Hydroponics

Went to Monolithic Domes this week and talked to David South about a hydroponic building. 10th Planet or no 10th Planet, his building is perfect for this type of thing.

The key to making hydroponics economical is controlling energy costs and the dome structure does a wonderful job of that. In addition, he has a friend that has developed a wind structure that would sit on top of the dome and work like a jet engine. A normal windmill has the propeller and only catches wind with the propeller. This friend of his has designed what amounts to half a jet engine that would sit on top. The reason it hasn't been commercialized is a normal tower doesn't have enough strength to handle the force, but a dome does! In addition, another 30 feet of slope up is just perfect for a windmill. This makes for a natural energy source and reduces hydroponic costs considerably as energy is the main cost. For me it's $50 per month for just 1 Halide 1000 watt lamp. In addition, I've seen his caterpillar structure in a dream, only it wasn't in Texas, but in Michigan. It's not there, yet.

I checked into the company, Eneco in W. Simsbury, CT and have talked to the owner of the patent on the technology. While the concept and technology look like they'd work (it makes sense to me even though I'm not an engineer), it hasn't been put into use yet. He has a pre-prototype, a single module on a 60 foot tall tubular tower with the New York State ERDA.

Offered by John.