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#Post#: 4511--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: February 15, 2016, 5:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Midwestern geothermal greenhouse provides local citrus
year round for $1 a day
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183515.bmp[/center]
Melissa Breyer (@MelissaBreyer)
Science / Sustainable Agriculture
February 12, 2016
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-150216181630.png[/img]
[/center]
[center]Tiny tiger on the hunt in the tropics of a Nebraska
Greenhouse
HTML http://www.coh2.org/images/Smileys/huhsign.gif
[/center]
Greenhouse in the Snow, built by a former mailman, grows an
abundance of local produce high on the Nebraska plains.
"We can grow the best citrus in the world, right here on the
high plains,” says Russ Finch, the former mailman (pictured
above) who is the creative superstar genius responsible for
building the Greenhouse in the Snow. And he can do it spending
only $1 a day in energy costs.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
For Midwesterners (and many of the rest of us) produce in the
winter means things imported form warmer climes or grown in
greenhouses, which typically have a prodigious hunger for energy
and are fed by burning fossil fuels.
But by harnessing the Earth's natural internal heat to warm a
greenhouse, oranges and other tropical treats thrive without the
waste and pollution typically found in so much agriculture.
Finch’s structure is a take on a walipini – a brilliant design
that TreeHugger has written about (and which remains one of our
most popular posts: Build a $300 underground greenhouse for
year-round gardening).
As Grant Gerlock writes at NPR, the floor is dug 4 feet below
the surface, the roof is slanted toward the south to harness as
much sun as it can. In the daytime it can warm well into the 80s
(F) inside, but at night the temperature drops, which is when
the geothermal heat is called in.
[quote]"All we try to do is keep it above 28F degrees in the
winter," Finch says. "We have no backup system for heat. The
only heat source is the Earth's heat, at 52F degrees at 8-foot
deep."[/quote]
Which is good enough for the oranges, and all kinds of other
delicacies. ;D
"Any type of plant we saw, we would put it in and see what it
could do. We didn't baby anything," Finch says. "We just put it
in and if it died, it died. But most everything really grows
well. We can grow practically any tropical plant."
"There have been hardly any successful 12-month greenhouses on
the northern High Plains because of the weather," Finch adds.
"The cost of energy is too high for it. But by tapping into the
Earth's heat, we've been able to drastically reduce the cost."
Finch grows a few hundred pounds of fruit each year to sell at
local farmers markets, notes Gerlock, but his main business is
selling the design for his greenhouse in the snow. And while a
new greenhouse costs $22,000 to build, the beauty of running
them is kind of priceless. To date, 17 of his designs have been
built in the U.S. and Canada – we hope to see many more.
Changing the world one orange-grown-in-the-winter-in-Nebraska at
a time? Bring it on!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
Watch the charming Mr. FInch (and cat! [img
width=40]
HTML http://robservations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/happy-cat1.jpg[/img])<br
/>in a tour of the greenhouse in the video below.
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/IZghkt5m1uY[/center]
HTML http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/midwestern-geothermal-greenhouse-provides-local-citrus-year-round.html
#Post#: 4799--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: March 31, 2016, 2:16 pm
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[center]
David Suzuki: Tapping Earth’s Abundant Geothermal
Energy[/center]
[font=times new roman]Dr. David Suzuki
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif[/font]|
March 31, 2016
1:06 pm
In the midst of controversy over BC’s Peace River Site C dam
project, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association released a
study showing the province could get the same amount of energy
more affordably from geothermal sources for about half the
construction costs. Unlike Site C, geothermal wouldn’t require
massive transmission upgrades, would be less environmentally
disruptive and would create more jobs throughout the province
rather than just in one area.
Despite the many benefits of geothermal, Canada is the only
“Pacific Ring of Fire” country that doesn’t use it for
commercial-scale energy. According to DeSmogBlog, “New Zealand,
Indonesia, the Philippines, the U.S. and Mexico all have
commercial geothermal plants.”[quote] Iceland heats up to 90
percent of its homes and supplies 25 percent of its electricity,
with geothermal.
