Tomorrow will be the first full day where both Arkhaus Prototypes will be utilizing four renewable energy systems. Today after long last I have mounted the Solar Furnace "Hot Box" to the south face of ARK-A. Running hose from the exhaust of the furnace up and through the kitchen window. This will serve to amplify the Sun's rays as it makes its way across the sky, and passively directing the heated air into the living space. Only functional during the day but keeping the interior temperature elevated to minimize time and fuel to otherwise heat the space at night. Thanks to the practically air tight nature of the shipping containers and our insulating of them to meet or exceed standard domestic r-values for walls, floors and ceilings, even just the presence of two or more people (plus a beagle) generates substantial body heat which is trapped inside. Soon a propane space heater will arrive to serve as the "heating option of last resort" for ARK-A (ARK-B already has a propane space heater but no solar furnace yet). I am anxious to see how our fuel consumption heading into winter will be supplemented by our now operational alternative heating elements. Pictured below I wanted to capture all four renewable energy systems together for the first time.
1.) Our "Savonius" Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (Or VAWT).
2.) Our 75 Watt solar panel array which is mounted to...
3.) Our 192 square feet of corrugated poly carbonate serving as a roof for an attic above ARK-A but most importantly the catchment space for our harvesting of rain water.
4.) The Solar Furnace "Hot-Box" built by myself and Matt Glennon this past year as a 1/4 scale "proof of concept" that we'll be scaling up soon. Tomorrow will be its first day pumping heated air indoors.
