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Liquid Solar Chapters

Liquid Solar systems are a very important part of the Sola Roof concept. That certainly includes the cooling processes which use "water working" (this is the Blue) and the culture and utilization of "living plants" (the Green) to create the Blue Green methods. We use different liquids that are based on water - but they do not mix - they are channeled in separate layers of the Sola Roof. There are a number of water working systems that are possible and useful in the "best practice".

It is not possible or advisable to have all the systems listed below for every project. The "fully configured" system has only been worked out for the Wide Span structure. The details of how these systems work will be published in a chapter of the Structure Tech section of the Wiki. This best configuration of the Sola Roof has 3 skins - Exterior Skin?, Middle Skin? and Interior Skin? and the middle layer divides the roof cavity space into an Outer Cavity Space? and an Inner Cavity Space?. Let me list the water working systems so that there is an overview:

  1. Rain water and snow melt water is collected by the Exterior Skin? and this water drains by the integral Roof Gutter? to storage and use with in the Sola Roof building.
  2. The Liquid Bubble Insulation (and shading) is generated, regenerated and destroyed within the "Outer Cavity Space?" of the building envelope - between the Exterior Skin? and Middle Skin?.
  3. SoapSolution can be sprayed into the Bubble Generators operating in reverse which then circulates humid air (not bubbles) within the outer cavity space for the purpose of melting snow.
  4. Liquid distributed by high flow sprinklers arrayed within the Inner Cavity Space? will establish a Thin Liquid Film Cooling? process this Liquid Cooling system is separate from the Soap Solution system operating in the Outer Cavity Space?.
  5. The Mass Algae Culture system can use the Cooling Liquid to carry the Seed Algae? to the Roof Envelope?, where, in the Inner Cavity Space? the algae is exposed to sunlight. The Cooling Liquid is then also an Algae Nutrient Solution? that has the necessary "plant food" to grow the algae - this liquid drains back to the Algae Culture Tanks?.
  6. The underside of the Interior Skin? is specifically designed to hold a thin layer of Condensate Film? that forms because the Inner Skin? is maintained at the Dew Point? by the Liquid Cooling system. This condensate flows to the bottom of the slope of the Inner Skin? where it then separates and falls into a Condensation Gutter?.
  7. Just beneath the Interior Skin? is an Aeroponic Plant Culture? method that includes a Plant Net? that supports an extensive Leaf Canopy?. The Bio Nutrient Solution? is used to feed and water the "higher plants" that are grown with the Aeroponic Plant Culture? system. The Transpired Moisture? is produced by the Leaf Canopy? and it is condensed by the Interior Skin? where it becomes the Condensate Film?.
  8. Beneath the primary Leaf Canopy? we can have other levels of Plant Culture?, especially the Top Floor Gardens? of interior structures and the Ground Floor Garden? areas (Courtyard Space?) within the Sola Roof building and each of these systems will use Bio Nutrient Solutions? for Hydroponic Growing? systems, one of which is the Floating Raft Culture? that uses a Shallow Pond? production system. A Deep Pond? is an alternative and can be used to combine Fish Farming? with Floating Raft Culture? - again the liquids are kept separate. The fish are not swimming in the area of the plant roots.
  9. For the large scale Commercial Grower systems the deep or Shallow Pond? system forms the largest portion of the Liquid Thermal Mass and many of the other liquids in the water working systems are thermally coupled to this thermal mass. Most of the Liquid Thermal Mass components are usually located within the Solar Controlled Environment, that is, they are found inside the Sola Roof building.
  10. ColdWaterResources are also linked to the Liquid Thermal Mass system but they are found external to the building including: ocean, lake and groundwater sources. Cold Ocean Water?, because it is salt water has other considerations for design and separation of the sea water from other systems. The Commercial Grower systems and the Phyto Tech systems can use Sea Water Ponds? for the Floating Raft Culture? and other Plant Culture? systems for growing Halophyte Plants? - these plants grow in salt water but they create transpiration the same way that fresh water plant do and thus we can produce fresh water condensate on the Interior Skin?. The Algae Nutrient Solution? can also use sea water - this is a combination of:

I have not included the water and waste treatment systems in the above list - but these additional systems are also using plants, liquids and slurrys in aerobic and anearobic tanks that use not only plants and algae but also bacteria for digestion of carbohydrates and creation of methane.

Now, just listing all these systems will make these methodsl look complicated at first but each component or sub system is straight forward and they have tremendous synergy - what we are looking for is a synthesis of these life processes - all of which are powered by photosynthesis. These are the systems of a "controlled (or closed) ecological life support system" (CELSS). The algae culture, sea water utilization and fresh water production from salt water are all new areas of research and development that have only been tried on a small scale.

The floatation growing and Solar Controlled Environment systems have been part of most of the projects that I have constructed. Single cavity space projects, like most of the tunnels that are being built, are not able to implement all of the systems at the same time. High sunshine regions can benefit the most from a complete configuration - and this is also the most cost effective and profitable set up.