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Axios
14-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
How COVID-19 changed NWA health care
Health care systems in Northwest Arkansas are still feeling the impact of COVID-19, for better and worse, five years after the pandemic started. State of play: "Recruitment and retention of nurses continues to be one of the biggest challenges for Washington Regional and other health care organizations," Birch Wright, Washington Regional Medical Center chief operating officer, told Axios in an emailed statement. Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas also saw nurses and other health care workers burn out and resign during the pandemic, or leave for higher-paying travel nursing jobs, Mercy chief medical officer Sonal Bhakta told Axios. Since then, Mercy upped its engagement with nursing schools, technical schools and training programs like Bentonville Public Schools' Ignite program to make sure it has a strong workforce pipeline, she said. Flashback: Hospitals in NWA, like much of the country, were overwhelmed by the number of COVID-19 patients and struggled with staffing. What they're saying: "That taught us resiliency and flexibility," Bhakta said, adding that taking care of acutely sick patients taught the hospital how to stretch their resources. By the numbers: Hospitals continue to face a difficult financial environment because ofrising costs and inflation, which are growing faster than reimbursements from insurance companies, Wright said. Yes, but: The pandemic was a catalyst for increasing telehealth services, and now health care professionals "do it and do it well," Bhakta said. Telehealth, or medical appointments over video, help reach rural patients for specialty or other care not available nearby. The pandemic also helped health care workers at Mercy embrace AI as a tool, she said, which has alleviated administrative burdens on staff. Zoom out: Health care organizations like Washington Regional have kept some COVID-era procedures in place, like offering masks and hand sanitizer, Wright said. Washington Regional also continues to separate patients who have respiratory illness symptoms in its emergency department.
Boston Globe
13-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
What happens when a college town loses its college
S end questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, TODAY'S STARTING POINT New England isn't New England without its colleges. Of course, there are the big players: Harvard, Brown, UMass Amherst. But the region is also home to dozens of small (and pricey!) private universities that make our six states the place to get a liberal arts education. Another bonus? Those schools power the towns where they are. Take Poultney, Vermont. I drove up there in February to see how the closure of Green Mountain College had affected its 3,000 residents and the mom-and-pop shops on Main Street, almost six years after the fact. What I found was crippling uncertainty about the small-town economy and skepticism about the college's new owner, an eccentric millionaire who is storing spirits on campus and inviting tourists into the Green Mountain gym for ice baths. Here's why that matters. Advertisement Green Mountain is not alone As many as Rural areas of New England, where most colleges are, are shrinking and populated mostly by senior citizens. When the 70-something owner of the hunting goods store in Poultney decides it's time to retire, it's a question of who will take it over — if anyone at all. Poultney got a good deal Green Mountain sat empty for a year before Raj Bhakta swooped in to buy it. Locals call him a 'character,' to put it kindly. A former 'Apprentice' contestant and Pennsylvania congressional candidate, Bhakta can often be found smoking a cigar. He's the sort of freewheeling capitalist who makes big promises and believes profit equals progress. In an interview, he told me that his Hogsworth whiskey, made in Vermont, 'is going to be bigger than Jack Daniels.' Advertisement But Bhakta is doing what he promised. He spends millions heating campus buildings each year as he slowly pushes along a state application for a $100 million redevelopment. His wife is teaching kids everything from astronomy to martial arts at an independent elementary school she opened on the Green Mountain property. All that said, that amount of buzz on campus is a blessing. Not every college has so much activity. Other shuttered New England schools have become Bravado vs. substance What Bhakta brings to Poultney is flash: his collection of vintage cars, his bust of Julius Caesar, and his