We’ve all seen the news lately, the west Antarctic ice sheet is melting twice as fast and now there’s a hole in the sun. Using sustainable forms of energy and supporting environmentally responsible production methods aren’t just trendy anymore; it’s practical and perhaps necessary. Joseph Haggard, a University of California Santa Cruz student and instructor, sees the potential for alternative energy usage beyond solar, wind and water. Today, he will be breaking ground at UCSC’s farm (CASFS) in the construction of the UC’s first compost water heater. Haggard estimates that the compost heat recovery project will take 10-12 hours in building time over the next two weeks. How does it work? If you’ve ever worked with compost you know it get’s hot. How hot? For Haggard, his trial pile went up to 171 degrees, averaging around 120 degrees over a month-long experiment. With a large enough pile, the compost will keep generating that kind of heat for four to six months. This energy can easily be used to heat water or even houses through radiant flooring (Haggard’s next project). This technology, while helpful in the mild temperatures of California, will be even more valuable to those living in colder climates. For instance, the easily replicable technology could sustain compost heated green houses able to extend growing seasons in colder regions anywhere from Vermont to Siberia. The heat generated from the compost heat recovery project will be used to heat the showers of CASFS apprentices throughout the summer. In Haggard’s first experiment the water continued to run hot for thirty minutes. While this was on a 5 by 5 scale, we look forward to seeing the results of this large-scale project and hope to see more ecologically powerful innovations in our own backyard. Haggard’s devotion to creating realistic close-loop systems has garnered recognition from the University and the community. He has received grant funding from The Carbon Fund and will be accepting the Chancellor’s Sustainability Impact Award later this month. He welcomes curious visitors who are up for getting their hands dirty for the sake of clean energy.
3 Comments
Austin Lewis
5/20/2014 08:09:07 am
THIS DUDE IS SO RAD
Reply
5/21/2014 05:54:51 am
I've been helping Joseph with this project (and many others around the world) for years. It works if done right, and there are many ways to do it. Contact me for more info, or search for "The Compost Powered Water Heater book" on Amazon to see my book about this. Here's a 3 minute video showing a couple different greenhouses that have been heated through the winter entirely from the sun and compost, in Vermont. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_txtPXJF98
Reply
reiley
5/22/2014 02:36:42 am
YOU ROCK JOE!!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
FortyThree is a new breed of public relations that works with bloggers, social media and print, online and broadcast journalists to let you join the conversation with your customers... Archives
February 2016
Categories
All
|