Pee for power

It is certainly one renewable energy resource that India would have absolutely no problem in generating. So, the Ohio University scientist who has devised a technology to extract hydrogen from urine and use it to generate power, deserves to be invited to India and requested to head an innovation mission forthwith.

Since all it apparently requires is for an electrode to zap wastewater to produce hydrogen from urine’s significant constituents — ammonia and urea — then every nook and cranny of the country can become a potential power centre. In the West, stadia, airports, malls and other crowded places are being seen as possible generation units. India, however, would not have any problem with the economies of scale needed to make such projects viable everywhere, given that all 1.2 billion citizens, not to mention the world’s largest bovine population, can contribute to make the nation a powerhouse.

As it is estimated that it will not take much initial electrical energy to begin converting urine to hydrogen, ‘electrifying’ every village in India can then be launched as a cottage industry and bolster the initiative to devolve power to local institutions. The technology also offers factories and large offices a great green — well, maybe yellow — option, by converting the emissions from every 200-300 employees into two kilowatts of hydrogen power. Provided, of course, that HR agrees to designate coffee and tea — and, therefore, toilet — breaks as productive exercises.

If another group of scientists makes a breakthrough on a fuel cell directly powered by urine, we could see the birth of a new, renewable motor fuel called peetroleum. Then, with the fear of any leakages considerably diminished, a more eco-friendly energy behemoth called BPee can also be contemplated.