ardent belief in the exclusive French brandy his company is selling, marketed as one of the oldest spirits available. Locals say that's great, if he delivers. At least one restaurateur is expanding her empire into Poultney because of her faith in Bhakta. But most of the town is not placing bets on the whims of the wealthy. Poultney native Martin Van Buren Jr. said Bhakta moves through town like he's running a 'political campaign' and that he may not stick around long-term. Advertisement So as the Green Mountain redevelopment moves forward, Poultney plans to expand its outdoor economy. Think hiking trails (unexpectedly funded by Wayfair cofounder Steve Conine), bike shops, and maybe even a new 'outdoor recreation hub' in town. It'll be essential to replace the sizable chunk of jobs that served the education economy that Poultney lost after the college closure. Deborah Diamond, a researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, said other former college towns should be doing the same. 'Change is on the horizon,' she added, 'not just for these institutions themselves, but for the places where they live.' Note: To learn more about Green Mountain College and Poultney, 🧩 5 Down: | 🌊 44° POINTS OF INTEREST The main branch of The Boston Public Library. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press Boston and New England $78.1 billion: Health care spending in Massachusetts soared nearly 9 percent in 2023, fueled by prescription drug spending. A state agency 'Have you no decency?' When a House Republican misgendered Representative Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat, Bill Keating of Cape Cod Bookmark this: The Boston Public Library will Double jeopardy: An undocumented Portuguese man in Rhode Island Well this sucks: iRobot, the Bedford-based maker of the Roomba, Trump administration Dial tone: The Social Security Administration, pressured by Elon Musk, was considering cutting phone services that retired and disabled Americans use to access their benefits. After it got reported, the agency backtracked. ( Green to black: Trump's EPA administrator moved to roll back landmark climate rules on coal-fired power plants and electric vehicles. ( Mahmoud Khalil: The green card holder ICE detained over pro-Gaza protests at Columbia hasn't been allowed to speak privately with his lawyers, the lawyers told a judge. ( 'Devastating': The Department of Agriculture cut more than $1 billion in funding for food banks, child care, and schools to purchase locally grown food. In New England, the cuts will Another suit: Two Harvard doctors sued the administration to LGBTQ+ people. Collateral damage: The Department of Education Safe haven: Boston is a Unfit to print: Ruth Marcus, a 40-year Washington Post veteran, quit after the paper spiked her column about Jeff Bezos's editorial changes and overtures to Trump. Read the column here. ( Shuffle diplomacy: Vice President JD Vance showed off his shamrock socks during a meeting with Ireland's prime minister. ( Car wars: Musk's alliance with Trump has liberal Tesla owners putting exculpatory bumper stickers on their cars — The Nation Funding fight: Senate Democrats say there aren't enough votes to advance a House-passed GOP bill that would fund the government. Without more money, it will shut down Friday. ( #MeToo case: Harvey Weinstein appeared in court ahead of his retrial next month on charges of sexual assault. New York's highest court threw out his previous conviction last year. ( BESIDE THE POINT 🎭 More in heaven and earth: A comedic prequel to 'Hamlet,' playing at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 🎨 Out of frame: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 👨🌾 Play in the dirt: How to clean up winter debris, cut back last year's stems, and 🦃 For the birds: Brookline police warned residents to watch out for ❤️ Love Letters: Is a relationship worth 💫 Out of this world: Two Brown University scholars helped identify a meteorite that smashed through an SUV window and Advertisement 🔌 Unplug: Set limits, delete apps, and other advice for spending less time on social media. ( 🍀 St. Patrick's Day: Try these 🏠 Home of the week: This antique house in coastal Winthrop is perfect Thanks for reading Starting Point. Today's edition was edited by and produced by and . Have a question for the team? Email us at . Did someone forward you this newsletter? . Delivered Monday through Friday. 📧 Want this sent to your inbox? Diti Kohli can be reached at
Boston Globe
13-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
What's a ‘college town' after the college closes? This Vermont community is finding out.
