What’s
on the Horizon for Independent Energy
by
Chuck Hall
 Several
companies are manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells that will eventually
have the capacity to run both your home and your electric vehicle.
Some of these companies are offering power stations that are now
available on the market. The problem is that many of these cannot
meet the demands of the average home. Not only that, but they
operate on hydrogen that is made from natural gas. Natural gas
isn’t a sustainable resource. While it is possible to split
hydrogen from regular tap water, none of these companies is
currently offering such a system. This is probably because with the
current technology, the process of splitting hydrogen from water
isn’t very efficient. This may change in the future as the
technology progresses.
If
an efficient way to manufacture hydrogen can be found, it could be
the perfect energy source. The only by-product of hydrogen as a fuel
is water. This water can then be converted back into hydrogen. The
best way to do this would be to use free energy from the sun to
split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Although it takes about nine
times more energy to split hydrogen from water than you get back by
burning the resulting hydrogen, if you’re using sunlight to do it,
does it really matter? So far, the government hasn’t found a way
to tax sunlight, so it’s still a free commodity. Nine times zero
is still zero, so using sunlight to manufacture hydrogen fuel is, to
my mind, the way to go.
Another
alternative source of home energy is a biodiesel generator. This
works just like a regular diesel generator, except that it runs on
renewable biodiesel fuel. You can get more product information on
biodiesel generators from Powered Generators at:
www.poweredgenerators.com/biodiesel-generators.html.
The
drawbacks to using this as a primary source of power are similar to
those of using a regular diesel generator: they can be noisy,
require routine maintenance, and need a steady source of fuel. A
more reasonable option for biodiesel generators would be to use them
as an emergency backup for a solar, wind, or micro hydroelectric
station.
Ultimately,
the best way of achieving off-the-grid energy independence with a
stand-alone system is probably by using a mixture of technologies in
a combination that works for you. For example, you might use a
hybrid solar and wind system with a battery storage unit,
supplemented by a biodiesel generator for emergency situations. You
can mix and match technologies in any way you choose. The more you
diversify, the less you run the risk of your system going down when
the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
Chuck
Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author. His latest book, Green
Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave, is
now available at Booklocker.com.
You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org or visit
the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
|
