HYDROGEN HARVESTING TECHNIQUE

• A scientist at IIT Kharagpur, Debabrata Das, has patented a technique to harvest hydrogen from a commonly found strain of bacteria , providing a possible alternative to the current extraction techniques, which are quite expensive.
• His technique induces the bacteria, Enterobacter cloacae, to discharge free hydrogen, via a fermentation process.
• The foul smelling stain of bacteria is hardy and found in a variety of locations, including the intestines of human beings and industrial sewage from chemical factories.
• The professor and his team are trying to induce the bacteria to yield a significant portion of its biomass as hydrogen. One way was to mix a gooey mixture of malt, yeast and glucose in a 10 litre vessel, called bio reactor.
• At present, even though Hydrogen exists abundantly in nature, it doesn't exist in isolation and is often found hitched to carbon or oxygen as bio gas or water.
• Isolating this bound hydrogen , in sufficient quantities to store in fuel storage devices , is what makes it expensive as a fuel. Presently, hydrogen as a fuel costs Rs 240 per kg, which is very expensive.
• The government is looking at every possible method, from microorganisms, solar heating, electrolysis etc, to cost effectively produce hydrogen.

SUNCUBES

• The suncube behaves like a sunflower, facing it and tracking it till sunset. It captures solar energy with a twin axis. Its triple junction solar cells concentrate the energy and provide greater efficiency at a lower cost.
• The Australian developer, Green and gold energy has tied up with square energy of India for it.
• A rooftop location of the 20 kg equipment will cost a home owner Rs 2 lakhs, with per unit cost of power working out to about Rs. 4.5.
• This will not take heavy duty loads like ac's or ovens.