Airdrop Irrigation–ricavare acqua dalla condensa

 

Description

Function
The Airdrop irrigation concept is a response to poor agricultural conditions in periods of severe drought. Extensive research into droughts revealed an increase in soil evaporation and trans-evaporation (plant and soil) due to the increasing temperatures. Airdrop Irrigation works to provide a solution to this problem. Moisture is harvested out of the air to irrigate crops by an efficient system that produces large amounts of condensation. A turbine intake drives air underground through a network of piping that rapidly cools the air to the temperature of the soil where it reaches 100% humidity and produces water. The water is then stored in an underground tank and pumped through to the roots of crops via sub surface drip irrigation hosing. The Airdrop system also includes an LCD screen that displays tank water levels, pressure strength, solar battery life and system health.

Inspiration
The effects of climate change on Australia are accelerating at an alarming rate. Last year the Murray Darling area experienced the worst drought in a century, lasting 12 years and resulting in irreversible damage to ecosystems, widespread wildlife decline and catastrophic bushfire conditions. Agriculture in the region suffered record losses. An alarming figure of 1 rancher/farmer a week was taking their own life, as years of drought resulted in failed crops, mounting debt and decaying towns. Although 2010 brought much needed rainfall to the area, other parts of Australia are continuing to suffer drought. The southwest corner of the country has experienced its driest year to date. Scientific projections indicate as temperatures continue to increase so too will the severity, frequency and duration of droughts worldwide. While there are various atmospheric water harvesting technologies that exist today, most are high-tech and expensive - not ideal for the rural farmer market.

Development
The airdrop irrigation system is a low-tech, self sufficient solar powered solution; an innovation bread of comprehensive investigations into rural agricultural environments, developed through working with irrigation manufacturers and local farmers, and refined by extensive prototyping with successful results. Research reveals a gap in the use of atmospheric water harvesting technologies for irrigation purposes within Australia, and there has been no discovery of any similarities to the condensation producing system of piping present in the Airdrop irrigation design. The pipe construction was born through investigations into the principles of air-flow. Other elements that incorporate the resolved concept include the turbine - designed to maximize air intake, to operate freely in high wind and switch to battery power in low wind. The submersible pump that drives water from the underground tank includes a float cut off switch to cut power to the pump when water levels are low.

http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Projects/Project.aspx?ID=1722

Mini-hydro: butta la “Cappa” nel fiume e otterrai energia

Da una società giapponese arriva il generatore idroelettrico di piccole dimensioni progettato per essere utilizzato in corsi d’acqua naturali

(Rinnovabili.it) – L’idroelettrico si fa ancora una volta piccolo e compatto per sfidare chi è convinto che la tecnologia non possa dare  più nulla di nuovo. La società giapponese Ibasei ha realizzato “Cappa”, un sistema di sfruttamento idrico appositamente  progettato per essere installato lungo un fiume o un corso d’acqua. Il design alla base del dispositivo non è una vera e propria novità, tuttavia l’unità ha un alloggiamento speciale, chiamato diffusore, in grado di  aumentare la velocità del flusso d’acqua attraverso le pale, per estrarre più energia di quella effettivamente contenuta dall’acqua in entrata. Quindi un regolatore e una batteria annessa al dispositivo fanno sì che il proprietario possa disporre  di 100 V  a 50/60 Hz.

“Con l’acqua che scorre a 2,0 m /s, – spiega la società –  questo sistema può produrre 250 Wh. Prendendo in considerazione  eventuali perdite di potenza, cinque di queste mini turbine sono in grado di fornire circa 1 kW di capacità, e rendersi utili come alimentatori in situazioni di emergenza”. Secondo quanto riferito da Ibasei,poiché questo sistema si basa sulla corrente naturale del corso d’acqua, la sua operatività è praticamente del 100%, e la macchina stessa è totalmente riciclabile. “In pratica, si tratta di una fonte di energia per il consumo locale […] Può immagazzinare l’energia come una stazione di ricarica”. L’azienda sta ultimando i test di controllo prevedendo di lanciare il prodotto sul mercato nella primavera del prossimo anno.

http://www.rinnovabili.it/energia/idroelettrico/mini-hydro-butta-la-%E2%80%9Ccappa%E2%80%9D-nel-fiume-e-otterrai-energia604242/

World still grappling with epidemic of sinkholes: Chinese village suffers over 20 sinkholes in five months

   
by The Extinction Protocol

January 15, 2013 – CHINA - Residents in the village of Lianyuan in southern China's Hunan Province have been treading rather gingerly these last few months. Over 20 sinkholes have opened up in the ground since last September. The cave-ins, which range in size, have seen houses collapse and rivers run dry. And there is never any warning as to where and when the sinkholes occur. According to local authorities, the main reason for the cave-ins is the number of coalmines in the area. It is not clear what steps are being taken to prevent further sinkholes from appearing. –MSN

contribution Laila and Emanni

Decrescita? Inevitabile....

Interessante inchiesta di Rainews24, che ci mostra come il consumismo sia destinato ad essere soppiantato dalla "decrescita", che volenti o nolenti stiamo già vivendo da parecchi mesi.