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"Walipini" 4d1: Ladakh in India: greenhouse with double walls around and
special painting in the interior (GERES 2009)


Live autarkic: NO pesticides - NO machines - NO long transports - NO overuse of water reserves in warm regions for plantations, etc.
LITTLE energy consumption - Mother Earth has got it!

NGO GERES in India in Himalaya heights: in winter it's reaching minus 30ºC. But the Walipini stays with over 0 - it works:
Pit greenhouse
                      on the surface with earth walls, cross section
                      scheme    Web site 4: The solar green
                      house with it's solar front side, with double
                      earth walls and special colors    NGO GERES in
                      India: Walipini passive solar greenhouse in Ladakh
                      in India
Pit greenhouse on the surface with earth walls, cross section scheme [2]
The solar green house with it's solar front side, with double earth walls and special colors, cross section [4]
NGO GERES in India: Walipini passive solar greenhouse in Ladakh with double walls and special colors in the interior [5]

Warning: PVC plastic film is highly toxic. A transparent roof must be made of plexiglas or a glass roof - with hail protection with a chicken wire. Plastic film contaminates the air with plasticizers and microplastics.



presented by Michael Palomino (2022)

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Grubentreibhaus mit Sonnendach      Pit greenhouse on the surface with
                              earth walls, cross section scheme
Pit greenhouse fully underground, cross section scheme [1] - Pit greenhouse on the surface with earth walls, cross section scheme [2]


Translation:

A few days ago I came across a very good article on the Internet (from ecoosfera.com) where a greenhouse was presented for plantation throughout the year.

The title was "Building a pit greenhouse for growing food all year round" (orig. Spanish: "construye un invernadero bajo tierra para crecer alimento todo el año"). Find the article under this title if you like.

If you think about it, then several advantages are possible with it:

  • The earth walls are storing the heat and are releasing the heat into the room
  • The cover is not much above the ground level and the winds have no influence on the small construction and on the roof
  • In dry climates it is easier to manage such a building, and inside, not pouring is necesary because there is hardly any evaporation.


In addition, I also came up with the idea that this construction can also be used on existing walls if there are old ruins (in villages there are many small plots that have half-crushed houses). So you clear the debris (stones, bars and tiles), make a plastic roof with a wood structure over it and stack a few earth bags on the inner walls. Perhaps there is also a little bit of fertilizer in the ground if the property has served as a stable.

Both versions (the pit greenhouse and the greenhouse o the floor) seem to me to be great ideas for people who live on the countryside. The variations of the building options are in the photo.


Geres India
                              Logo

The Non Governmental Organization (NGO) GERES has built lots of Walipinis in the high Himalaya regions. These Walipinis are built on the surface with double walls around. People got education for that and a safe vegetable supply was installed for winter times, whereby above all women are managing the Walipinis. With all this, the healthy and financial situation in the Himalaya high planes has really improved. Here is an example:


Ladakh (India), Feb.3, 2011: Technics for building a greenhouse with double walls around and special painting in the interior (GERES 2009)
http://solargreenhouse.org/index.html
The web site is from Feb.3, 2022 but can be seen in the Internet Archives only: https://archive.org/
Link in the Internet Archives of Feb.3, 2011: https://web.archive.org/web/20220000000000*/http://solargreenhouse.org/index.html
NGO Geres: info.india@geres.eu   
Documentation pdf: https://www.geres.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/passive-solar-greenhouse-india-2009.pdf  (English)


Ladakh (India) Feb.3, 2011: Technics
                              for building a pit greenhouse   Web
                              site 4: The solar green house with it's
                              solar front side, with double earth walls
                              and special colors
Ladakh (India) Feb.3, 2011: Technics for building a pit greenhouse [3]
Plan of the pit greenhouse on the surface with it's solar front side, with double earth walls and special colors [4]

Video: Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus (5'39'')
Erdmauer-Passiv-Solartreibhaus funktioniert auch bei -30ºC OHNE HEIZUNG
Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus
Link: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Wv5zUK1EKqHB/ - Bitchute-Kanal: NatMed-etc. - hochgeladen am 15.8.2022

Mountain communities are typically less affluent than their counterparts in lowland regions, and poverty and food security is still a fact in many mountainous areas. The drawing of policies and plans is less effective in these areas. Moreover, policy implementation is undermined by complex mountain topography, isolation and remoteness factors. Therefore, remote & isolated mountainous regions are often described by three factors; inaccessible, fragile and marginality to political and economical development.