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But the loss of Green Mountain College has also been a lesson in patience for Poultney's 3,000 residents, who are anxiously watching how life in their small town will be transformed by the decisions of a wealthy entrepreneur. Advertisement 'I just hope the Bhaktas follow through,' said Emily Stockwell, owner of Everyday Flowers in Poultney. The 185-year-old Green Mountain College was once a At least rural towns are anchored by private schools that provide reliable jobs and draw residents to places they likely would not otherwise go. As these colleges close, their hometowns, too, face economic peril. The Bhaktas hope to transform the campus into a high-end destination focused on education, hospitality, and tourism. Caleb Kenna for the Boston Globe Plainfield, Vt., outside Montpelier, for example, faced a hole in its budget after the now-closed Goddard College stopped paying property taxes. And Aurora, N.Y., Advertisement Anthony Sorrentino, a University of Pennsylvania administrator, likened the precarity facing these communities to the aftermath of a coal mine or factory closing. 'Could this be the equivalent of the Rust Belt of the 1970s and 1980s?' he said. Poultney believed it would be spared that fate, said town librarian Rebecca Cook. The auto shop, hunting goods retailer, and other businesses on Main Street largely relied on townsfolk — not the students — to survive, and housing-starved Vermonters quickly filled the homes vacated by Green Mountain students. The average home price But Green Mountain was nonetheless essential to Poultney. It supported 150 jobs and $6 million in annual payroll in a town whose population shrank by 12 percent, 432 people, between 2010 and 2020. Most students and staff left town when the college closed in May 2019. 'There was real fear when the college closed that Poultney would dry up and fly away,' said Tom Mauhs-Pugh, the former Green Mountain provost. Over the next year, with no one caring for the campus, its prewar buildings and unkempt lawns deteriorated in the Vermont winter. There was talk of the state taking control, and rumors the school might become a prison or rehabilitation facility. Alumni were unable to pool enough money to buy even a portion of the property. Related : In August 2020, Bhakta bought Green Mountain at auction for $5 million, emerging as a willing, if flashy, savior. He was running a distillery on a nearby dairy farm, but was better known for being a contestant on 'The Apprentice' and running for Congress in Pennsylvania. He also once tried to Advertisement Much of Bhakta's fortune now comes from his litigious exit from WhistlePig, the high-quality rye whiskey company he founded in 2007. But he makes his money now from a boutique French brandy, It's all made him a Gatsbyesque figure in a part of New England where Raj Bhakta, the owner of the former Green Mountain College in Poultney, in his office. Caleb Kenna for the Boston Globe Poultney and Green Mountain were once synonymous. Professors took over the pub for weekly jams, and campus staff invited the community to student concerts and to freely use the gym. Each May, graduates would walk in a celebratory procession toward Ames Hall, the school's stately Federal-style dormitory. (All those nice touches, locals joked, made up for the near-perpetual haze of marijuana smoke on the campus lawn.) 'It was like a dream,' said Laird Christensen, a former environmental studies professor at Green Mountain. 'This was the closest I had ever come to seeing a sustainable intentional community, but it turned out to be not sustainable financially.' Enrollment sank gradually until 2019, when there was not a single student paying full tuition. Facing mounting costs and unable to merge with nearby schools, Green Mountain closed with $20 million in debt. Related : Advertisement Poultney sensed the shift before it happened. A decade ago, residents decided to lean into Vermont's $2 billion outdoor recreation industry by expanding trails and youth programming and catering to visitors to nearby Lake St. Catherine and Bomoseen. A The improvements are largely funded by the family of Steve Conine, a cofounder of online furniture retailer Wayfair who lives in Poultney part time, and their nonprofit, Slate Valley Trails. That, along with a federal grant to hire a community development director, proved to be a saving grace after the Green Mountain closure. @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } .dipgrid { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: stretch; margin: 25px -28px; } .dip__main { position: relative; overflow: hidden; } .dip__image { position: relative; top: 50%; left: 0%; } .dip__image.portrait { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 24px; } .dip__image.landscape { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 10px; } @media only screen and (min-width: 700px) { .dipgrid { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: stretch; max-width: 1200px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } .dip { width: 48.5%; } .dip:not(:nth-child(2n)) { margin-right: 3%; } .dip__image.portrait { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 10px; } .dip__image.landscape { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 0px; } .dip__main { position: relative; overflow: hidden; } } .dip_cap_cred { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Regular", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align: left; margin: 3px 15px 0px 0px; font-weight: 200; } .dip_cap_cred span{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b6b6b; } .theme-dark .dip_cap_cred{ color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dip_cap_cred span { color: #fff; } The Delaware and Hudson Trail is a multi-use recreation trail that runs through Poultney, Vt. (Caleb Kenna for The Boston Globe) Downtown Putney hosts many businesses. (Caleb Kenna for The Boston Globe) Today Poultney supports not one, but two bike shops. Some 15,000 visitors traverse 60-plus miles of hiking trails each year, and efforts are underway to build a new outdoor recreation hub in town. Meanwhile, nonprofits backed by Green Mountain alumni have bubbled up to fill the cultural calendar, drawing visitors from as far as an hour away. Reclaimed Vermont provides low-cost workspaces for local craftspeople and knitting classes, and Stone Valley Arts hosts frequent open mics. 'The folks that are running this community have been open minded about all of this in ways that I have not always seen,' said Sarah Pelkey, Poultney's community development director. 'It might have been driven by an absolute need to figure this out.' Before Green Mountain closed, nearly one-third of Poultney residents worked in education services, census data shows. It will take time to recover from that, said Nathan D. Grawe, a professor at Carleton College in Minnesota who has studied demographic changes in higher education. Related : Advertisement 'These schools had business models that were too dependent on the notion of endlessly increasing size. They thought there were always more students to be recruited,' he said. 'Now that that is no longer the case, the town has to struggle to find a new economic identity.' Bhakta said he now spends $2 million a year heating and maintaining the Green Mountain campus, on top of the six-figure investment that funded the renovation of a former campus building into his family residence. He and his wife, Danhee Kim, also operate the Green Mountain Community School, a non-traditional private institution, where 20 elementary schools flit between learning to read and mastering martial arts. Most of the Bhaktas' children attend. Twenty students from kindergarten to sixth grade attend the Green Mountain Community School. Caleb Kenna for the Boston Globe 'If showing up with our five children and five horses doesn't prove to the people that we are committed, I don't know what will,' Kim said. That attitude inspires Nicole Bowery, a Poultney native and local restaurateur who is renovating the old town train station into a 1920s-style eatery, with copper-colored floors and a menu catering to a more 'intellectual palate' for the monied tourists Bhakta promises to bring. 'Everyone says build it and they'll come,' Bowery said. 'But will they come without what Raj is proposing?' Related : It's all taking a while. Bhakta blames the 'anti-business' sentiment in Vermont for lack of action on his In 2021, Poultney officials updated zoning to give Bhakta greater flexibility on the campus, but residents rejected an initiative to reduce its tax bill, which jumped to $100,000 after Green Mountain lost its educational exemption. Poultney's Select Board has also raised concerns about how an influx of tourists could impact the town police force. @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } .dipgrid { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: stretch; margin: 25px -28px; } .dip__main { position: relative; overflow: hidden; } .dip__image { position: relative; top: 50%; left: 0%; } .dip__image.portrait { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 24px; } .dip__image.landscape { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 10px; } @media only screen and (min-width: 700px) { .dipgrid { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: stretch; max-width: 1200px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } .dip { width: 48.5%; } .dip:not(:nth-child(2n)) { margin-right: 3%; } .dip__image.portrait { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 10px; } .dip__image.landscape { height: auto; width: 100%; padding-top: 0px; } .dip__main { position: relative; overflow: hidden; } } .dip_cap_cred { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Regular", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align: left; margin: 3px 15px 0px 0px; font-weight: 200; } .dip_cap_cred span{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b6b6b; } .theme-dark .dip_cap_cred{ color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dip_cap_cred span { color: #fff; } Poultney's old railroad station. (Caleb Kenna for The Boston Globe) Nicole Bowery, a Poultney native, is renovating it into a tapas place called "Tasteful Station." (Caleb Kenna for The Boston Globe) Bhakta likens the hesitation from public officials to, well, smothering an idea at its inception. 