Energy is needed in the backcountry for heating, cooking, lighting, waste management, ventilation and communications.
Typical sources of energy used at backcountry facilities include wood burning, solar, micro-hydro, wind, propane, diesel, and bio-diesel. Helicopters and other forms of motorized transportation also represent significant sources of energy use.
Fossil Fuel Reduction
There are numerous advantages to fossil fuel use. It is familiar technology, reliable, can easily be transported, and works well under most environmental conditions.
There are also some disadvantages to fossil fuel consumption such as the creation of carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming, and the environmental impacts of mining for coal, petroleum and natural gas. There is also additional costs and emission associated with transporting fossil fuels to a remote site.
Fossil Fuel Reduction
There are numerous advantages to fossil fuel use. It is familiar technology, reliable, can easily be transported, and works well under most environmental conditions.
There are also some disadvantages to fossil fuel consumption such as the creation of carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming, and the environmental impacts of mining for coal, petroleum and natural gas. There is also additional costs and emission associated with transporting fossil fuels to a remote site.
Developing Energy Systems
Propane Powered Fuel Cell
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that silently produces direct current electrical power without combustion. It is similar to a battery in that it consists of two electrode plates (anode and cathode), but is different in that the power is never depleted.
As with a traditional generator, a fuel cell depends on a fuel source to operate. But while the electricity in a traditional generator results from fuel burning and driving a mechanical generation device, the energy in a fuel cell comes from an electrochemical reaction.
Fuel cells use hydrogen extracted from the fuel and oxygen from the atmosphere to create electricity, heat and water vapour. The key to the reaction and the production of electricity is the electrolyte material in which ionized atoms are soluble, but electrons are not.
William Grove produced the first fuel cell in 1839. Since then the technology has been developing. Fuel cells were used to power all on board electronics in the US Apollo rocket program in the 1960’s, clocking over 10,000 hours without incident. Since then, various fuel cell chemistries have been developed and have resulted in products that are suitable for a range of applications.
Benefits of fuel cells include: reduced operating costs, portability, quiet operation, reliability, long life, environmental superiority, and easy operation. Fuel cells are very useful as power sources in remote locations, such as spacecraft, submarines, remote weather stations, parks, rural locations, cars, and in certain military applications. They would also be a suitable power source for mountain huts, provided they can be kept warm.
At this point, commercially available fuel cell products suitable for energy production at a mountain hut are still in the research and development stage. In another 5-10 years the story might be a little different.
Urine Powered Fuel Cell
Researchers have figured out a way to make a urine-powered fuel cell. The urine-powered fuel cell uses bacteria to break down urea or urine from humans or animals into water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and also produces electricity at the same time. Unlike existing fuel cells that require catalysts made from precious metals like platinum, urine generated fuel cells use a cheaper catalyst and less expensive membranes.
BEES is very interested in this research because it has application for remote sites and may contribute to solving two problems with one stroke: make waste management easier and provide an abundant source of locally generated power. Research is currently in the prototype stage.
