Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,
I used to be registered here as Institute of Aquaculture (University of Stirling Scotland)
anyway i've been up to lots since i was last on and wanted to clue you all up on developements over here in the UK.

I spent some time over on the UVI systems, having done lots of recirc aquaculture work in SE Asia and Europe, anyway came back to the UK to finish my PhD, and set up a renewable energy consultancy and supply company (to help finance writing up once funding ended) anyway about 6 months ago we were approached through the Institute of Aquaculture and my company, to develop an energy efficient aquaponics greenhouse based system for a project down in Yorkshire.
After lots of design ideas, we can up with the idea of a heating and cooling/heat recovery system based around using air to water heat pumps. We effectively extract heat during the day when the greenhouse is to hot, store the heating in the water of the system, then extract it at night to warm the space. (its slightly more complicated than that due to VCDs and ventilation/ducting system being linked with a BMS system and operated based on temperature differentials.

Anyway, we designed, specified and are in the process of building two of these scaled down systems (6m x 9m) with a further 3-5 planned at 20x30m once the concept if proofed and the operation tweaked and optimised.

Having worked on tropical systems where heating isnt an issue, the requirements of UK based systems requiring year round production, was a nice oportunity to think laterally but seriously about the reprocussions of energy use. We have carried out a series of complex cliamtic modelling exercises extrapolating the implications of the annual temperatures and their diurnal fluctations, and think this is the way forward. The start up costs are obviously higher as we've insulated the system well (insulated slab, and 50mm "kingspan" type insulation around all tanks, meaning that we can accurately predict the heatlosses as we're maintaining constant inside temperatures. We also use triple glazed polycarbonate glazing, and locally grown timber framing, plus a thrid control greenhouse is being built running from biomass (woodchip) produced onsite over 30 acres of coppiced willow)

Anyway we plan to produce tilapia and mixed salad and herb crops as well as playing with flowers (echinacea and sacrificial marigolds) and some fruit (strawberries, melons, tomatoes etc)
We'll tap of solids and use either for coppice fertilisation and/or for biogas experiments. We're also integrating rainwater harvesting to top up any system losses and wormeries for composting off cut wastes and providing supplementary feeding.

The greenhouses have now been built, and i'm off down there again in 10days to get the underground pipe work in and pressure tested, before they pour the screed floor, and we start building in the tanks, filter and DWC etc

i'll post some pics asap so you know its real and happening, but just wanted to clue you all up.

The grand plan is that through the Institurte of Aquaculture, i am setting up a standalone not for profit organisation, that supplies these systems to schools and projects across the UK, subsidised through government funding and corporate sponsorship. We've had a great responce so far and i'm goning to make this one happen.
The ABLE project thats having the first two systems, is a groundbreaking project using aquaculture and aquaponics to rehabilitate youth offenders, drug addicts, community service particpants and eduactioanlly problematic kids. Anyway its a great project and aquaponics has a strong future within it, Princess Anne is coming to look round the systems in Jan 09

ok well thats a huge first post, but wanted to put the concept out there

i welcome any comments, and if anyone knows schools of community projects in the UK that you think this would be appropriate for then please let me of them know

kind regards to all fellow enthusiasts
charlie

Sorry also forgot to say that a core element of the system is to use there BMS (building management system) to firstly operate the system based on the temperature differentials (water inside, and air inside and out) to control temperatures, but the PRIVA control system will have touch screen grahical displays in the system and also be PC interfaced onto a centralised database/website, thats way we can combine and compare the systems nationawide, and everyone can get acess to their data sets, even planning on having webcams integrated for all you aquaponics voyeurs out there!!

Another advantage is that we remote montioring and control, it gives us the potential to vary the running parameters for different systems in different locations and compare and contrast energy and production efficiency (say 50 systems out there accross UK, then they could be divided up into 5 replicates of 10 and used to simulate impacts of operational parameters.

ok thats far to much of me for one bash, so i'll leave it open to all you lot to comment.

cheers
charlie

A photo would be nice.

Hey Charlie... nice to hear you haven't just been lolling around the beaches...

Sounds an impressive system design mate.... keep us up to date with what you can...

and divulge it all.... ... heating and cooling issues seem to be the bane, in one way or the other, for most of us....

Look forward to following your progress. Sounds like one exciting project. Good luck with it all!

Hi Charlie
Your greenhouse experiment looks very interesting, especially as its in the UK
Looking forward to following your progress.

Welcome back Charlie, keep the detailed info about the system coming, it sounds like we'll get some useful info out of it.

thanks, and i'll definately keep you all posted, heat pumps arrived today ubt it will be another week or so before i can get down and get the underground pipework system in, i'll post pics then.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to update you all on progress so far:
I’ve just got back from 4 days on site at the ABLE project, helping with the installation of the underground pipe work before the insulated slab gets laid.
The greenhouses have now been built, and wanted to share a few pics...

some more pics

we had to use a breaker to take up the compacted rubble, the first hire one we managed to blow up, the replacement they gave us wasn't up to the job, but this pneumatic fella did the job!! Next time we'd definately use a little digger to get all the pipe work trenched in.


The two Garrys (without whom we would have taken alot longer! they were a massive asset) trenches were dug to required depths lined with 60mm foil back insulation ready for pipes to be dropped in, lined and ready for the 60mm insulation and 60mm slab to be laid

looks like good weather for greenhouses

WOW

Thats more like the sorta stuff I like doing

pipes going in (4" gravity drains) and 2" pumped return from sump back to fish.


pipes now nicely cased/insulated (as they're holding warm water and otherwise heatloss is a real waste - if its worth doing, its worth doing well as my dad would say... but seriously in temperate climates investement in insulation does pay off... this systems has been modelled on local cimate data, heat loss calcs carried out, and is designed to be very energy efficient. ontop of these pipe levels will then sit the 60mm insulation for the slab, to seal the pipes into their trenches.

the model.... now finally becomeing reality..

thats all for now folks, must get back to work....lol

i'll keep you all posted, in the meantimes, any questions/comments just shout..

best wishes,
charlie