'The state will say that we want to encourage growth,' Bhakta said. 'But the moment that they see a baby taking their first breaths, the machinery comes in and strangles the baby. And then the baby dies, and they wonder what happened.' In the interim, Bhakta is sponsoring armagnac tastings, treating potential connoisseurs to coq au vin dinners and ice baths. He's also brainstorming his 'work college,' envisioning a place where, for example, students could learn both agriculture and business skills to run a farm. Amid the delays, townsfolk remain wary. Former colleges across the country have been turned into casinos, Related : That's what Martin Van Buren Jr. worries about with Green Mountain. The 28-year-old Poultney native cannot shake the feeling Bhakta could simply sell the campus at any time, noting he has previously hinted he would consider the option. 'It feels like a political campaign to me,' Van Buren added. 'You're saying all these things to get to the position that you want to be.' Resident Krista Rupe is unclear, too, about whether her town is a pillar or a pawn in Bhakta's plans. But the charm offensive can win you over: The family hosted a Fourth of July event on the Green Mountain lawn with a magic show, bounce house, and lemonade stand and allowed kids to frolic freely. In a parade beforehand, Rupe led the procession in Bhakta's 1948 Mercury convertible, a treat for being named Citizen of the Year. 'I can't say it wasn't fun,' Rupe said. Green Mountain's Federal-style dormitory, Ames Hall, anchors the west end of Main Street in Poultney. Caleb Kenna for the Boston Globe Diti Kohli can be reached at
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local cardiologist shares lifestyle tips for a healthy heart
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)- Friday is the last day of National Heart Health Month, but that doesn't mean you should stop focusing on your heart health. Did you know here in the United States, someone gets a heart attack every 40 seconds? WKBN talked with cardiologist Dr. Shyam Bhakta with Insight Hospital & Medical Center Trumbull who said they're seeing an increase in heart disease among young people due to high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking, including using vaping products. Vaping might not have the same effects as combustible smoke but it still contains nicotine, which is damaging to the heart and blood vessels. This is the first 'Heart Health Month' since recreational marijuana was legalized in Ohio, so I asked about its potential effects. He says there's not enough research on the long-term effects, but weed does impact heart rate and blood pressure, and can cause depression and anxiety. When it comes to alcohol, Doctor Bhakta says it causes high blood pressure, heart failure, increases the risk of stroke, and cancer. Perhaps you've heard someone say, or even you have said 'A glass of red wine is actually supposed to be good for you.' Here's what the cardiologist had to say about that. 'We used to think that wine was beneficial for the heart. but those studies that were done. Those were old studies done in the 1980s and 1990s, and there's what we call 'selection bias. We used to think that wine was beneficial for the heart. But those studies that were done. Those were old studies done in the 1980s and 1990s, and there's what we call 'selection bias,' said Dr. Bhakta. He doesn't recommend abstinence from alcohol, but moderation is women, that means keeping it to one drink per day, and for men, two. Body-mass index plays a role in those recommendations. Research also shows that alcohol has a greater impact on women's heart health compared to men. Eating properly is a key. Dr. Bhakta said no diet is perfect, but the so-called 'Mediterranean Diet' offers a good outline of what you should be eating. It focuses on consuming plant-based foods, fish, and chicken as well as limiting red meat intake. Overall, just eating a well-balanced diet is the key. Regularly exercising is also important, and it doesn't have to be anything too intense. You can take a quick 15-minute walk outside. In the colder months, taking a stroll down some extra aisles at the store can sneak in those steps. For those of you who enjoy caffeine, Doctor Bhakta says drinking it in moderation is okay, but too much can impact your heart and blood pressure. Stress is something many of us experience every day, and unfortunately it is hard to avoid. So here's the doctor's recommendation. 'Life is challenging, life is very tough, but I think finding ways to cope with it. I think regular exercise is a good way to relax and alleviate some of the stress. I think getting adequate sleep, making sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, is an effective way to deal with it. Then if you're in stressful situations, having coping mechanisms: going into a quiet room, drinking hot tea, doing meditation and breathing exercises can help as well,' Dr. Bhakta said. So what are signs that something could be wrong with your heart? The most common symptom is pain in the middle of your chest that happens with activity. It might feel like it's squeezing, crushing, stabbing, or sharp, but it goes away when you catch your breath and are resting. If your heartbeat is racing or pounding, that could be a sign of a heart rhythm you have any of these symptoms, acting early is key. Go to the emergency room, or call 911. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