[/quote]
Geothermal energy is generated by heat from Earth’s rocks,
liquids and steam. It can come from shallow ground, where the
temperature is a steady 10 to 16 C, hot water and rocks deeper
in the ground or possibly very hot molten rock (magma) deep
below Earth’s surface. As with clean-energy sources like solar,
geothermal energy systems vary, from those that use hot water
from the ground directly to heat buildings, greenhouses and
water, to those that pump underground hot water or steam to
drive turbines. The David Suzuki Foundation’s Vancouver and
Montreal offices use geothermal.
According to National Geographic, geothermal power plants use
three methods to produce electricity: dry steam, flash steam and
binary cycle. Dry steam uses steam from fractures in the ground.
“Flash plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler,
low-pressure water,” which creates steam. In binary plants,
which produce no greenhouse gas emissions and will likely become
dominant, “hot water is passed by a secondary fluid with a much
lower boiling point,” which turns the secondary fluid into
vapor.
Unlike wind and solar, [quote]geothermal provides steady energy
and can serve as a more cost-effective and less environmentally
damaging form of baseload power than fossil fuels or nuclear.
[/quote]It’s not entirely without environmental impacts, but
most are minor and can be overcome with good planning and
siting. Geothermal fluids can contain gases and heavy metals,
but most new systems recycle them back into the ground.
Operations should also be located to avoid mixing geothermal
liquids with groundwater and to eliminate impacts on nearby
natural features like hot springs. Some geothermal plants can
produce small amounts of CO2, but binary systems are
emissions-free. In some cases, resources that provide heat can
become depleted over time.
Although geothermal potential has been constrained by the need
to locate operations in areas with high volcanic activity,
geysers or hot springs, new developments are making it more
widely viable. One controversial method being tested is similar
to “fracking” for oil and gas. Water is injected into a well
with enough pressure to break rock and release heat to produce
hot water and steam to generate power through a turbine or
binary system.
Researchers have also been studying urban “heat islands” as
sources of geothermal energy. Urban areas are warmer than their
rural surroundings, both above and below ground, because of the
effects of buildings, basements and sewage and water systems.
Geothermal pumps could make the underground energy available to
heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer.
New methods of getting energy from the ground could also give
geothermal a boost. Entrepreneur Manoj Bhargava is working with
researchers to bring heat to the surface using graphene cords
rather than steam or hot water. Graphene is stronger than steel
and conducts heat well. Bhargava says the technology would be
simple to develop and could be integrated with existing power
grids.
Unfortunately, geothermal hasn’t received the same level of
government support as other sources of energy, including fossil
fuels and nuclear. That’s partly because upfront costs are high
and, as with oil and gas exploration, geothermal sources aren’t
always located where developers hope they’ll be. As DeSmogBlog
notes, resources are often found in areas that already have
access to inexpensive hydro power.
Rapid advancements in renewable-energy and power-grid
technologies could put the world on track to a mix of clean
sources fairly quickly—which is absolutely necessary to curtail
global warming. Geothermal energy should be part of that mix.
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_0293.gif
HTML http://ecowatch.com/2016/03/31/suzuki-geothermal-energy/
Agelbert COMMENT: Of course. There is absolutely no excuse for
the wasteful way that homes are heated and cooled now. There is
no need to waste electricity that is often generated from
polluting energy [s]re[/s]Sources or even hydropower.
Agelbert COMMENT: Of course. Every home that has running water
all over the earth can, without wasting water, use geothermal
energy without expensive coils placed several feet down. The
water pipe infrastructure was paid for by we-the-people and is
an untapped cheap and inexhaustible source of heating or cooling
energy. Water temperature in the pipes is always several degrees
cooler in summer and several degrees warmer in winter.
David, I have designed a computer program to make use of that
energy. Of course, putting a heat pump in the process loop would
be advisable for winter (in order to extract 72 degrees F from
45 degree F water). But for summer, it could be done without a
heat pump. Some small expense would be required for a gray waste
tank, valves, temperature sensors and the software. But that
would be orders of magnitude cheaper than home geothermal
infrastructure now and within the reach of even the poor who own
homes and all the middle class.
