Permaculture Radio Show: Catch & Store Energy

Last week we kicked off our hosting of a live radio shows through the Global Homestead Collective (@ghscollective) every Tuesday from 4-5pm CST and are digging into each of the 12 permaculture principles. Check it out here on the Global Homesteading Collective, but if you can't make it, do not fear for we will record the posts each week.

Last week's show focused on the principle of Observe and Interact. This a key part of any intelligent and harmonious design, as it informs ALL aspects. The phase of observation is critical to any efficient design as it allows us to carefully and thoughtfully consider the subject of our attention.

We stand behind permaculture concepts and design strategy to increase health, wealth and abundance! Today's episode is focused on principle #2:

Catch and Store Energy: Make Hay when the Sun Shines

Listen to it this week's episode here

Today's show was all about considering how energy moves through our lives and landscapes and strategizing how we can capture, utilize and store that energy for future use. We cover a lot of topics during this hour from water, to sunlight, heat, information, social capital and more.

The subtitle of "make hay while the sun shines" reminds us to make good use of the resources that are available to us. Take advantage of opportunities and be prepared for times of abundance.

When we practice observation, we are able to design systems that allow energy to be stored for later use.

Nature has already designed the perfect solar collector and we simply call them leaves. Plants and algaes are able to convert sunlight into storable sugars through photosynthesis. We can use this miracle to feed, clothe and heal ourselves.

Growing potatoes to feed us through the seasons

Another great example we go into is the concept of thermal mass.

Any dense object has the ability to act as a heat battery. The easiest way to make use of this is using passive solar design where structure are built to capture and store the suns heat energy. The thermal mass can be stone, water, cob, sand etc... and gets charged up by solar radiation in the form of heat and gives off this heat just a battery discharges elerctricity. This allows for temperature moderation and can be very helpful in heating (or cooling) a space.

By using technologies such as rocket mass heaters we can efficiently use wood to create heat and store it in thermal mass. This allows us to charge a heat battery with a renewable resources and enjoy the heat form a first LONG after it has stopped burning.

Wren in her element with solar array in the background.

Energy moves through systems, it's up to us to keep it there

We're all aware that heat dissipates, ice melts, water evaporate and languages are lost if not spoken... By catching and stroring energy, we are ensuring that we can most efficiently use the resources available to us. Ice can be harvested during cold times for use during hotter times. Water can be captured and stored at a high point of a property in a cistern, pond or in the soil. This captures the energy of water AND gravity. This water can then be transported using the stored energy of gravity.

We must consider and be prepared for when and how abundance moves through our lives.

This is the cornerstone of the this principle; being able to position elements in a system to store energy and make good use of it later.

Laying out a small swale and tiny berm on contour to capture water and store rain water

Energy moves through system, it's up to us to keep in there

The most obvious example are sun and water. Considering how abundant solar energy is, it's a wonder we are not using it more fully! We implement this principle by using photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight that charges batteries that run our freezer and power tools. It's pretty awesome to see sunlight running a circular saw! You too can make use of the sun by getting plenty of sunshine on your skin during the warm months to allow your body to create Vitamin D.

If we position ourselves properly we can reap the abundance of the Earth

Water is crucial to ALL LIFE, so it's of utmost important we design for efficient use and careful management. We can do this by harvesting rainwater from roofs, reusing dish water, creating berms and swales, mulching, planting on contour or building hugelkultur mounds. If we can keep the water in the system, we can make a better and more efficient use of it.

Making medicine is a great way to store and use seasonal abundance. Here is St. John's Wort blossoms being turned into an infused oil.

When times of plenty arrive, we must be ready to store and make use of this energy.

Plenty may come in the form of salvaged food, discarded but useful building supplies, a gathering of humans (think mental and physical energy), a heavy rainfall, a large mast crop of nuts or underused fruit crop. We have to be thinking about what avenues of abundance move through your surroundings. We like to ferment vegetables at harvest time to keep them vital and nourishing with very little energy investment.

Consider all the energy of many humans gathering to socialize and celebrate. Why not combine parties with some collective work efforts. We did this last year before a party and had hundreds of pounds of rocks assembled into an herb spiral.

Think of all the sources of energy in your life and how you could make better uses of them...

Circle of Permaculture Principles
Join us next week for Obtain a Yield

source