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The Green Powder House
In the documentary “The need to Grow” there is presented a revolutionary closed loop technology that makes it possible to turn all kinds of wood into biochar where the Carbon goes to algae production, heat goes to greenhouse(s) and electricity to 100-400 houses. The algae together with biochar becomes powerful fertiliser for the soil and methane from the algae production goes back into the “combustion engine”(closed loop). This entire system is mimicking natural processes but speeding it up from 400 year process to just a few days and fixes carbon into the earth. By extending this system further with well isolated Earthship greenhouses for growing organic vegetables we can produce food sustainably all year around.
Called a Green Power House, the Algae Aquaculture Technology structure resembles a geodesic Lego dome, and the floor is divided into pools in which the algae are grown.
The pools are actually raceway systems designed to optimize the cultivation and harvesting of algae and, because it takes eight days for an individual pool to grow the algae, one pool is harvested daily. As mentioned the extension into larger isolated earthship greenouses can takes this even further to grow throughout the winter, giving any community possible self sufficiency.
Carbon dioxide, normally considered an industrial pollutant, is captured and used as a nutrient for the algae as well as some of the nitrogen-rich byproduct from the bioreactors. The algae are then fed into geothermal-heated bioreactors that consume the organic matter and produce methane, which is converted into electricity.
It’s basically a sophisticated form of composting, and Smith likens the bioreactor to a “mechanical buffalo.”
Michael Smith is president and co-founder of Algae Aqua-Culture Technologies Inc. (AACT) and, along with other scientists, has engineered a system that uses industrial waste, like wood chips from the lumber manufacturing process at Stoltze, to cultivate algae and convert it into electricity-generating methane.
The technology, Smith said, will help reduce the carbon footprint of polluting industries like timber and coal while providing cleaner, low-carbon energy alternatives and lucrative new revenue streams.
The process also yields a valuable byproduct in the form of nutrient-rich soil amendments and high-grade organic fertilizer, the markets for which are growing rapidly, Smith said.
AACT had been operating the demonstration-scale greenhouse on Stoltze land for several years while shipping its product to companies nationwide.
Michael Smith has plans to come to Norway. We will go through plans with him how to build an extended version of the Green Power House that makes it possible to grow food all year round in climates like Norway. It will also give electricity and high quality fertilizer for microbes in the earth.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by
Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Anders Fjellheim.
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This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by
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4 Replies
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Related to this topic i find it inspiring to see this design of a solution for “earthship greenhouse”.
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YESS!! Please keep us updated about the meeting with Michael Smith. Would love to hear more about this.
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Brilliant Off-Grid Geodesic Greenhouse Perfect for Homesteading & 4 Season Food Production
Full tour of 3 off-grid passive solar growing domes that can be used as 4-season year-round greenhouses in just about any climate and growing zone. The geodesic dome structure can withstand up to 7 feet of snow and ~180km/h wind speeds. They’re built with cedar struts to withstand humidity, marine-grade aluminum hubs for strength, and polycarbonate panels that provide a 1.6 R-value and are fully recyclable.
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Nebraska retiree uses earths’s heat to grow oranges in snow
Winter temperatures in Alliance, Nebraska can drop to -20°F (the record low is -40°F/C), but retired mailman Russ Finch grows oranges in his backyard greenhouse without paying for heat. Instead, he draws on the earth’s stable temperature (around 52 degrees in his region) to grow warm weather produce- citrus, figs, pomegranates – in the snow.
Finch first discovered geothermal heating in 1979 when he and his wife built it into their 4400-square-foot dream home to cut energy costs. Eighteen years later they decided to add a 16’x80′ greenhouse in the backyard. The greenhouse resembles a pit greenhouse (walipini) in that the floor is dug down 4 feet below the surface and the roof is slanted to catch the southern sun.
To avoid using heaters for the cold Nebraska winter nights, Finch relies on the warm underground air fed into the greenhouse via plastic tubing under the yard and one fan.
Finch sells a “Citrus in the Snow” report detailing his work with his “geo-air” greenhouses and says anyone can build a market-producing greenhouse for about $25,000 or “less than the cost of a heat system on a traditional greenhouse”.
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