73. Passive solar greenhouse: A way to produce more local food and use less energy to do it

This ain't your typical greenhouse design. With an insulated back wall and an insulated roof the Groundswell Community Network's passive solar community greenhouse stores heat far better than your typical glass box. They also have a bunch of other systems in play which make this building a model for what can be done with a greenhouse in a cold, sunny climate. Learn all about it at www.greenenergyfutures.ca/epis...

[@10XRIEL]

Lucky students, what a great program.

[@KathleenEdge]

The future will be geothermal, and food forests. ❤ It's exciting!

[@weareonajourney]

This makes me feel optimistic and good!!!

[@amadeusprakruti7441]

Yay, Green Energy Futures, and the Community of Invermere, BC! Groundswell is well grounded on a path of "Abundant Fruition". Best Wishes, APP

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

This greenhouse is like a real house with some plants in it. I would live in one, if I could.

[@KathleenEdge]

You should look up "earthships!" I'm going to build one! The front of this geothermal home is a greenhouse!!! I have a feeling you'll love the idea! ❤

[@SimpleTek]

Passive is great but alive is better for the western Canadian climate. I discuss some active solar options on my channel. Although I love what you posted here though, thank you and keep up the great videos!

[@fedorbutochnikow5312]

such a huge expensive structure and so little growing space! ridiculous...

[@garydavis9844]

It is a teaching place not a comercial farm= lots of ways to grow more in a space like this.

[@niallwildwoode7373]

Whilst the external design is pretty standard SGG, the maintenance is clearly challenging looking at the torn shade cloths. Also, the amount of wasted space and lack of perennials. This appears to be more of a classroom than an inspiring growing space. As I'm seeing with more and more SSGs, now that the principles have been battened down, rather than paring back and simplifying they're becoming over-engineered. We need strong, simple, relatively inexpensive, self build solutions, rather than high carbon and needing grant/lotto funding. In principle, good - in practice it's more useful as office/gym/living space.

[@bengtflard]

I have also been working with "notallglass" greenhouses. A white board at the back side is reflecting the ligtht from the front very well.

[@BenHuntUK]

Alternatively, a black wall will absorb more heat for release later :)

[@bengtflard]

A combination of the two is probably most effective. On the ground a heat absorbing part 50-100 cm high. Then a light reflecting part. The heat is saved for the soil and light goes to the plants.

[@HButKa]

Nice concept, very close design to an Earthship Home…

[@garydavis9844]

this has been around and well understood from the early 70's with New Alchemy groupe on cape cod and PEI== hundreds have been built over the last40 yrs=nnot new tech!

[@frederickarcala4749]

What about the glass? Is it double pane glass? Otherwise, how does the green house stay insulated? Thank you.

[@derekfowler5503]

This greenhouse is impressive however, it seems as though there is so little food being produced in that space. While I understand that this design can yield a great deal of food without a great deal of resources being used, I have yet to see someone who is really producing a lot of food using these systems. The only person I have seen producing an amazing amount of food, albeit with a similar but different system, seems to be the founder of Greenhouse in the Snow. Am I missing something?

[@kevinbyrne4538]

I'd like to see the same greenhouse in January or February. What are the interior temperatures of this greenhouse during the course of the winter? -- when the sky is overcast for days and the temperatures are well below freezing? It would be nice to have a little data to show that this dream is realistic.

[@royalspin]

If they used composting to generate heat and then transfer that heat to the water ,there would be a steady supply of consistent heat for when solar isn't an option .

[@KathleenEdge]

You can also use earth mass... like rocks, or barrels filled with water in the north side of the greenhouse. These release heat when the sun sets, and keeps the greenhouse warm at night.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

But I am glad to hear that solar works well in Sunny, Cold places because inland in Aberdeenshire we get a lot of cold sunny days and I'm putting in solar next year.

[@freespeech8030]

So, how does it work on cloudy days?

[@unconventionalme8048]

How come we never see follow up videos on these types of greenhouses? There’s lots of prototype videos but no one ever comes back n show their long term effectiveness??? I have the beginnings of a passive solar but it by no means is minimal in its need for heating. And most of the places they’re used n needed have predominantly cloudy weather in the seasons they’re needed. I don’t know. Maybe I’m Missing something... that’s often times the case.

