Finding fuel to run the engines of the world is a monumental task. Utilizing renewable resources to create pollution free electricity is perhaps an even larger issue as it involves infrastructure and giant energy companies. It would be splendid if the same technology could be used for both of these purposes. Solar-to-Hydrogen technology could fulfill this role. Loosely called “Water Cracking”, this energy transformation device turns solar radiation into hydrogen fuel. The patent has been sold to the Spanish energy company “Clean Hydrogen Producers”.

Water cracking concentrates sunlight in a furnace and allows for temperatures to rise to the point where the hydrogen and oxygen in water are separated from one another. This ostensibly creates the liquidized substance known as hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen fuel is incredibly versatile as a means of transporting energy, it can be used to propel a vehicle and to create electricity by running it through a fuel cell . Regular solar power is limited in that much of the power is wasted when it is transferred through power cables.

This water cracking patent was sold for 400 million euros, which lets you know the technology has real potential. Clean Hydrogen Producers has stated that they will be creating fully operational “water cracker hydrogen plants” within the next few years and they will provide power to Spain, Mexico and also export hydrogen fuel for profit.

TreeHugger is often asked variations of what we know as the “million dollar question”: “If there was one thing I could do to save the planet today, what would that be?” While our answers tend to skew toward something along the lines of “change your lightbulbs [www.sundancechannel.com]“, when it really comes down to it, nothing shrinks your ecological footprint like shrinking the footprint of your home. As such, since we’ve been talking about big ideas this week, we’ll take a look at what would be a big change for most of us: living in a prefab trailer or other “smaller” home.

While some folks might blanche at the idea of cramming all their stuff into 250 or 300 square feet (or less), we’ve seen a handful of dwellings that can do the same job as a house three or four times it’s size. The Sustain MiniHome [www.sustain.ca] (above, left; we covered it here [www.treehugger.com] and here [www.treehugger.com] at TreeHugger) is one of the most thoughtful, green, complete home designs at 350 square feet. Several climate-specific variants of the miniHome are available to be adapted to the extremes of southern, ocean and even arctic climates and can be further optimized by orientation, glazing and shading options to take full advantage of the “natural assets” (like passive solar radiation) of each site. m-house [www.m-house.org] (above, right; covered here [www.treehugger.com] on TreeHugger) is another great example of living in a sleek, efficient, green house that happens to be a trailer. At just over 1000 square feet, it’s “big” for the movement, but boasts two bedrooms to complement the open floor plan that encompasses the kitchen/dining/living area, and might just be enough space to house a small, green-living family.

As odd as the idea might seem, it’s been gaining steam for awhile, and is making progress thanks to some creative media coverage. Our friends at Apartment Therapy are smack dab in the middle of their annual Smallest Coolest Apartments [www.apartmenttherapy.com] contest; inspired by some of the tiny spaces that folks cram themselves into in New York City, the contest is just what it sounds like. They look for the most thoughtfully designed, efficient and beautiful apartments and homes around the world, and there’s just one catch: 650 square feet or less. The idea has even caught on at the New York Times, who recently took a closer look [travel.nytimes.com] at a really small house: one of the 120 square foot homes manufactured by Modern Cabana [www.moderncabana.com], pictured above (on the right). You don’t even need your own land for some of these; LoftCube [www.loftcube.net], a German company (above, at left, covered here [www.treehugger.com] on TreeHugger), builds prefab “lofts” that are designed to go on the roofs of skyscraping downtown buildings. Sort of gives new meaning to “the sky’s the limit,” but when it comes to big ideas of living small, we can think of no better moniker.