Wednesday 3 December 2014

Solar Thermal Ponds


Waste is rife in all ‘corners of the globe’. Be-it water, sewage, medical, municipal, heat, distribution losses, negligence, inefficiency or even sunshine. If only we could reduce wastes and unify our systems, we could supply the ‘same for [much] less’.

 The sun is the biggest source of power known to man

  • Unfortunately it is overlooked in many power projects
  • Salt Ponds are Simple technology and well proven
  • Ideally located near salt water
  • Inexpensive and easily maintained
  • Useful by products; salt and shrimps

Patented and passive purification technologies to produce potable water; including small scale purification units for villages.
Additional possibilities with fish farming in side ponds
       

Additional Ponds can be added as the development expands


Concept project

A very saline artificial lake can be utilised as both a solar collector and solar energy storage medium. We have expertise within this field and are seeking projects where this technology can be utilised and scaled up to produce significant energy volumes.
The ideal location closes to the sea in very high sunshine areas, with needs for both electricity generation and water purification. Drinkable water will be available from this station near the sea.

This innovative system will also allow the user to produce sea-salt. This new salt is of a very good quality and will allow the user to stop using and withdrawing salt from the lake. This dramatic change will take some time and will protect the delicate Lake ecosystem in the long run.
Furthermore this same pond can harbour brine shrimps as a way to clean the water. This gives the opportunity of a new source of revenue from marketing the shrimp.
Initially the salt ponds will be filled with sea water or from the flood waters entering the Lake. Zero Energy Systems[ZES or Sun Earth Energy -SEE] can advise on the construction and specification of such ponds and to design these to power the development around Lake.
Technically the water at the bottom of a solar salt pond can reach up to 95 oC. This heat allows the production of electricity - dependent on the size of the solar salt pond between 2-5MW of power can be produced continuously.

Sunday 19 January 2014

Permaculture and Soil Management

Flood Control and Nutrient Harvesting

Permaculture and the brilliant Geoff Lawton, has the solution to wasteful and damaging river and other types of flooding. Bamboo!! [but also see Vetiver Grass too at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vetiver_System].

See the video at the link below.

The real benefit is that the careful placing of differing types of bamboo into differing strata of a flood zone can provide a valuable harvesting of the nutrients washed out from the flood upstream. Not only will the roots of bamboo stabilise, it will trap sediments washed down. So there is a double function to start.

This has to be a key attribute to turn 'poor' quality landscapes into a fertile and productive resource for those working the land.

http://www.geofflawton.com/fe/61148-power-of-bamboo

Profile and suggestions for flood control
River debris caught by the bamboo
These types of planting will become the backbone of an holistic approach to the management of land. The need to stabilize and to add nutrients are paramount to productive farming. Just as the opposites are key factors in the despoiling of the local environment.