Dr. Suzuki, If you are interested in this unpatented process,
please contact me at anthonyg154@gmail.com (I will give you, and
you only, all the details free).
This is my web site forum:
Renewable Revolution
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/index.php?action=forum
#Post#: 5147--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: May 24, 2016, 7:14 pm
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[center]Geothermal Energy in Iceland[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/XRAQrDduaU0[/center]
[move]Volcanos Producing Energy [/move]
The use of geothermal energy in Iceland must be the most
inventive, progressive and eco-friendly energy system in the
world.
They have five major geothermal power plants, which produce
approximately 26% of the nation's energy. In addition,
geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements
of approximately 87% of all buildings in Iceland.
Apart from geothermal energy, 75% of the nation’s electricity is
generated by hydro power, and 0.1% from fossil fuels.
All of this energy: hydro and geothermal, is brought online
without producing any air pollution or greenhouse gases.
It has been estimated that using geothermal for space heating
instead of fossil fuels saves the country of Iceland annually
about 100 million US dollars in imported oil. ;D
Iceland’s state-owned energy company, Landsvirkjun, is
considering construction of the world’s longest underwater
electric cable so they can sell their vast geothermal and
volcanic energy to the European market.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191258.bmp<br
/>
--Bibi Farber
HTML http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/energy/geothermal-energy-in-iceland.html#sthash.OmMli6Ky.dpuf
#Post#: 6270--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: January 16, 2017, 5:56 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Australian firm plans nation's largest geothermal plant
in Imperial Valley ;D [/center]
HTML http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-geothermal-salton-sea-20170114-story.html
#Post#: 6715--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: March 20, 2017, 6:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/XRAQrDduaU0[/center]
[center]Volcanos Producing Energy[/center]
The use of geothermal energy in Iceland must be the most
inventive, progressive and eco-friendly energy system in the
world.
They have five major geothermal power plants, which produce
approximately 26% of the nation's energy. In addition,
geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements
of approximately 87% of all buildings in Iceland.
Apart from geothermal energy, 75% of the nation's electricity
is generated by hydro power, and 0.1% from fossil fuels.
All of this energy: hydro and geothermal, is brought online
without producing any air pollution or greenhouse gases.
It has been estimated that using geothermal for space heating
instead of fossil fuels saves the country of Iceland annually
about 100 million US dollars in imported oil.
Iceland's state-owned energy company, Landsvirkjun, is
considering construction of the world's longest underwater
electric cable so they can sell their vast geothermal and
volcanic energy to the European market. [img width=25
height=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]
--Bibi Farber
HTML http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/energy/geothermal-energy-in-iceland.html
#Post#: 7167--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: May 20, 2017, 1:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[img
width=140]
HTML http://geothermalexpo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/REW-logo-new.jpg[/img]
[center]Scientists Discover Extreme Geothermal Activity in New
Zealand's South Island ;D[/center]
May 19, 2017
By Renewable Energy World Editors geothermal
University of Otago yesterday said that a collaboration by
scientists who drilled about a half-mile into the Alpine Fault
of New Zealand’s South Island has revealed surprisingly high
temperatures and the potential for large geothermal resources in
the area.
The Deep Fault Drilling Project, jointly led by Victoria
University of Wellington, GNS Science and the University of
Otago, was carried out in 2014 in New Zealand’s Westland
Province, north of Franz Josef Glacier.
According to University of Otago, the site was drilled by a team
of more than 100 scientists from 12 countries, who were working
to understand how earthquakes occur on geological faults.
The results of the project, published yesterday in Nature,
discuss the site’s geothermal gradient—a measure of how fast the
temperature increases going deeper beneath the earth's surface.
The project team discovered water at about 2,000 feet depth that
was hot enough to boil. Similar geothermal temperatures are
normally found at depths greater than two miles, the university
said.
