We assembled the high tunnel over the course of 4 days without major issues. Our cover of oats is growing like crazy. Theyre relatively expensive investments, so its critical that they work effectively and generate savings for our customers in order to accelerate a return on investment. Figs are dormant now in the gray house with no signs of wanting to wake up. The temperature of the earth varies by depth and season. This works well but there are instances where a second fan at the exit might serve to both boost airflow (causing a greater turbulent flow) and total air volume moved through the system. https://trib.al/UVuRaHL Its heat transfer is effective, but it doesnt move the larger volumes of air like the gray house does with its larger fans, and so its overall heat output seems to be less. A system in the climate battery is defined as the combination of interconnected risers, manifolds, and heat transfer piping. Eight pipes were done at a time simply because that's all my tractor could reach. A week or two of warmer days with warm nights would certainly help raise the ground temperature perhaps even more rapidly. However, I think it would function well as a substitute for season-extension similar to how many greenhouse tomatoes are grown. This extra heat (and sun) allowed us to bank a lot of extra heat. Reduced Fossil Fuel Use - Yes, this is debatable, since our electric power likely comes through the burning of fossil fuels, but we also dont have to be concerned about running low and refilling during cold snaps. Well see how well the houses are able to maintain their setpoints. This would allow us to overwinter subtropicals and grow most greens through the winter. The upcoming week will hardly see any freezing temps, so the climate battery wont be drawn on directly. These combined factors lead to an accelerated payback period. Outside low only dipped into the teens twice so there wasn't much pull on the battery,but weather remained mostly cloudy so the climate battery was really only able to "store" heat one day out of that period. This may also inform the discussion around the number of tubes per manifold. This meant a 21F differential for the gray house and a 17F differential for the blue house, but may mean wed need backup heat in the blue house from time to time if planting early season tomatoes or something similar. I've purchased an inexpensive anemometer and should have some stats on airflow shortly. Were attempting to manage ground temperatures so the plants slowly go to sleep but also so that we have enough stored thermal energy to weather any cold snaps. Stick with us! The gray house at this point seems to have a slight edge in terms of overall performance (3-5F better). Without the battery running we can keep the house approximately 4F above ambient during the nights where we still have cooler temps. Were constantly learning about climate batteries through monitoring our own installations, simulating how they work, partnering with other farms, and collaborating with engineering students. Winter returned! The blue house overall seems to be less effective at heating. Another relatively mild week with several sunny days. Solar gain is more readily dealt with in the gray house but venting is still required on warmer sunny days, meaning opening a person door or two to let out excess heat while still retaining some for plant growth and storage. I set the heating thermostat to 50F last weekend and we were able to stay in the 40s despite some cloud weather several days in a row. It doesn't look like it will begin to warm up until late next week. Even with the comparison between heating methods it will be hard to calculate the exact "heating" value that the system provides. This equates to 60-64 tubes per system. We had a beautiful week this week with very little rain and pretty abundant sunshine. One benefit of excavating the whole site was that in some ways we ensured a more smooth greenhouse post-pounding experience since the troublesome rocks were removed. Mar 7, 2022 - A description and overview of our climate battery greenhouse, its goals, design, details of construction, and performance. The monthly low this month came on a night where it dropped just below 10F. Electrical wiring to thermostatically control the fans was done over the course of a couple days. The blue house is performing much better with a second layer of plastic, though perhaps still not quite as well as the gray house. We recently completed a second greenhouse project on the farm utilizing a revised version of our climate battery. Sign up to receive our seasonal newsletter and special announcements. At one time or another, weve all been in a house or room like this. What are the nameplate am. Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - 4848FThermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 65/32.5F (3F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 65/32.5F (3F diff)Weekly High/Low - 80F/31F, Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 5151FThermostat Hi/Lo - 65/34.5F (2F diff)Weekly High/Low - 78F/33F. The rate at which heat transfers out into the surrounding soil should be investigated. Air velocity versus hourly heat transfer per length of tubing. They did a side-by-side comparison of a soil-contact tubing system with a rock bed system. Exit Temperature 67.5FHeat Transfer Per Tube 1,680 BTUs/HrReynolds Number 49,024, Exit Temperature 65.6FHeat Transfer Per Tube 2,758.4 BTUs/HrReynolds Number 69,431, Exit Temperature 59FHeat Transfer Per Tube 5,650 BTUs/HrReynolds Number 98,048. Once again, as in the above video, the range of colors means uneven airflow. The climate battery, at our volume of air moved, does provide some cooling but not enough currently with the strength of the sun. Our plan is to use the new structure