Disappeared News: How Hawaii can become more self-sufficient in both agriculture and energy

Thursday, July 09, 2009

How Hawaii can become more self-sufficient in both agriculture and energy

by Larry Geller

Cows + Chickens = Fuel. The formula is right here, in this article:

Forget gas, batteries — pee is new power source
Scientists can create cheap hydrogen from urine for use in fuel cells

Yup. It seems it is easy to get hydrogen out of pee. Much easier than to try to get it by breaking water up into hydrogen and oxygen and then storing the hydrogen under pressure. Or so goes the theory.

Using a nickel-based electrode, the scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. "One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses," said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. "Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel."
…
A fuel cell, urine-powered vehicle could theoretically travel 90 miles per gallon. A refrigerator-sized unit could produce one kilowatt of energy for about $5,000, although this price is a rough estimate, says Botte.
"The waste products from say a chicken farm could be used to produce the energy needed to run the farm," said John Stickney, a chemist and professor at the University of Georgia.

“Ok, kids, we’re going camping today on the North Shore. Line up, we’ll need about a gallon…”