I thought I'd write a bit about my "solar shed" project I hope to get started building after haying season. all gardeners need a place to process and cool their produce. Any one who has lived without refridgeration knows the value of cooling. So I am designing and building a shed building to facilitate harvesting in the growing season and to be an above freezing storage space during the winter.
Here in Maine we need to worry about the frost heaving our foundations and the heat input vs. heat loss in January-February-March. Luckily this cold stretch occurs after the solar minimum in December so with good insulation and a bit of backup heat we are able to make it through to spring.
Insulation, I have discovered on a building project, is a big deal! Cost-wise it is quite high compared to other materials such as wood, cement and plaster. Generally you cannot produce it yourself so you pay your money to giant corporations like Dow Chemical, etc. So, I've been on the lookout for alternate insulating materials. I'm sure the straw bale house people have been on this for a while.
Now I want to focus on insulating the foundation.
Commonly in Maine footings are dug to a depth of four feet or more to the depth that the ground freezes in a cold winter. However by insulating the ground under the foundation and beyond it a few feet, the Scandinavians have discovered that frost heaving can be avoided. This is called FPSF (freeze protected shallow foundations).
Trouble is, most insulation does not do well buried in the ground or soaked in ground water. Currently, people mainly use the pink or blue expanded polystyrene (XPS) from the above mentioned giant corporations. There is a material called "Drainboard" from Roxul Corp. in Canada that is made from recycled steel mill slag which has been tested and found to be equal to the XPS...and similar in cost. It's made from rock wool or mineral wool (the distinction being made from slag or granite rock). I'm hoping to order some for my "solar shed" if the local building supply stores can do it. Otherwise a larger coop order will be needed to cover the trucking costs.
Another ground insulation I have heard of is bubble wrap. Cork is a great insulator but I don't know how it holds up underground.
Eestablishing hot compost beds or straw or brush piles around the foundation in the fall like the old Mainers used to do is also a good idea ...and great for flower beds in the spring!
Once you get the idea that it's the air, the cold atmosphere, that both the ground and the structure need to be insulated from, you've got the concept.

Sunday several of us gathered at Dr. Richard Komp's house in Jonesport to try our hands at cutting and soldering silicon solar cells for photovoltaic panels. We also tested an experimental hybrid (electricity and hot water) concentrating solar collector being developed there.
After a great spaghetti feast put on by Dr. Komp we watched a slideshow on his solar energy work in Mali, West Africa.
There was also much discussion on how best to take advantage of the present windfall of solar energy...being near the time of the solstice. My 4 golf cart batteries are fully charged before noon so I'm going to try pumping water uphill for the rest of the day to capture that energy. Around about January I'll be wishing I had it.S.E.A.D.S. of Truth

Hey! This is a new blog for posting announcements, event happenings, workshops, etc. involving SEADS and alternative energy in Maine. If you are interested in the subject and would like to get some hands on experience helping out with real world projects involving living on earth and self sufficiency in rural America this might be a place to begin. Leave a comment and check back often!