for fig production as well as heat-loving crops. Their analysis of data measured heat transfer averaged out over many data points. Today was (relatively) sunny and warm so we should see that climb again. Ive already provided a mid-week update, please read below for a summary of our (likely) coldest days of the year. We were honored to be featured on the Yale Climate Connections radio program with a short feature on our climate battery greenhouses. Despite extended cold and a very cold climate battery, we were able to maintain set temps in our blue and gray house rather easily last night, despite a low of 3F. Looks like some interesting results, so stay tuned! Well continue to provide a monthly update or an update if something else significant happens. Listen below or head on over to the Thriving Farmer Podcast website. Some gardeners also recommend backfilling with gravel for ideal moisture and temperature exchange. Consequently, the gray house also seems to be better at cooling, with the overall high temperatures being 5F cooler on most sunny days. Were getting into the minimal sun strength portion of the year, so the greenhouse is only running in cooling mode for, at most, 4-5 hours per day. Threefold Farm. More of the figs are beginning to push out now but the pace is still fairly slow with cooler nights. Different Types of Greenhouse Fans Which is Right for You? Peak vents on a thermostat would likely solve this problem and would automate the process, so that may be something we invest in over the next year. As they say: "Threefold Farm is named for our Threefold Purpose: Grow Deeply, Serve Joyfully and Teach Humanity." Some varieties were and are a bit slow to take off, I believe again due to the compacted nature of the backfill soil. This would not only decrease supply costs but would also make installation less time-consuming and possibly condense the footprint of the system. Maintaining a 15F to 17F differential was satisfactory on these nights given the windy circumstances, though I imagine we could have done better with an internal cover. For the gray house we hit 19F, a 24F differential with the outside. Even a partial windbreak should help to reduce heating needs over the long term. Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 5664FThermostat Hi/Lo - 75/33.5F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 95F/30.3F, Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - 5154F at ~18 depthThermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 75/33.5F (2F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 75/33.5F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 100F/26.5F. It should be in place by the time the next cold snap hits. Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 5664FThermostat Hi/Lo - 85/40F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 95F/30.3F, Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - 5460F at ~18 depthThermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 85/40F (2F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 85/40F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 100F/26.5F. We've been able to "bank" some heat but with days this short it's really only running for 3-4 hours. Climate batteries are a low-tech solution for gardeners that want to avoid or minimize heating with propane or electricity. We talk about his orchard business as well as his climate battery greenhouses in this exciting and educational episode! Additionally, by controlling the humidity within the greenhouse, climate batteries can help reduce the potential for disease in your crops. Our studies with students at PSU and Sawyer (our 3D modeler here at Atmos) have identified two big problems in the the tubing setup. Day length is now (on 3/17) officially at the 12 hour mark (okay, 11:59 officially), so were definitely on the path of solar gain. A more complex controller could be utilized that would factor in soil temperature as well as other significant information in decisions on whether or not to engage the system. Why a greenhouse might be good for growing fruit..! For some gardeners, this may mean consulting a professional for installation. For one, I'd certainly attempt to better salvage existing topsoil from the site. We've just published our first YouTube video on the Gray House, a climate battery greenhouse used to grow figs. Figs in the tunnel, November 2018. I have noticed a fairly significant difference in the amount and intensity of the sunlight we are receiving, even though we're only about a month out from the shortest day of winter. Several individuals and companies have designed and deployed similar systems in climates much different than ours. The longer the hose is, the more obstructions, the more twists and turns and partial kinks or restrictions, the less the resulting flow of water that comes out of it. A climate battery does allow you to cool the structure by using the ground as a sort of heat sink. My calculation of COP would have been different, as in my understanding its simply a ratio of the energy produced to the energy consumed. Ive once again adjusted thermostats to correspond with lower temperatures of the soil and will raise them as we come out of this cold and move toward spring. I've been thinking a lot about the house and the climate batteries and have a lot of unanswered questions. PSU Climate Battery 2018-2019 Study now available - Threefold Farm The team of PSU students did an excellent job at taking the first steps toward understanding how climate batteries work and quantifying the heating and cooling provided by this type of system. We have a new design that may prove successful if we can work out one remaining issue. In any case, Im hoping the figs go dormant soon, at least before we have to drop the temperature in the greenhouse to