“Climate Battery” Controls Greenhouse Heat And Humidity

“Climate Battery” Controls Greenhouse Heat And Humidity CROPS Miscellaneous Jerome Osentowski sees no reason to vent heat and humidity out of his greenhouses when he can charge up his “climate battery” instead By blowing hot humid air into the cool soil beneath his greenhouses the heat and humidity are released The air cools and by the time it returns to the greenhouse it is cooler and drier As hot air hits the cool pipes in the soil a phase change occurs as the humid air condenses into moisture inside the pipes “Phase changes produce a geometric increase in the release of heat into the thermal mass of the soil ” says Osentowski Later that heat is released to the greenhouses which are set at 7 200 ft Cool air from the greenhouse is blown into the same pipes picks up heat from the soil and returns to warm the greenhouse Osentowski compares the climate battery to a refrigeration system that moves heat from one place to another With the correct design a 1 200-sq ft greenhouse requires the equivalent equipment and running costs of a household refrigerator It is a system that Osentowski along with his partner architect Michael Thompson has developed and spread through their firm Eco Systems Design “We did a simple one in the beginning and constantly updated as we built new greenhouses ” says Osentowski “Working with Michael we have developed the technology to industrial scale It is now being used in huge commercial greenhouses ” In his book “The Forest Garden Greenhouse” Osentowski describes the use of temperature and humidity sensors to calculate the heat stored in the soil He also explains how to measure the discharge rate in the face of winter cold Available from Chelsea Green Publishing ph 800 639-4099 the book outlines the history design and mechanics of the Climate Battery Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Eco Systems Design Inc P O Box 631 Basalt Colo 81621 ph 970 927-4158; jerome@crmpi org; www ecosystems-design com or Chelsea Green Publishing 85 North Main St Suite 120 White River Junction Vt 05001 ph 800 639-4099

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