by Harald Desing
The sun is
up…
Shortly before sunrise, I jump out of bed. Today will be a sunny day, so lots of things to do. After a quick breakfast, I swing on my bike and cycle with the first rays of sun to work. My colleagues and I gather for a quick organizational meeting and then prepare the smelting of glass and spinning it into glass wool for insulation. The well-insulated smelting furnace had been kept idle over the night using its thermal mass and no extra energy. Now it only needs a little heating from the rising sun to start operating again. Production can increase until midday, and we try to bring as much solar energy as we can into pre-heating sand and glass cullets (broken pieces) to extend production towards the evening. Lunchtime is taken in shifts to not waste the most productive peak sun hours. By the evening, we have produced enough insulation materials to turn a small city into passive buildings. Transforming the summer's solar abundance into avoiding domestic heating in winter, we contribute to the grand challenge of getting off the hook from fossil fuels.
The next day is rainy,
so there is no need to rush. Everybody comes a bit later to work and there is
time to discuss and reflect about the sunny day experiences and ideas on how to
make even better use of the sun. The furnace is operated at low load – as much
as the diffuse light permits – and we are mostly packing and preparing
yesterday's produce for distribution across the country. In addition, there is
time for other low-energy tasks such as administration, bookkeeping of
material and energy balances and organizing the distribution and installation
of the insulation materials. It's still raining in the afternoon, so time to
call it a day early, spend some extra time with family and friends, perhaps
have a beer and discuss future possibilities once the transformation is
complete.
Carpe Solem!
