[permaculture] Energy Storage on a Small Village Scale

negiliblek negiliblek at yahoo.com
Mon Apr 13 15:44:57 EDT 2009


Hi All,

Hope this doesn't seem off topic, but the storage of energy isn't easily solved, especially if one tries to do it with out a manufacturing base to go and purchase parts.

In fact here's a competition addressing the issue:
http://web.mit.edu/ideas/www/challenge.htm

Here are the usual solutions with the downside of each:
-Lead batteries: wear out in 10 years of heavy usage, toxic, large, massive

-Hydrogen: embrittles the containers it is stored in and travels through, slightly (about 4%) more explosive than natural gas.
-Water reservoirs+turbine: height delta needed between upper reservoir and lower reservoir, takes up large amount of space.
-Not sure the soil fuel cell is viable to provide sufficient power, say, to a buzz saw.
-Pyrolysis: requires biomass (deserts can't supply this), some toxic by products and destroys a lot of biomass useful to the land and soil.
-Compressed Air (needs a lot of infrastructure in airtight pipe and valves)
-One person told me wood was probably the best natural storage device of energy.

Anyways, I'd like to hear all of your ideas (promise I won't use 'em in the competition, but I'll probably use 'em at Factor E Farm.

Hope you all had good weekend!




      


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