospace and defence practice was quoted as saying.

The Obama administration is trying to persuade New Delhi to buy American jet fighters, a shift White House officials cited by the Journal said would lead to closer military and political relations between India and the US. The US has dispatched senior officials such as Gates to New Delhi to deliver the message that Washington hopes India will choose American defence firms for major purchases in the years ahead. — IANS

Dhaka, February 25
Authorities in Bangladesh imposed a fresh night-time curfew in its south-eastern Khagrachhari hill district following riots between rival ethnic groups, officials said.

"Night-time curfew between 2200 hours (2130 IST) yesterday and 0700 hours (0630 IST) today will remain in force," chief administrator of the district Mohammad Abdullah said. Troops had remained deployed to prevent any trouble, he added. Soldiers and the police earlier launched a crackdown in the Khagrachhari hill district following riots between ethnic minority people and Bengali settlers.

They arrested 55 persons allegedly involved in Tuesday's violence, which left at least 15 persons injured and several homes torched, additional police chief of the district Amir Jafar said. "The drive against the criminals is underway, and the ban on all sorts of gatherings remains in force," he said. A total of 94 families were affected by Tuesday's arson attacks, officials said. Ninety-two homes were completely burnt down while two others were vandalised. The victims were being forced to sleep in the open and had no food, Chaithoai Marma a tribesman said. — DPA

BRIEFLY

Man with worlds longest hair
Hanoi: A Vietnamese man who died this week and whose hair was so long it resembled a boa constrictor, may have had the world's longest mane, reports said. The exact length of Tran Van Hay's unwashed hair was unclear but the Vietnam News said it was 6.8 metres long (over 22 feet). The Thanh Nien daily said Hay's matted locks were measured at 6.2 metres in 2006. China's Xie Qiuping is on record as having the world's longest hair, measured at 5.6 metres in 2004, according to the website of Guinness World Records. — AFP