below freezing. So why spend money for Atmos designs when other plans are free? Were attempting to conserve heat and run the climate battery only when needed. We've setup our greenhouse to have a two stage thermostat powering fans that draw 1.1kW at full speed. The downside of a highly insulated building is, of course, cost to build and the addition cost of engineering and design. The blue house is showing its overall colder state with the battery struggling to keep temperatures above freezing on an 18F night, while the gray house doesnt seem to have any issues maintaining a ~34F set low temp (when you consider the differential), despite climate battery temperatures continuing to drop. Oats have a terminal temperature (I'm told) of around 13F, so very similar to the point where figs start experiencing damage. For our needs, this structure, even with its drawbacks (which I've tried to be perfectly frank about), seems to work well. However it quickly became apparent that due to rocks, we'd have to excavate nearly the entire footprint of the site. Check in here for regular updates here regarding the performance of the climate batteries installed in our high tunnel including lessons learned and other strategies we've employed to make our house functional. Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 64696568FThermostat Hi/Lo - 85/50F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 98F/45F, Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - 6063F at ~18 depthThermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 85/50F (2F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 85/50F (2F diff)Monthly High/Low - 104F/40F. Really maybe only 3-4 days where the temperature was high enough to bank some heat, though even then not for a whole day. Yale Climate Connections Radio Program Features - Threefold Farm We'd love to hear your thoughts on what would be helpful information-wise (see the comments section below). This spring and summer our goal is to better seal the house, especially around the perimeter where this is a gap between the baseboard and the soil. Details from the latest PSU climate battery study should be forthcoming by about mid May. As a plus, the sun is starting to become stronger and the days are longer, allowing us to charge the soil more on sunny days. Data was pulled from the sensors weekly and they were reset. An exciting story about their quest to fulfill their vision of growing. We planted out trees in the house and bumped up the heating thermostat to 40F (we'll bump this up even more next week). We had flurries early in the week and mid-80s by the end. This may be due either to my lack of watering (my bad, I watered thoroughly twice this week after discovering this), or perhaps because they partially rooted into ground outside the greenhouse and perhaps the roots have gone dormant out there due to the ground freezing? Next week doesn't look all that much better but perhaps a little warmer. Threefold Farm on YouTube - Our Climate Battery Greenhouse July 09, 2020 / Tim Clymer. In the past 2 years, armed with this information, we swapped out older fans for higher powered fans. We had a nor'easter blow in with gusts of 50mph and very strong sustained winds. Manifolds: 4 sections of 18 diameter, 20 long dual-wall corrugated piping, joined perpendicular to the risers at 3 and 7 below grade. Climate Battery Version 1 - The "Gray House" - Sketchfab 2021 Fall Fruit Festival - Threefold Farm - Pennsylvania- Figs, pawpaws The climate battery greenhouse is a complex thing to study. This is likely either a function of conductivity of the soils (they can't replenish heat as fast as we're drawing from them), or CFM loss through the tubing, or some other unknown factor or combination of factors. Pollination is solved for most things with a hive of bumblebees. The houses are relatively the same, so again I believe the difference to be the volume of air delivered in the gray house to be making the difference. I will move some of our fig starts out early in the week to acclimate them. Unlike previous winters where weve kept the low setpoint of the thermostats at 24F in January, weve opted to keep the setpoints above freezing due to the milder weather. Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - 4343FThermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 65/24F (3F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 65/24F (3F diff)Weekly High/Low - 82F/27F, Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 4846FThermostat Hi/Lo - 65/28.5F (2F diff)Weekly High/Low - 85F/28F. There must be a better way. Climate batteries are permanent installations. For how long can heat be practically stored and how do you improve on its storage? Perhaps someone can comment below on the overall hardiness of lettuce mixes? Tunnel seemed to handle it in stride. On that night, the difference between the houses was 4F. Were still able to maintain about a 17F buffer on cold nights but that wouldnt have been enough to keep it above freezing on the coldest nights this week. In a climate battery, we not only want to balance airflow, but also to ensure that were not creating any unnecessary restrictions to that airflow due to our piping layouts. Going this deep would effectively double the amount of thermal mass available to draw on and may make the system much more stable. With another few sunny days we should be able to push up the minimum low in the houses to maintain 40-45 most nights, with an eventual target low of around 55. Final set of pipes before backfilling. It would be great to know if changing the backfill to another type of media (sand, gravel), might allow the heat to flow more quickly away from the piping and into the surrounding soil. One remaining question I had going into the fall was when we could effectively