FAQ
1. What
is LifeSense Institute?
2. What
Are Our Resouces and Expertise?
3. What
is the Vashon Energy Project?
4. What
is Project Solar Harvest?
5. Where
are other Passive Annual Solar Heat Storage systems located?
6. Why
this particular solar technology over others?
7. Are
other people working on this technology?
8. How
does this new invention generally compare to other solar energy systems?
9. What
is a “neighborhood grid?"
1.
What is LifeSense Institute?
LifeSense
Institute is dedicated to improving quality of life on Vashon-Maury
Island and beyond with imaginative, creative solutions to some of the complex
problems facing people today. We will facilitate scientific and social
innovations to achieve affordable, human-friendly, and ultra-green ecosystems.
LifeSense Institute is a nonprofit Washington corporation.
Initially
LSI'sVashon Energy Project is offering public education about passive
annual solar heat systems (PASHS) through its Project Solar Harvest.
2. What Are Our Resouces
and Expertise?
Founders and Management:
President, Robert
Bornn
Vice President,
Laura
Worth, MSW
Robert Bornn
has a longstanding history of environmental and shelter design for alternative
communities beginning in the 60s with an alternative residential artist
community on an island in Maine. He published the 70’s journal, Island
Quarterly.
Robert Bornn
and Laura Worth have more than 25 years experience in organizational management,
having raised more than $3.5 million to finance their projects. They
have extensive experience building small teams of motivated and expert
professionals dedicated to significant projects like a new miniaturized,
radiotelemetric polysomnograph and devices for the special needs community.
They have managed R&D and designed and managed the clinical research
of Robert’s medical device inventions at UCSF
and Stanford University. They obtained FDA permission to market their
devices. They are seasoned in joint ventures and product licensing.
Management will contract with well-established organizations for the manufacturing,
installation, and service of these technologies.
Advisors
Jon
McWhirter, Ph.D., P.E., Engineer. Jon
McWhirter has a professional career in energy and energy conversion technology
spanning over 25 years. He has a doctorate in thermal sciences and
has worked as a professor, consultant, researcher, and international fellow.
Jon has authored technical papers in several topics relating to energy
conversion and storage. Jon teaches engineering part-time for the St. Martin’s
University satellite campus in Bremerton. He is a registered professional
engineer in Washington and Idaho. With two young children living on Vashon
Island, he has a vested interest in the island’s future and well-being.
(home page)
Nancy
Henderson, LEED AP founded
ArchEcology, LLC out of a passion for housing and sustainable design.
She has over 13 years experience most of which has been focused on multi-family
and mixed use developments. While at GGLO she chaired the Sustainable
Design group for five years. During that time she lead in-house education
efforts which resulted in a third of the office becoming LEED accredited,
adoption of an Environmental Policy, and development of an Environmental
Management Plan. Projects pursuing LEED certification went from one
in 2001 to more than 15 in 2006. She also founded the Affordable
Housing Action Team to develop a focused expertise in the office to specifically
address the unique needs of affordable housing.
3.
What is the Vashon Energy Project?
The Vashon
Energy Project of LifeSense Institute educates about new solar heating
technologies and service innovations for affordable earth-friendly habitation,
non-polluting energy sources, and improvements
in organic food production (e.g., solar heated, year-round greenhouses)
that are suitable for Vashon-Maury Island and other locations that experience
seasonal limitations to solar exposure. Our initial demonstration
installation was Project Solar Harvest.
4.
What is Project Solar Harvest?
LifeSense Institute's
Project
Solar Harvest presented a public demonstration at Earth Fair showing
the principles behind the collection, storage and retrieval of energy from
the sun for year-round heat in Northern latitudes. Similar
systems have been commercialized for use throughout much of the world.
These system innovations demonstrated by Project Solar Harvest are
currently under development by Robert Bornn and Jon McWhirter, Ph.D., P.E.
of BuildingCircles Organization. The
demonstration was at Island Earthfair on Vashon-Maury Island, Washington
in August 2006.
NEW!
November, 2006
Solar
Energy Charts
(courtesy of
BuildingCircles
Organization and Jon D. McWhirter, Ph.D.,
P.E.).
Chart 1:
Average
Annual Available Solar Energy by Month
Chart 2:
Thermal
Storage and Use for Annual Solar Heat Storage System
August, 2006
Project
Solar Harvest
Photos
and Report from Earthfair 2006
Vashon
Island, Washington
(courtesy of
BuildingCircles
Organization and inventors,
Robert
Bornn and Jon D. McWhirter, Ph.D., P.E.).
5.
Where are other Passive Annual Solar Heat Storage systems located?
A variety of
successful international solar installations using much larger underground
masses have suggested that our overall approach has precedence.
In Canada… Drake's
Landing Solar Community
In
Europe… International Energy Agency-
Energy Conservation through Energy
Storage (IEA-ECES)
In Japan… Trends
in Japan: Novel Energy Storage Systems
6.
Why this particular solar technology over others?
Projected
equal or lower cost and higher aesthetic value makes it more likely to
be adopted in a widespread and effective manner. Long-term it may
help provide energy independence from established market sources.
7.
Are other people working on this technology?
Hundreds
of professionals are currently working on many different versions.
Here are some older background articles.
Index
to Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Newsletters (Archive 1978-1993)
8.
How does this new invention generally compare to other solar energy systems?
-
The proposed
system is an amalgam of several good, proven ideas and a few new ones.
It should create a more harmonious balance with weather in the Pacific
Northwest. The thermal reservoir’s primary function is to heat space
and hot water, not to produce electricity.
-
Typical south-facing
daily passive systems: are not reliably in phase with Puget Sound’s
unusual weather conditions.
-
Photovoltaics:
Only generate electricity when the solar gain is sufficient; require a
battery (very expensive and large batteries; wasting enclosed, heated space
for the batteries; batteries are short-lived, can be hazardous, and require
disposal as toxic waste) or grid storage when the solar gain is sufficient
(doesn’t help you or your community when the grid is down).
-
Parabolic reflector
farms and rings of mirrors concentrate the sun but require configuration
in industrial size troughs and towers with highly visible presence and
some high temperature hazard.
-
Other
annualized underground storage systems: these are expensive to install
and are used primarily in larger subdivisions or municipalities.
Experimental owner-builders have also had varied success with small, individual
earth-sheltered homes.
9. What
is a “neighborhood grid?"
A neighborhood
“grid” consists of approximately 10-20 houses that are geographically proximal,
sharing common systems in any combination of the following for cost efficiencies
and convenience:
-
heat (space and
water)
-
electricity
-
water
-
sewage
-
communication
-
access (shared
electric transportation)
-
sharing of tools
and equipment
-
sharing costs of
service/maintenance (less costly than individual “homestead;” may be more
reliable than distant generation of power and accompanying transmission
losses and costs).
This FAQ is
for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional
consultation. No claim is made or implied that the ideas and inventions
herein are applicable to any other manufactured housing, building, or land
use project. Nor do they represent in any way consulting services
of any kind. Nothing herein is an offer to sell, transfer, license,
or permit the use of any proprietary method or technology described herein.
Nor should anything herein be construed as an offer to buy, sell, or transfer
securities. Relevant information will be provided upon request.
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