Living Sustainably & Renewable Design

“Power tower”: numerous mirrors concentrate sunlight onto a receiver on top of a tall tower Heat is transported by air or fluids (molten salts) to a steam-driven generator to create electricity Lenses or mirrors track the sun’s movement

Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy = thermal energy from beneath Earth’s surface Radioactive decay of elements under extremely high pressures deep inside the planet generates heat Heat rises through magma, fissures, and cracks or heats groundwater, which erupts as geysers or submarine hydrothermal vents Geothermal power plants use hot water and steam for heating homes, drying crops, and generating electricity Globally, one-third of geothermal energy is used for electricity, the other two-thirds for direct heating

Heat pumps

How it works – the heating cycle: Compressor (4) compresses gas heating it up significantly Heat exchanger (1) in house takes cooler air, blows it over the heat coils, cooling the refrigerant down and heating up the air Expansion valve (2) allows the gas to quickly expand, rapidly cooling it down Outside heat exchanger (3) blows warmer outside air over VERY cold gas warming it back up, effectively taking the heat energy out of the air (or ground water in a geothermal system Geothermal is different in that it uses temperature difference in the ground rather than the air to move hotter or colder temperatures.

Permaculture Video LEED -Leadership in environmental energy & Design Greenfield High