Food security remains the major preoccupation of mountain communities in many parts of Asia, in the higher altitude and remote parts of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. The climatic conditions in this region of the Himalayas are very harsh: winter temperatures fall below -30°C, and precipitation is extremely low. The natural resources are limited, and farmers rely on subsistence agriculture as their main source of survival. In the winter, snowfall blocks the high passes and roads are closed, and the population must rely almost entirely on its own resources for survival.

The Renewable Energy and Environment Group GERES, supported by its partners in development (European Commission, Foundation Ensemble & French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) works with mountain communities to help them establish tools and processes that will
-- strengthen and develop local potentials,
-- improve livelihoods, and
-- provide people with better options for remaining in their home areas.

Many innovative tools have been developed, improved, and adapted for local use. e.g., Passive solar greenhouse.

One of the major challenges is to help communities use the inactive winter period to increase food security and generate additional income. Fortunately, one resource that the trans-Himalayan area has in abundance is sunshine, especially in winter. Solar radiation can be used to improve the quality of life in many ways. Potential benefits include warming houses, schools, dispensaries and handicraft centre and developing off-season agricultural activities such as composting, greenhouse production, and poultry farming. This Community of best practice will focuses on the passive solar greenhouses that enable vegetables to be grown during winter in the high altitude areas of the trans-Himalayas.

The main objective of this best practice framework is to develop a common platform in the cold-arid region of Asia to share knowledge on:

  1. Further development and improvement of passive solar greenhouse according to respective climatic conditions.
  2. Dissemination of solar greenhouse technology for the improvement of winter livelihood in remote and isolated mountainous areas.
  3. Ensuring food security during the extreme winter conditions in the remote and isolated regions of cold-arid regions of Asia.

The Western Indian Himalaya region has an average elevation of 3500m above the sea level and it is characterized by harsh climatic conditions such as low precipitation, temperature dipping to -25° Celsius and limited agricultural growing season.

For six months of the year the roads are impassable and the region is cut off. Vegetables must be supplied by aeroplane. As a result of these extra transportation costs, prices increases by three fold. However, passive solar greenhouses in cold arid region has made possible to produce fresh vegetables to ensure the food security for the people during extreme winter condition in this region.

Despite it has a wide socio-economic impact and social mobilisation on the local population.

During the implementation
During the installation phase the major activities was on social mobilisation and training.

  • During the Installation phase 163 out of 400 villages were covered in the project.
  • Community based training were given to 15 resource persons on solar greenhouse construction and agro-running. In addition employment opportunities were generated for 221 mason and 15 carpenters on solar greenhouse construction.

After the implementation
After the installation significant impact was on socio-economical, gender empowerment & health.

  • Income generation in peri-urban is supplemented by 15-20 % where as in the remote areas income is supplemented by 30%. Additionally, for the commercial promoter’s income is boosted by 80-100%.
  • Gender empowerment; Women are mainly involved in running the passive greenhouse (from farming to selling the vegetables in the market) and this has led to their empowerment as they decide how to utilize the money earned (often for their children’s education). Despites, for the first time women in Kargil and Padum are enabled to sell vegetables in their local market.
  • 4,000 people benefit directly by consuming and selling fresh vegetables from their own IGH. In addition, 53,000 people benefit indirectly from IGH by buying fresh vegetables and bartering with the IGH owners. The overall beneficiaries comprise 25% of total population and are now able to consume fresh leafy vegetables and which has made significant improvement in their health and quality of life.
  • Due to the simplicity of the technology self replication has been already done by more than 50 families. Eventually, 650 families are now enabled to run passive solar greenhouses.
Web
                              site 4: The solar green house with it's
                              solar front side, with double earth walls
                              and special colors
Web site 4: The solar green house with it's solar front side, with double earth walls and special colors [4]

During winter, the greenhouse traps enough energy during the day to ensure that the vegetables do not freeze at night. The temperature variation between day and night should be minimized to reduce thermal stress to the plants. Overheating during the day can be prevented using natural ventilation for cooling, regulated by manually operated shutters. Ventilation also regulates the humidity and thus helps to limit diseases and pests.

