Methane in Context

Methane production by itself is a fascinating and exciting subject both as theory and design. Now it’s time to build and install one. I think it might be hard to see how I am integrating methane with the CEB house, so I thought I would post a bit of a site plan and then add a more detailed drawing of the power-house or engine room.

In due time each of the features noted in the site plan will be discussed from solar array installation to anaerobic drip irrigation and fruit tree fertigation, to name a few.

Every feature and component in this master-planned, 10 acre system is intended to bring us closer to complete import substitution of food and energy via a regenerative ecosystem so that productivity continues to rise (until natural climax conditions obtain) but inputs, maintenance and pollution decrease as time passes.

In case you don’t understand the significance of that statement, consider the fact that any de-generative system will require increasing inputs and pollution to sustain productivity and eventually just fall apart from exhaustion—not because resources are not available, but because you cannot afford to get them to your site and keep it all running.

Here is a drawing of my CEB house and site plan to give you a perspective of where and how the methane system is integrated with it all. The next drawing is a close-up of the powerhouse and some of its features.

Don’t get too bent out of shape that the engine is inside the power shed. The engine is similar to the ones you did not know were gas powered engines such as run the floor cleaners in the big box stores—fitted with special exhaust systems, fumes collection and noise dampening technology. They come set for either Propane or NG and so will not require any adjustment to run on my clean methane. The battery boxes are sealed and power vented, so no hydrogen will escape to the room either. There’s lots of other safety features, but this will do for today.