Warren Gilbertson, chief operating officer of the charitable
trust Development West Coast, said in a May 18 statement that
the discovery could transform the economy and resilience of
Westland, and provide a significant clean energy resource that
could be developed using local people and equipment.
"The location of geothermal activity and its possible benefit
and association to the dairy and tourism sectors provide real
opportunities from an economic perspective,” Gilbertson said.
Additional exploration and drilling will be needed to assess the
economic potential.
HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2017/05/scientists-discover-extreme-geothermal-activity-in-new-zealand-s-south-island.html
#Post#: 8101--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: October 11, 2017, 1:28 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[img
width=100]
HTML https://www.cleanenergywire.org/sites/all/themes/clew/logo.png[/img]
11 Oct 2017
[center]Hamburg successfully tests aquifer heat storage system
[img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png[/img][/center]
[quote]... to replace a coal plant and which can provide heat to
8,000 households in winter, ... [/quote]
[img
width=275]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914180936.jpeg[/img]
HTML https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/climate-targets-grave-danger-union-wants-energiewende-ministry/hamburg-successfully-tests-aquifer-heat-storage-system
HTML https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/climate-targets-grave-danger-union-wants-energiewende-ministry/hamburg-successfully-tests-aquifer-heat-storage-system
#Post#: 9331--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: March 19, 2018, 1:05 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]St. Patrick’s 🍀 Cathedral In New York City Goes
Green With $35 Million Geothermal Installation ✨[/center]
March 19th, 2018 by Steve Hanley
St. Patrick’s Cathedral on New York’s Fifth Avenue is undergoing
a $200 million renovation. Part of that upgrade is a new $35
million geothermal heating and cooling system that replaces the
steam boiler and air conditioning system installed nearly 60
years ago. The new system is expected to reduce the cost of
heating and cooling the 76,000 square foot cathedral and
surrounding campus by about a third, which will also keep about
94,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide out of the skies over New
York City every year.
[img
width=990]
HTML https://c1cleantechnicacom-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/files/2018/03/geothermal-system-St-Patricks-Cathedral.jpg[/img]
[center]geothermal heating and cooling system St. Patrick's
Cathedral Credit: Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects[/center]
[center]Sustainable And Cost Effective[/center]
“It was not only the most sustainable, cost-effective, long-term
energy option for the cathedral, but the option that best aligns
with the greater good of New York, and not just today, but for
generations to come,” Monsignor Robert T. Ritchie, the rector of
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, tells the New York Times. Jeffrey
Murphy, leader of the team from Murphy Burnham & Buttrick
Architects that is overseeing the entire renovation, adds this
insight: “If you are an institution that isn’t going to be here
for hundreds of years, you may do something less expensive. But
if you are interested in sustainability, and you are interested
in the long haul, it is a great system.”
The heart of the geothermal system is a collection of 10 wells
8″ in diameter drilled into the bedrock beneath the
cathedral. The deepest of the wells goes down 2,200 feet. They
feed groundwater at a constant 55º F into a complex jumble of
pipes, condensers, and compressors that fit inside the
cathedral’s former boiler room. The designers weren’t entirely
sure the system would be capable of handling all the heating and
cooling needs of the campus, so they included a conventional
cooling tower and gas fired furnace as a backup, just in case.
But during the year the system has been in place, it has kept up
with the hottest summer weather and coldest winter temperatures
without assistance.
One of the requirements for the geothermal system was that the
outer and inner appearance of the cathedral not be altered in
any discernible way. The diocese of New York hopes the switch to
geothermal will inspire curators of other historic buildings in
the city to follow suit, something they would not be inclined to
do if it meant changing the look of their buildings.
[center]Geothermal Is Not For Everyone[/center]
Geothermal is not a magic cure for all older buildings, however.
The General Theological Seminary, the Episcopal seminary in
Chelsea on Manhattan’s west side, began experimenting with a
geothermal system in 2005 but ended up using it for only about a
quarter of its needs. “If you don’t take into consideration the
cost of machinery and the maintenance over an 80-year period,
sure, it’s a great deal,” says the Very Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle, the
seminary’s dean and president. “But when you take into
consideration that the submerged pumps have to be pulled out and
maintained and sometimes changed out, for us it made less
economic sense than any projection ever described.”
