1:30pm to 2:00pm |
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Sustainability Week: Solar Greenhouses for Back Yards and Neighborhoods, Dave Roper
(Special Event)
Solar Greenhouses for Back Yards and Neighborhoods, Dave Roper
Global Warming and Peak Oil require that humans acquire their food from local farmers or grow it themselves. In climates with cold winters, such as Blacksburg Virginia, acquiring local food in the winter time requires the existence of solar greenhouses. Solar greenhouses (SGH) differ from standard greenhouses in that energy is collected from the Sun and stored for use when the Sun is not shining, with a minimum of energy input from external sources. From my studies of solar greenhouses, I have concluded that the best method for storing and releasing heat in solar greenhouses is the Subterranean Heating and Cooling System. The SHCS method stores a large amount of energy in the rocks and soil under the planting beds by condensing water vapor in hot moist air into water, with much released heat that is then stored in rocks, soil and water under the planting beds. Efforts toward constructing solar greenhouses in the NRV will be discussed. More information...
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