Reducing Our Family Ecological Footprint

1
Reducing Our Family Ecological Footprint

• organic garden
• Tilapia
• composting toilet
• biodigestor
• solar hot water
• 4 kw pv grid tie system
• vehicles operated on biodiesel and straight
  vegetable oil (SVO) (used grease from
  restaurants)
• SVO 5 kw diesel generator
• production of biodiesel
• (solar water pump)
• (solar cooling)
• (ducks for eggs)
• ( ) not yet implemented

2
CompoThane 1
3
CompoThane 2
4
CompoThane 7
5
CompoThane 10
6
Home Digestor Reactors
7
Home Digestor System
8
Home Digester Solar Heater
9
Biogas Collectors
10
Properties of Methane

• formula, CH4
• odorless
• energy content, 1014 Btu per ft3
• 20 U.S. energy supply
• gas at ambient temp. and pressure
• combustible at 50-15 mixture with air

11
Methane Consumption

• Cooking, 20K Btu/hr
• 5 kw Generator (half load), 50K Btu /hr
• Family of four (cooking, heating water),
• 150K Btu/day
• 1 lb biomass (dry ash free) --gt 4-6 ft3 methane
  4-6K Btu

12
COMPOTHANE

• feedstock kitchen and yard wastes
• C6H12O6 ? 3 CH4 3 CO2
• 1 lb (dry wt.) ? 3-4 ft3 methane 0.5 lb compost
  (dry wt)
• time required 30 days
• solar energy used to heat digesters and operate
  pumps

13
BIODIESELTHANE

• Feedstock waste from biodiesel is glycerin with
  small amounts of biodiesel, methanol, and caustic
  (lye or KOH)
• 4 C3H8O3 ? 7 CH4 5 CO2 2 H20
• 1 gal biodiesel ? 2 lbs glycerin
• 2 lbs ? 13.4 ft3 methane
• biodiesel and methanol are completely degraded

14
Properties of Wastes
15
Trailer Digestor and Biodiesel Reactor System
16
Our Biodiesel Reactor System
17
Compost Toilet (outdoors)
18
Compost Toilet (indoors)
19
Ode to our Composting Toilet
20
Tilapia (1)
21
Tilapia (2)
22
Solar Hot Water
23
Solar Hot Water Panel
24
Solar Hot Water Tanks
25
Active Solar Hot Water System

• Active, glycol heat exchange system
• 34,600 btu, 60 gal storage
• Cost, 5,616
• Rebate, 1,000 (GRU and Federal)
• Installed in 2006

26
Photovoltaic Grid Tie System
27
Solar Pathfinder
28
PV Panels (1)
29
PV Panels (2)
30
Inverter
31
Our System

• solar analysis (feasibility and site selection,
  60 efficiency)
• new roof shingles
• tree removal (reduce shading)
• permit
• 4 kW (200 w Sharp panels)
• Unirac panel supports
• Inverter (Fronius IG 4000)
• panel installation
• electrical installation and hookup
• Inspection

32
System Cost

• pv sytem, 25,361
• panel mounting, 1250
• electrical, 916
• Total, 27,527

33
Economics

• system, 26,527
• State rebate, 16,640
• GRU rebate, 6,000
• Federal tax credit, 2,000
• net cost, 3,887
• payback, 3 5 years

34
Performance Data, 14 months

• Produced 4600 kwh (329/mo)
• 71 used
• 29 fed back at 0.05/kwh
• 3266 kwh used (20 of demand)

35
Mercedes Diesel
36
Veggietruck
37
SVO Conversion
loop return
Fuel heater
fuel pump
Stock tank (veggie oil)
heated fuel filter
Pollak valve
engine
fuel filter
auxiliary tank (diesel)
38
Extra Tank for Diesel
39
Fuel Change Valves
40
Veggie Truck Engine Modification
41
Veggie Truck Controls
42
Fueling Station
43
Diesel Generator (5 kw)
44
Square Foot Organic Garden
45
Soil Contents

• 1/3 compost
• 1/3 peat
• 1/3 vermiculite

46
References

• All New Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew
• Florida Organic Growers, fog.org