Reverend Dunkle’s reservations may sound familiar to those
considering the purchase of an electric car. The technology is
changing fast and what is state of the art today may be
hopelessly out of date in a few years’ time.
[center]An Audacious Plan[/center]
New York City is a strong proponent of geothermal systems and
uses them in several facilities managed by the city, including
the Queens Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and
the lion house at the Bronx Zoo. Cornell University has a new
technology campus on Roosevelt Island which relies on a
geothermal system.
Jeffrey Murphy lauds the diocese for choosing to convert to a
geothermal system as part of its renovation program. “I think it
really showed a profound sense of optimism and in some ways
audaciousness,” he says, “that this venerable institution would
consider geothermal technology for their building.” Celebrating
traditions that reach back in time more than two thousand years
is no reason not to leverage the most modern technology
available to protect an historic landmark and serve the needs of
the parishioners and visitors to the cathedral while making the
surrounding community more sustainable.
[center]Geothermal For Residential Applications[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/y_ZGBhy48YI[/center]
Geothermal technology is not limited to large buildings like St.
Patrick’s Cathedral and commercial structures. All the benefits
it provides for large energy users apply equally well to
residential use as well. Researchers at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory say they have invented a new pump for geothermal
systems that is 50% more efficient. In fact, new techniques
don’t require drilling holes in the earth at all. Instead,
trenches as little as 4 feet deep can provide many of the same
benefits as groundwater systems. Before installing a new boiler
or air conditioning system, you may want to explore the benefits
that a residential geothermal system could provide for your own
home.
Hat Tip to Steve MacAusland of Rhode Island Interfaith Power &
Light. 🌟
HTML https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/19/st-patricks-cathedral-new-york-city-goes-green-35-million-geothermal-installation/
HTML https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/19/st-patricks-cathedral-new-york-city-goes-green-35-million-geothermal-installation/
Agelbert COMMENT: Passive, as well as active geothermal should
have been subsidized by the US government for the last century
instead of fossil fuels. If that had been the case, a lot of the
environmental problems we have would not be so intractable.
A lot of wars would have been avoided.
AND, a lot of degraded democracy and profit over planet
government corruption by the fossil fuel
fascists
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/pirates5B15D_th.gif
would
never have assaulted we-the-people.
Active high temperature geothermal is also far more efficient
than nuclear power plants, as well as not having the radioactive
waste endlless pollution cost problem. The steam trubines used
in active geothermal are exactly the same ones used at nuclear
power plants, with the same temperature handling features (about
600° C).
It is never too late to build these geothermal power plants in
the hot spots the US has (both in the lower 48 and Alaska) with
massive electrical transmission lines going to every city in the
USA. That, plus wind and solar, along with storage, would
totally eliminate the use of fossil fuels for fuel, since all
transportation and heating could be electricity powered). We
would still need hydrocarbons for lubricants, but their use as
lubricants is justified because that does not increase global
warming.
