Lighting the World ─ Transforming Our Energy Future by Bringing Electricity to Everyone

1.2 billion people on Earth still don't have electricity. Even where cell phones are now common, like sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India, villagers still walk miles to charge them. But new large-scale, sustainable solutions will not only usher in a new era of light, but be an important first step in lifting people from poverty and putting them on a road of sustainable economic development. Also, a unique, transforming opportunity for Western thinkers and practitioners will be created. These areas have largely skipped the analog stage of power development, and have moved straight from the middle ages to the digital age. They are not encumbered by existing infrastructure, dependence on fossil fuels, or too many outdated laws and regulations. An ideal innovation incubator, the developing world might just be the best way to make progress on our own energy issues at home.

Jim Rogers is leading a grand collaborative effort to bring sustainable, clean electrical power to everyone who lacks it. This reverse engineering, he contends, could solve the energy crises of America and Europe, while also making the world a cleaner, smarter place. But it won't be easy. In Lighting the World, Rogers details the bold thinking, international cooperation, and political will required to illuminate the future for everyone.

JIM ROGERS is the former Chairman, President and CEO of Duke Energy, the largest electric power company in the US. In 2009,Newsweek named him one of "The 50 Most Powerful People in the World." Rogers is an expert commentator and has appeared on60 Minutes, Bloomberg News, CNBC, MSNBC, and The Colbert Report. He has spoken at the Aspen Institute, the UN, and the World Economic Forum, and has served on the boards of eight Fortune 500 companies. He lives in Charlotte, NC.