by Matt Belt | August 15, 2022 | Nexus
The Nexus group has successfully carried out several projects to improve the energy efficiency of the high-tunnel greenhouse. The team improved insulation and ventilation systems, installed solar-thermal heating for the hydroponics, and modeled an Earth-Air Heat...
by Matt Belt | January 24, 2022 | Nexus
Project outcomes from the 2019 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) On-Farm grant to the Nexus team “reinvent the heated greenhouse.” Read...
by Matt Belt | May 11, 2021 | Nexus
The Nexus group launched two research projects this year at their existing facility located at the Watauga County landfill. The team is working on an energy efficiency retrofit to improve the insulation and ventilation systems and performing a feasibility study with...
by Matt Belt | August 28, 2019 | Nexus
The Nexus team continues its work designing and evaluating technological solutions to extend the growing season for small-scale farmers in Southern Appalachia. The team will soon complete the second year of an on-farm pilot of two systems, one at Springhouse Farm and...
by Matt Belt | December 4, 2018 | Nexus
The first round (2018 spring) of pilot system operations at our cooperating farms was successful. Against The Grain (ATG) farm produced more than 30 batches of biochar using various agricultural waste produced on site including sorghum, woody waste, and animal bone....
by Matt Belt | November 20, 2017 | Nexus
The Nexus research team at Appalachian has completed building pilot systems at two local cooperative farms: Against the Grain (ATG) farm and Springhouse farm. They are ready to run for this upcoming cold season! The pilot system at ATG includes a biochar kiln, solar...
by Matt Belt | November 8, 2016 | Nexus
The Nexus research team is collaborating with two cooperating farms in Watauga County to pilot greenhouse heating systems that will extend the growing season by using biomass energy produced on-farm. With funding from the NC Department of Agriculture’s Bioenergy...
