Bold plan to clean up the yak dung starts in Badenoch and Strathspey
The roof of the world must clean up its act and cut out the yak dung.
Now that job has begun - in Newtonmore!
Douglas Spalding has high ambitions for Mount Everest with his HyAmbition project.
He told the Strathy: “We plan to bring sustainable oxygen and hydrogen to the Everest Base Camp using renewable power.
“The idea originally came to me in 2019 when I went there and developed a respiratory infection like many others, and realised it was due to the use of yaks and breathing in their waste which is pulverized on the walking trails and burnt for heating and cooking.
“The possibility of using hydrogen as a fuel to replace the use of yak dung was the kernel of the idea.
“This developed into splitting water to co-produce the hydrogen and oxygen using solar power and then using oxygen for mountaineering and medical use.”
Mr Spalding only developed the idea after returning to Nepal to climb Island Peak in 2022.
“I had already started up my own energy consulting business and through this came up with the HyAmbition project to help build local businesses in developing countries - their economy, their community welfare, in a sustainable way.
“I am currently finding the right business partners and funding.
“It will work this way - bottles of oxygen and hydrogen are flown and yak-ed in to base camp and then flown out and yak-ed out again for refilling but by doing that at base camp we will hugely reduce the turn-around.
“In effect the bottles will become multi-use rather than single use and make the system much more effective.”
“It’s exciting. The Khumbu region in Nepal is home to Mount Everest or Sagarmartha ‘Goddess Mother of the Sky’.
“The area attracts many mountaineers and adventure tourists and is blessed with outstanding beauty as well excellent renewable resources. As a remote upland destination, tourism not only brings income and employment to the region but has a significant impact on the local environment, local communities and visitors.
“Currently all fossil fuels, food and other resources like bottled oxygen are carried to altitude by airplane, helicopter and animals. These add to the climate crisis accelerating the impact in the Khumbu.
“The use of animals as well as the use of their dung as a source of heating can bring health and welfare challenges to local people and visitors.
“There is now an opportunity, through the co-ordinated production and use of oxygen and a renewable hydrogen fuel locally, to build business and infrastructure that tackles the climate crisis in a practical way, by minimising the impacts for tourism on the environment and health to the community.”
It is anticipated that with initial funding for a feasibility study and business case development, the viability for development of a fully commercial enterprise and how to deliver it will be demonstrated, he said.
Who is Douglas Spalding?
The man with designs on the roof of the world was born and brought up in Scotland’s Central Belt.
He was educated in engineering in Glasgow and travelled extensively, working most recently on clean energy projects such as using renewable electricity to make hydrogen and combining that with captured carbon dioxide and then making sustainable aviation fuels.
His love of mountaineering and the ever changing light in Scottish landscapes has been a great influence on his passion for art.
He said: “I am 60 years old and was immediately attracted to the Cairngorms when I first visited over 40 years ago.
“I still remember the day when came here in 1981 and stood at the bottom of Creag Dhu Crag looking up thinking I would love to learn to climb.
“In 1984 I did just that with the father of Jillian Robertson (from Kingussie) who introduced to ice climbing in the Northern Corries and Ben Nevis.
“Since then I have climbed all over the world and brought my family to the strath on holiday (Dunachtonmore and Aviemore).
“Since 2006 I have lived and worked between our house in Newtonmore and East Kilbride with both my wife Elsa and I very active in the community.”
Those who want to learn more about HyAmbition can reach him through LinkedIn.