There are four main factors that work together to make a solar greenhouse an efficient user of the available energy (See Figure)

  1. Collection of the maximum amount of solar radiation during the day
  2. Efficient storage of the heat collected from the sun radiation during the day
  3. Release of this heat to the interior of the building during the night
  4. Reduction of heat losses by insulation of the whole greenhouse
  5. Ventilation due to overheating to prevent from diseases and pest

The passive solar greenhouse for cold areas described has several components, which together ensure that these requirements are met: polythene sheet - double wall - wall colors white and black - roof - door and ventilation

A [white+transparent] polythene sheet: The South side picks up the largest amount of solar energy. The polythene transmits the majority of incident solar radiation into the greenhouse. This warms the interior space and is absorbed by
-- the vegetables,
-- the ground, and
-- the walls [of pure earth or of clay bricks].

The sheet can be covered with a moveable layer of insulation like a curtain, cloth, or mat after sunset to reduce night time heat loss. The polythene sheet is set at an angle and supported by a wooden frame.

Double wall: Walls on the east, west, and north sides are used where the amount of incident solar energy is limited. These walls are either buried into a hillside or insulated to limit heat loss and increase thermal storage. The walls are composed of three layers: an outer load-bearing wall built with mud brick, rammed earth, or stone; an inner wall used to store heat during the day and release it at night, also built with mud brick; and an insulating layer of materials like straw, sawdust, wood shavings, dry leaves, dry grass, or wild bush cuttings pressed between the two.

Wall Color: The inner side of the west wall is painted white (whitewash) to reflect the morning solar radiation after the coldness of the night; the inner side of the east wall and north wall are painted black to absorb and store the afternoon solar radiation [at a maximum], which is then released at night to heat the interior space.

Roof: The fixed roof is sloped (to the north) at an angle of 35°. In winter, when the sun has a low elevation angle, this angle optimizes the solar radiation absorption on the inside surface. During summer, when the sun is high in the sky, the roof partly shades the greenhouse and reduces the risk of overheating. The roof is covered with a layer of insulation (straw, or similar); a piece of white cloth or parachute material can be added below it to improve the insulation and reflect solar radiation onto the vegetables. The shape of the roof reduces the interior volume compared to traditional greenhouses, thus increasing the interior temperature.

Summary about the inclined northern roof:
-- The northern part of the roof is inclined by 35º and 1) improves the sun's radiation and energy intake of the walls in winter and 2) during summer gives the interior a shadow against overheating
-- The roof is covered with straw layer as an insulation etc.
-- Under the roof, a white cloth or parachute cloth can be attached for reflection of the sun's radiation to the vegetables
-- The inner volume is reduced by the inclined roof and therefore the interior temperature is increased.

Door & Ventilation: The door is located on the wall opposite to the side from which the prevailing wind blows (the lee side) to reduce infiltration of cold air. Roof on the north side is tilted to avoid shading in winter and reduce the interior volume to limit heat loss.

On sunny days, the air in the greenhouse can become very warm. Overheating (over 30°C) can damage the vegetables and encourage diseases and pests. Manually operated openings (ventilators) are provided in the lower part of both sides (door, wall shutter) and in the roof. The warm air rises and leaves the greenhouse through the roof ventilator, drawing in the cooler ambient outer air through the lower ventilators.


https://ashdenawards.blogspot.com/2010/01/geres-constructing-solar-greenhouses-in.html

In 2010, the NGO GERES built new Walipinis in Kyrgyzstan. Here are some photos from Kyrgyzstan with the building steps for a Walipini pit greenhouse on the surface with big walls around (double wall U). According to the website, the report is from Jan.5, 2010. Unfortunately, the precise location is not mentioned.

Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a
                              Walipini on the surface with double walls
                              around 01, side wall with window   Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a
                              Walipini on the surface with double walls
                              around 02, the double wall U is ready  
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls around 01, side wall with window [7]
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls around 02, the double wall U is ready [8]

Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of
                              a Walipini on the surface with double
                              walls 03, the roof structure on the north
                              side 01   Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of
                              a Walipini on the surface with double
                              walls 04, the roof structure on the north
                              side 02
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls 03, the roof structure on the north side 01 [9]
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls 04, the roof structure on the north side 02 [10]

On the photos of the big double wall you can see the straw layer between the two walls, the insulating layer.