seal the greenhouse for cold nights. Our hope is to continue our relationship with PSU and possibly other universities to study and improve upon this method of heating and cooling. We know we'd have to account for some of that in our foundation dirt work. Happy Easter everyone! For comparison, data from the previous years study showed the airspeed in the gray house piping at a range of ~4 - 18 CFM. Blue HouseClimate Battery Temp - Unk (Approx 50-53F based on random checks of PSU sensors)Thermostat Upper Hi/Lo - 75/37F (3F diff), Thermostat Lower Hi/Lo - 75/37F (3F diff)Weekly Low - 29F, Gray HouseClimate Battery Temp - 6056FThermostat Hi/Lo - 75/37F (3F diff)Weekly Low - 34F. Any advice here on a better home-grown solution would be very helpful. I'm recording this a few weeks late but spring seems to be here to stay. Incorrect installation can easily result in mold-infested tubes. I certainly understand why folks build these systems with highly-insulated structures. Threefold Farm is a small sized family farm located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, servicing the South Central Pennsylvania area. Good designs more efficiently distribute air through the climate battery tubing and utilize fans performance-matched to the design. I'm thinking spring will arrive all at once this year. They may sound complicated, but nearly any gardener can build one themselves with a bit of research. If I were to design another system, I'd likely go with perhaps just as much smaller-diameter tubing but cut up into more "batteries" overall. We then inserted the 18" pipe into the 24" riser at a 90 degree angle and attached it by bending back cut portions of the 18" single wall section. Temperatures moderated somewhat during this time versus the winter-like week we had in mid November so we havent been actively using the climate battery as much. It will be interesting to see the effect on the blue house ground temperatures especially since weve been drawing on the climate battery pretty heavily at night, especially when it gets down into the teens. So far they've remained healthy. Still haven't put figs in the greenhouse, will likely do that over the next week. Crop losses from climate crisis cost billions of dollars in insurance A climate battery installation is a long-term investment. In mid November we seeded lettuce and spinach in the blue house and are seeing that slowly germinate. Thats what well break down in this article. With the additional fans I would propose two layers of tubing, one at 4' and one at 8'. No real sun to speak of this week, maybe a total of 1-2 full days amid the clouds and rain. We've been working on a more functional internal cover for the greenhouse and have a design that should work well. So instead of our current system operating three "batteries" (three fans, three runs of tubing, each consisting of around 1300-1400' of tubing), I'd up the number of fans to 12 and reduce the length of piping per fan. The team then worked with us at the farm to go through several iterations of design before finally deciding on a design with which to run airflow and heat transfer simulations. After the last of the piping was covered, our excavator brought in his wheeled loader and skidsteer to complete the job. The use of R5 was really determined by cost. We've adjusted our heating thermostat to kick on at 24F, since there's really no reason to keep the house above 32F for the types of dormant plants we're growing. Again, sunny days seem to be the limiting factor right now. How to Build a Climate Battery for a Greenhouse I'd run the 4' layer on one set of fans (about half), and the 8' layer on another set of fans. At this point in the year well continue to monitor the future forecast and when nights no longer dip into the low 20s well begin slowly upping the nighttime lows in the houses to simulate an early start to spring. Contrast that with last year where we definitely saw soil temps hit the low 40s and even upper 30s. With the climate battery sitting in the mid-60s I think 40F or even 50F is probably achievable at night with lows rarely dipping into the mid-30s. Unanswered questions remain as to the overall capacity of the soil to retain and deliver heat and how best to scale a climate battery system to match the heating and cooling needs of a structure. The resulting information was then fed into Comsol for heat transfer simulations. A mid-week update since we had, again, some really cold weather. Tomatoes continued well until about the end of October, when some disease issues caught up with us and cooler nights and shorter days caught up with us. Climate Battery Greenhouse Version 2 aka The Blue House. We purchased caps for the 18" pipes that we attached once the pipes were in placed, then tried as best we could to level the manifolds and the risers (though inevitably they shifted during backfill). On that day/night days we opened the sides of the houses and pumped this warm air underground all night (thus the temporary bump in ground temperatures). In the Atmos climate battery design, we aim to balance airflow across all of the tubing, ensuring that none of it is wasted. Separate layers to be installed at 2', 4', 6', and 8' below grade. However, this would likely to result in the climate battery system running all night due to the low differential between the set temperature and the thermal mass temperature and the high differential between the set temperature and the outside temperature. Our goal was to bury all of the tubing starting at 4' below grade in 2-3 layers so that the tubing stopped 2' from the surface to allow us to plant in-ground. I expect in the coming week it will drop somewhat due to highs struggling to reach 32 on some days and lows in the lower 20s.

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