[center] [img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-031214182837.png[/img][/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-041114223919.png[/img][/center]
[center][img
width=300]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-120118181944.png[/img][/center]
#Post#: 9332--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: March 19, 2018, 2:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center] [img
width=640]
HTML http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Mount_Spurr_Alaska.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Mount Spurr, Alska[img
width=50]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311017193926.png[/img][/center]<br
/>
[center]Alaska looking to tap into wealth 💵 of
geothermal resources in volcanic 🌋 hot-zones.[/center]
By Parker O'Halloran
14 Jun 2017
SNIPPET:
[quote]Experts believe that if fully exploited across the United
States, geothermal resources could supply about a quarter of the
entire US populations’ power needs. “High prices and climate
change are definitely creating a renaissance in geothermal
interest, particularly on a state and local level” – says Karl
Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association,
adding that the projects currently underway are merely the “tip
of the iceberg.” “If we really want to go all out for it, we
could easily achieve a substantial amount; 20, 25 per cent of US
energy needs within a few decades. We’re limited more by public
policy than the resource – the resource is enormous.”[/quote]
Full article:
HTML http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/alaska-plans-to-evaluate-and-explore-its-geothermal-potential/
HTML http://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/alaska-plans-to-evaluate-and-explore-its-geothermal-potential/
#Post#: 9342--------------------------------------------------
Re: Geothermal Power
By: AGelbert Date: March 19, 2018, 9:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=David B. link=topic=559.msg150240#msg150240
date=1521504829]
[quote author=agelbert link=topic=559.msg150197#msg150197
date=1521484523]
Agelbert NOTE: Two years old but even more pertinent now.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/301.gif
[center]Midwestern geothermal greenhouse provides local citrus
year round for $1 a day
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183515.bmp[/center]
Melissa Breyer (@MelissaBreyer)
Science / Sustainable Agriculture
February 12, 2016
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-150216181630.png[/img]
[/center]
[center]Tiny tiger on the hunt in the tropics of a Nebraska
Greenhouse
HTML http://www.coh2.org/images/Smileys/huhsign.gif
[/center]
Greenhouse in the Snow, built by a former mailman, grows an
abundance of local produce high on the Nebraska plains.
"We can grow the best citrus in the world, right here on the
high plains,” says Russ Finch, the former mailman (pictured
above) who is the creative superstar genius responsible for
building the Greenhouse in the Snow. And he can do it spending
only $1 a day in energy costs.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
For Midwesterners (and many of the rest of us) produce in the
winter means things imported form warmer climes or grown in
greenhouses, which typically have a prodigious hunger for energy
and are fed by burning fossil fuels.
But by harnessing the Earth's natural internal heat to warm a
greenhouse, oranges and other tropical treats thrive without the
waste and pollution typically found in so much agriculture.
Finch’s structure is a take on a walipini – a brilliant design
that TreeHugger has written about (and which remains one of our
most popular posts: Build a $300 underground greenhouse for
year-round gardening).
As Grant Gerlock writes at NPR, the floor is dug 4 feet below
the surface, the roof is slanted toward the south to harness as
much sun as it can. In the daytime it can warm well into the 80s
(F) inside, but at night the temperature drops, which is when
the geothermal heat is called in.
[quote]"All we try to do is keep it above 28F degrees in the
winter," Finch says. "We have no backup system for heat. The
only heat source is the Earth's heat, at 52F degrees at 8-foot
deep."[/quote]
Which is good enough for the oranges, and all kinds of other
delicacies. ;D
"Any type of plant we saw, we would put it in and see what it
could do. We didn't baby anything," Finch says. "We just put it
in and if it died, it died. But most everything really grows
well. We can grow practically any tropical plant."
"There have been hardly any successful 12-month greenhouses on
the northern High Plains because of the weather," Finch adds.
"The cost of energy is too high for it. But by tapping into the
Earth's heat, we've been able to drastically reduce the cost."
Finch grows a few hundred pounds of fruit each year to sell at
local farmers markets, notes Gerlock, but his main business is
selling the design for his greenhouse in the snow. And while a
new greenhouse costs $22,000 to build, the beauty of running
them is kind of priceless. To date, 17 of his designs have been
built in the U.S. and Canada – we hope to see many more.
Changing the world one orange-grown-in-the-winter-in-Nebraska at
a time? Bring it on!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
Watch the charming Mr. FInch (and cat! [img
width=40]
HTML http://robservations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/happy-cat1.jpg[/img])<br
/>in a tour of the greenhouse in the video below.
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/IZghkt5m1uY[/center]
HTML http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/midwestern-geothermal-greenhouse-provides-local-citrus-year-round.html
HTML http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/midwestern-geothermal-greenhouse-provides-local-citrus-year-round.html
[/quote]that is a really cool post. I love my hoophouse but it's
only for season extention. I'll build a walipini someday...
Thanks David
[/quote]
You are very welcome, David. [img
width=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185701.png[/img]<br
/>Please feel free to post about any project of yours here.
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