I think it was belbear who first got me thinking about carbon, when he asked Lerner about this same question. I have also thought about the possibility of an exotic particle of antimatter or something of that sort which might act as a catalyst to excite and destabilize ordinary carbon – 12. You would certainly get a lot more energy from a lump of coal this way than conventional coal – fired plants ! ! ! But such an idea to excite and destabilize ordinary garden variety carbon will still require some kind of new breakthrough discovery we still don’t have yet.
