Sawse - Stir it Up!

As most of the world is still trying to find out more about alternative energy sources, there are many who could not agree more that crops like corn and Jatropha would help us deal with the problem of depleting resources and the increasing threat of global warming.

Jatropha! It sounds like anything but an alternative energy source. However, the oil derived from this crop is what makes this it so popular as a source of energy.

Though not that popular all around the world, Jatropha has become quite popular in places like India and Mali. Not many would have thought that this inedible crop, which was considered useless, could prove to be so useful.

Jatropha does not directly compete with the more popular edible crops. The Jatropha crop is draught resistant and one would find it growing even in the driest arid and semi-arid conditions. It has all the physical characteristics that help it attain the status of a useful energy crop. The oil derived from this crop is what is ultimately used as a renewable power resource.

One of the best examples of the use of the Jatropha crop is found in the country of Mali, in the western part of Africa. Here there lies a village by the name of Simiji. Simiji has transformed into a village that exclusively grows the Jatropha crop. After the harvest season the oil from the crop is extracted and used as a source of energy for the village. Now the village has street lights that are powered by this renewable source of energy. There are several families in the village that make use of the electric power that is generated with the help of the Jatropha oil.

Simiji is only one such example. In fact, in the country of Mali itself there are several communities that make use of the Jatropha oil to generate power. Here the generators have been designed in a manner such that it can run on the Jatropha oil. However, the fact remains that Mali is not ready yet to export the Jatropha oil, and will continue to hoard the oil until the country’s needs are met.

Another country where Jatropha has gained immense popularity is India. Unlike Mali, the Jatropha crop in India grows in the wild and there is no real need to use techniques like irrigation to produce the crop. Nevertheless, the variety of Jatropha found in India is the same as that found in Mali. Another contrasting factor in this case is that unlike Mali, India is looking for an alternative energy source that will reduce its dependency on other countries for oil and other fuel sources. Perhaps this is why India is more concerned about the genetics of the Jatropha crop.

Apart from Jatropha, there are several other energy crops that people around the world are concerned about. These include some edible and non-edible crops. It will not be long before we could be making use of crops like rapeseed and corn in our gas tanks to power cars.

There are several restaurants and eateries in countries like the UK and the US that collect the edible oil, which would otherwise be of little or no use, and send it to a plant that converts the oil into bio-fuel. This oil is perfectly fine to use as fuel in your car.

Germany is one country that is keen on rapeseed cultivation. In fact, the Germans are taking a keen interest in corn cultivation to meet growing energy needs. According to certain web pages the Germans are more interested in using corn as a source of bio-gas. Thus, with 6,000 hectares of corn fields, the Germans would like to decompose nearly 200,000 tons of corn each year. They plan to do this by transferring all the corn into containers that resemble the cow’s intestine in that the containers would aid the decomposition of the corn yield, which would result in the production of methane.

Moving from renewable alternative sources of energy to hydrogen cells, there are very few of us who would think of incorporating hydrogen cells in our homes to meet our electricity demands. Most of us would associate hydrogen with fuel, and only in cars of the future. However, in Japan there are many families that have begun using hydrogen cells at home to power their houses. These hydrogen cells look just like suitcases, are grey in color, and are usually placed outside the house. The hydrogen in these cells is obtained from natural gas that is consumed by almost every household around the world.

The hydrogen in these cells then reacts with oxygen from the air to produce water. The by-product in this reaction is a huge amount of energy that can be used to power the house. Several of the Japanese households making use of these cells use the heat given out during the reaction to warm the water that they use. The only negative aspect about this whole system is that a harmful greenhouse gas, carbon monoxide, is produced. Nevertheless, the system is fitted with a reactor that aids the reaction of carbon monoxide with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, but is less harmful and not poisonous.

As for alternative fuel resources, there are several research studies being conducted and several new conclusions being reached almost every week. However, these studies would not be of any significance unless we go ahead and incorporate these findings in our day to day lives in a manner such that we could derive the best results from them.