27-01-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Woburn startup could give US solar industry a second chance
Advertisement 'If you have something that has competitive performance at low cost then you can actually beat the Chinese silicon cells,' said chief executive Shiv Bhakta. 'No one's been able to do that before.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Bhakta holds a masters in civil engineering from MIT and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. He teamed up with Richard Swartwout, with an MIT doctorate in electrical engineering and MIT research scientist Jeremiah Mwaura to develop the new technology and a process to manufacture the solar power cells in large volumes. Active Surfaces has attracted $5.6 million in a funding round led by Cambridge-based Bhakta thinks his company's technology can hasten the drive toward 'net zero' global carbon emissions by supplanting coal-, gas- and oil-fired power plants. He estimates that getting the Earth to net zero will require adding two gigawatts of carbon-free electrical generating capacity per day, every day, for the next 20 years. That's enough power to supply about 1.6 million households, or the equivalent of firing up two nuclear power plants, every day. And that's not going to happen. Advertisement But Bhakta says the goal could be met if millions of homes and businesses worldwide were coated with cheap, lightweight, easily installed solar collectors. Ultra-thin solar power collectors have been under development since the 1970s, but researchers have struggled to develop versions that could match the price and performance of silicon panels. 'They would either cost too much or they wouldn't perform at the same level,' said Bhakta. For instance, thin panels made for electric utilities by US company First Solar, can convert only about 20 percent of sunlight into electric power, compared to about 28 percent for the most advanced silicon panels. Active Surfaces aims to meet these challenges by using a blend of lead iodide and organic compounds, formed into a complex crystal structure called perovskitewhich can be made into solar cells far thinner than a human hair. These cells can be printed onto plastic sheets to produce a solar power collector as flexible as a shower curtain. 'A piece of plastic can go in and then a functioning solar module can go out,' said Bhakta. Except for the specialized print head that places the perovskite compound onto the plastic, the rest of the manufacturing system uses equipment similar to that used in making photographic film or printing plastic labels. All the necessary equipment and supplies can be readily obtained from multiple sources, short-circuiting China's domination of the supply chain for silicon-based solar cells. Unlike earlier thin-film technologies, Active Surfaces' perovskite power cells produce almost as much electricity as silicon cells of the same surface area. And installing them will be far simpler and cheaper than bolting down some heavy silicon panels. Instead, said Bhakta, 'you can get a yoga mat-style form factor that could be unrolled onto buildings.' Advertisement The Active Surfaces system could be attached to nearly any object in need of a power boost. The cells might someday be integrated into car bodies to add supplemental power between charges, or they could replace heavier solar cells on spacecraft. But Nitin Padture, professor of materials science at Brown University, warned that the Active Surfaces solar collectors have only a 10-year lifespan, half the life expectancy of silicon cells. 'That is the downside,' said Padture. 'There is no free lunch.' Meantime, silicon cells have plummeted in price, making it even harder for a new and untested technology to crack the market. 'Innovation now lies in how you beat this dichotomy,' Padture said. He thinks Active Surfaces' must show that its solar collectors can be installed much faster and cheaper than traditional solar installations. It might not matter that the cells last half as long, if replacing them is one-fourth the cost of putting in silicon, Padture said. Last year, Active Surfaces received a $30,000 grant from the US Department of Energy; this year it's facing the rise of the Trump Administration, with its aggressive support for fossil fuel development and skepticism about alternative energy. But Bhakta is counting on another Trump imperative: Putting America first. Because Active Surfaces can help make the US more self-sufficient in solar power, 'there's a very big energy security benefit,' Bhakta said. 'I think this administration is very passionate about onshoring.' Advertisement And if the new administration turns a cold shoulder, Bhakta is open to seeking out support from abroad. 'There's continuing international interest.' he said, 'regardless of how the US swings.' Hiawatha Bray can be reached at
