Mitigation of CO2 emission by Invented Green Energy Device Hydroelectric Cell
Energy is the most critical component of any country’s growth and has a direct influence on the economy. Presently, there is a 20% share of electricity consumed in the world compared to fuels. But with the increasing demand for energy, the after-effects are significantly evident in the form of global warming/climate change. There has been an estimated 506 g/kWh total CO2 emission by electricity generation in 2020, in which 35% share is from coal, 28% from renewable and 9% from solar cell and windmill. Electricity generation contributes to the highest CO2 emission globally. At this critical juncture, it is essential to identify new avenues to be innovated to produce clean energy and green electricity. Researchers have been exploiting largely available materials and green production methods for the last 76 years. Ferrites/metal oxides and composite materials have emerged among other species for their remarkable environmental stability and chemical tunability. For the first time in 2016, Dr Kotnala created a new exclusive domain in green electricity & clean energy production using ferrite as energy material with 21st century’s biggest invention Hydroelectric Cell (HEC) Device, a better alternative to the Solar cell. Green Electricity & Hydrogen is obtained by HEC to mitigate CO2 emission.
Water splitting by a non-photocatalytic process generates Green Electricity using a few drops of water by HEC at room temperature without emitting any harmful gas and toxic byproducts. For sustainable development of society, secure energy services with low environmental impact are necessary to meet basic human needs & save the earth. HEC has all the capabilities. HEC device has been well taken globally by the scientific fraternity to generate green electricity, which is the best fit to save the environment by reducing carbon footprint & global warming.
For the first time, green electricity has been generated by non-photocatalytic water splitting into hydronium & hydroxide ions at room temperature using oxygen deficient and nanoporous ferrite/metal oxides. Initially surface charge adsorbs and chemidissociate water, followed by dissociation of physically adsorbed water due to enough high electric potential generated by trapped hydronium ions inside nanopores. The name hydroelectric cell was coined by Dr. Kotnala. Working of HEC is the combination of nanoscience, material science and electrochemistry. The working principle of HEC has been validated in 28 different compounds and published in reputed journals. No electronic or toxic waste is generated during and after its use, whereas solar cells and lithium-ion batteries are generating huge piles of electronic waste. HEC can be used for 24×7 and delivers higher voltage than solar cell.
Devices like LED torch, lamp, bulbs, and mobile phone chargers have been operated at the lab level. After industrial R&D, higher power packs of HEC will be fabricated for powering lightweight vehicles and to provide power to 50 million unelectrified houses in villages, which will reduce 8 billion kg CO2 emission/year. The serious concern of disposal issues of huge hazardous chemicals and electronic waste produced by existing batteries and non-functional solar cell panels are a big threat to the earth & environment, which is not the case with HEC.
The hydroelectric cell is a low-cost energy device. The only consumed part in the cell is zinc. The electricity cost of HEC is $US 7/kWh and its hydrogen costs $30/Kg. HEC is an environment friendly, non-hazardous, safe for humans and is a zero-carbon credit device. The potential of HEC has emerged as a winner of the renewable energy innovative product (REI) award 2018 in a special category among giant solar/water/gas energy players in the energy market.