Talk about going green and making sure that every aspect of your life fits in to the whole eco-friendly mode. The Japanese have really taken it to the next level by making sure that every time they hit the shower, it conserves some amount of energy that is drawn from fossil fuel. 2200 Japanese home owners draw their power and heat their hot water from hydrogen fuel cells. The technology, which extracts energy from the chemical reaction when hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water, is more commonly found as an application for automobiles rather than homes.
But then Japanese apparently have no such limits and very willing to extend their automobile technology in to their homes so as to ensure a green lifestyle. Developers claim that fuel cells cause one-third less of the pollution that causes global warming than conventional electricity generation does. The flat grey fuel cell is about the size of a suitcase and is generally positioned next to the hot water heater tank, also on the outside of these homes. In the process of producing electricity, the fuel cell gives off enough warmth to heat water for the home.
But then, go a touch deeper in to the technology and it is not as green as it is apparent on the surface. Apparently Carbon Monoxide is one of the by-products of this process and that is probably the worst thing you could do to yourself and to the environment. So the makers decided to oxidize it further and make Carbon Dioxide out of it. Yes, the new gas is not as poisonous as Carbon Monoxide, but if you are telling me that releasing tons of CO2 is really good, then you must be kidding me. While fuel cells will one day save the planet and give it clean energy sources, this is not what I exactly had in mind for them. Is this technology a step forward or backward? Decide for yourself!