[@northrockboy]

look up Nebraska Greenhouse Russ Finch has had one for over 20 years at least building newer designs now

[@poolpumpenergy4221]

this is awesome.. I really want to try this but I dont think I can manage with my budget... so I'll just go with solar power...

[@BenHuntUK]

Get "The Earth‑sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book" by Mike Oehler. That will show you a much cheaper and more efficient way to built a partly-underground greenhouse, making better use of the earth.

[@KathleenEdge]

@@BenHuntUK I'm going to look into this. Thank you for the recommendation! I'm also considering building an earthship.

[@albertravn]

Cool video... the music drives me crazy though

[@petersmith8318]

what if i made my greenhouse shorter like 7 feet tall would i store more heat that way?

[@CarsonXBox]

No. Most of the heat is transferred out of the greenhouse through conduction and convection from the surface walls/ceiling. By decreasing the volume of the space you are eliminating your buffering capacity at a higher rate than your decreasing the surface area of the facility.

[@jeffholmes3287]

How are your raised planter boxes made?

[@Magpyro]

They are basic lumber construction. They have heavy duty castors on 6 legs. The bottom is mostly supported by a metal hardware mesh with landscaping fabric on top. This allows for air and water circulation.

[@esburn7895]

so pretty much a mike wreynolds earthship design but with conventional building code materials?

[@55Bluesgirl]

I read online from a frustrated teacher in Alaska explaining how difficult things were further up north from BC. I wrote to him explaining that even to greenhouse over an existing house or building would help sustain many community members in foods to go Vegan. Growing fruits, even purchasing nut trees to process nut milks. Personally the eating meats was something people needed a hundred years ago to survive...Not anymore...a human body does not live healthy on meats...However a human body craves produce = Vegan The GreenHouse Industry goes hand in hand with the Vegan Industry. Thank you for sharing your greenhouse Many communities would prosper greatly being able to take advantage of longer growing abilities.

[@monkeymanwasd1239]

PERMACULTURE!!! wooo hoooo

[@mitchellkrouth5083]

We have an old saying in the physics class in college run for your life :-)

[@neogovernment]

A huge greenhouse and growing beds so small that farming is a joke!

[@BenHuntUK]

Yes, after doing all that work to construct the building and organise its energy, I guess they could do a lot more to make use of every square foot, including vertical gardening methods.

[@Magpyro]

Groundswell is a community organization focused on education. They are not a commercial farming business. The layout of the greenhouse takes into consideration wheelchair access, teaching space, and accessibility by any age group.

[@mitchellkrouth5083]

We need this technology yesterday and Microsystems in all the homes around the world called sustainable living write it down :-)

[@ceili]

I agree. I've seen solar greenhouses that are wall to wall with plants/trees. The minimal use of space devoted to growing here really does not do this technology any justice!

[@backcountrypreps6171]

I just finished my green house using concrete and cinder blocks as raised bed thermal mass to keep my greenhouse warm in the winter check it out on my channel backcountry preps BCP 33

[@MrStrongmuscle]

This greenhouse design was taken from the Earth ship design. I like how they did not even mention them.

[@jasonriley6149]

It was taken from a centuries-old Chinese design. Did the Earth Ship people mention that?

[@MrStrongmuscle]

Jason Riley Earth Ship was the one that brought it back to life though, You forget, people don't read anymore. So I have to go with wants recent.

[@jasonriley6149]

The Chinese have used it for the past 100 years, up to today. Nobody brought it back, I simply made you aware of that fact, it's only new to you. Being ignorant of the rest of the world is not a reason to give credit where it's not due.

[@MrStrongmuscle]

Jason Riley So when has it been done in the US? It started with Earthship. But yeah I understand, what you are saying. Earthship has been doing it in the US since the early 90's But they have a totally different system than the Chinese.

[@kramnewton8683]

"people don't read anymore" ... No, that is a false assumption. Maybe it's just the people you hang around that don't read, because plenty of us read.

[@linuxxxunil]

you sound like paul wheaton. the rocket stove guy

[@DeadlyDanDaMan]

You couldn't grow enough in that tiny greenhouse to feed a single village for a week. Complete waste of time.

[@123Goldhunter11]

Who funded this??? But the idea is good since we are moving into a Grand Solar Minimum. 25 million acres of corn and soy was just lost in a record setting early blizzard in Canada and northern Montana. And it's going to get worse.