Let me be the first to admit that I don’t know much about hydrogen. It’s the most abundant element in the universe and yet elusive here on earth. There seems to be a conflict of logic here, but remember that it is the lightest element. It is so light weight that on earth it rises above other useful gases like oxygen and escapes into space. Fortunately finding hydrogen is not the problem; usually scientists rip it out of other materials like water. There are several commercial methods to achieve this, but most are energy-intensive or expensive. Hydrogen likes to bond to other elements so convincing it to “come away quietly” is difficult. Enter Nanoptek’s new solar hydrogen generator.

Using solar or other renewable energies to produce hydrogen is not a new idea, but making it work has been difficult. With solar energy the trick has been to create stable electrodes that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The problem? Creating an electrode stable enough to do the job has presented a formidable hurtle. Nanoptek has apparently cleared the jump. Michael Kanellos from CNet News explains it well:

Other companies have tried to use titania electrodes for this job in the past, but they broke down relatively rapidly, according to Nanoptek. The company’s electrodes work better because, ironically, they are more brittle. The crystal lattice in the electrode is stressed, i.e. additional materials are added. (Semiconductor makers similarly stress their chips with germanium to create strained silicon, which improves performance.)

This technology is still in experimental stages, but Nanoptek is nevertheless collecting investments and research funding to bring it off the drawing table. The company website suggests several potential markets for their future product. Their stand-alone system could provide clean energy and water for developing communities, home fuel production for hydrogen cars, back-up power for hospitals, businesses, or cell towers, and of course support for manufacturers or the larger energy grid.

Of course this is no utopian vision of clean energy for all. The solar system requires square footage to generate enough energy to produce the hydrogen. The company claims a “rooftop area of about 50 ft by 50 ft would supply enough hydrogen for the driving needs of an average family of 4.” That’s not a terribly small amount of space if you live in say, and apartment building or a small home. There is also the issue of cost, which the company does not seem ready to approach yet. The environmentalist in me would also want to know about the production process and weigh the benefits.

This is still a step in the right direction. Who knows? A few decades from now we could all enjoy clean hydrogen cars or power our air conditioners and appliances with hydrogen. We could generate our own drinking water or even recycle our gray water back into the system. Image a day when releasing water vapor via car emissions starts to effect the environment? Well, maybe not. But this technology certainly opens some important doors towards a much-anticipated green technology.

(for more info visit CNet news and Nanoptek.com)

(image courtesy of Nanoptek.com)

A “coal family” is a term I use to describe more than our source of income. Like many industries, there is a whole community and culture surrounding coal. In fact, given the remote regions where mines are often located, I would argue that coal industries create a unique and particularly strong culture. This has been true in Appalachia for over 100 years. The remote and ornery hollars are still the stuff of legend: liquor stills, bluegrass, and square dances still exist throughout the Blue Ridge and Smokies. One year an employee gave my father a gallon of moonshine for Christmas; another year it was a home-grown honey baked ham.

Coal is as riddled through this living tradition as the seams in the hills. The region is rich in the history and dirges surrounding the mines. The winding county roads that lead into the mines are lined with the physical community: the brick homes of skilled labor, double-wide trailers, and a few burnt down shacks. They live on a narrow strip of land between mountain sides and muddied creeks, or perhaps “in town”, the next valley over. Until recently these were forgotten, unpaved roads. No longer: civilization has encroached.

Walmart and McDonalds have arrived with a fresh four-lane road that leads to I-75. The new business promised a new way of life, namely the life that the rest of the world was supposedly living while miners labored underground. But the new jobs pay less than the mine work, and civilization added demons to the community instead of exorcising them. Ten years ago the burnt-out shacks along the road were over-achieving liquor stills. Now they’re meth labs. The world betrayed their trust upon arrival. Is it any wonder then that these mountain towns are hot spots for drug abuse and snake handling? How would you react if you were trapped between the steady stone of the mines and unsafe waters of the outside world? Who would you trust?

I asked my father about employment in the mines. Could a high-school drop out rise through the ranks to skilled labor? “Sure,” he replied, “We’d start a kid out driving trucks. If he could be trusted we’d move him up to operating machinery or something. Problem is now days, I can’t get any good kids on staff. Eighty percent fail the drug test.”

Coal is a complicated issue, and not all of it is environmental. We must always remember that the environment and society move hand-in-hand. If we want to reduce the role of coal in this country, we need to offer these mountain communities a viable alternative. A huge 4-wheeler park recently opened near the mines. The remote wilderness has attracted outdoor enthusiasts from across the east coast. The unspoiled forest with its wild turkey, deer, bear, and elk have already raked in over a million dollars for the local community. Alternatives exist, and if the people can see the path clearly, they will leave their narrow road to forge a new one - but only on their own terms.