Kyrgyzstan 2010:
                              Construction of a Walipini on the surface
                              with double walls 05, the roof
                              construction on the northern side 03   Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a
                              Walipini on the surface with double walls
                              06: the roof frame on the sunny side
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls 05, the roof construction on the northern side 03 [11]
Kyrgyzstan 2010: Construction of a Walipini on the surface with double walls 06: the roof frame on the sunny side [12]

The double walls of the wall U are sealed with clay on the mural crown (on the cope). This way, a straw-and-air insulation between the two walls is fixed.

The last photo of the report shows us a completed Walipini on the surface with a double wall U from India from Ladakh:

Ladakh
                              (India): Walipini on the surface with a
                              double wall U
Ladakh (India): Walipini on the surface with a double wall U [13]

India

LEHO (Ladakh Environment & Health Organisation)

LNP (Leh Nutrition Project) [Leh=Ladakh]

LEDeG (Ladakh Ecological and Development Group)

Ecosphere

Tajikistan

Little Earth

Kyrgyzstan

BIOM

Join us: info.india@geres.eu

GERES (Groupe Energies Renouvelables Environnement et Solidarités) is an International NGO set up in 1977 in France aiming at supporting local organisation to implement renewable energy, environment and income generation activities. GERES is working in 12 countries in South East Asia, Hindu Kush-Himalaya, Central Asia, North Africa, West Africa and France. GERES and local partners conduct R&D, develop integrated implementation package (target group, access to investment, capacity building of local stakeholders & SME), advocate and share knowledge with other stakeholders through publication, trainings and seminar.

Implementing area
The greenhouses are implemented at large scale in the cold deserts Western Indian Himalayas in the districts of Leh, Kargil (J&K) and Lahaul & Spiti (H.P). These cold deserts are characterized by cold and long winter:
-- -20°C,
-- 6 month frost
-- low precipitation (50mm per year) and
-- scarcity of biomass [no forests, no meadows].

The access road are closed 6 months per year: during this period, the vegetable are [were] supplied by flight from the Indian plain and prices rise by 3 times. In remote area, vegetable are [were] not available at all.

Pilot projects are implemented in Afghanistan, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan.

Experience in vegetable growing under greenhouse

  • Research and Development in design
    R&D in design development (transparent cover, wall, roof, hotbed, ventilation) for several climates based on investment capacity of community and local materials since 1990
  • Research and Development in agricultural running
    Vegetable adapted to cold climate, sowing date, pest control since 1999
  • Implementation
    More than 600 solar greenhouse are implementated in Western Indian Himalaya including 10 commercial greenhouses. It is awared by Asdhen Awards for sustainable energy 2009
  • Publication
    Running, construction, methodological guides and documentary film for decisions makers, technician and farmers in English, Ladakhi, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Tajik and Kygriz

Domain of expertise
Design, agro-running, methodology development for pilot project and scaling up (target group, access to investment, capacity building, private sector development), carbon finance and documentation.

Contact:
GERES India
Vincent Stauffer ,GERES, K-25 Dharam Niwas, Green Park Extension, New Delhi 110 016, India
Telephone: +91 1982 251 586
Mail: v.stauffer@geres.eu / info_india@geres.eu
Website : http://india.geres.eu

Improved Greenhouse - Practical Running Guide
English | English - Urdu

Solar greenhouse - Running Manual
English | Russian | Tadjik

Improved Greenhouse - Agro Running
English | Russian | Tadjik

Passive Solar Greenhouse in Ladakh
English

2009 Ashden Awards - CASE STUDY

Himalaya solar scheme wins Global Green Energy Award - PRESS RELEASE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOVIE - Click here to view Videos on the following topics

Award for Improving Nutrition
GERES, India

GERES has worked with local NGO’s in Ladakh to design a robust greenhouse that captures and retains the sun’s heat. It has built 600 greenhouses that enable villagers to grow vegetables throughout the year - even when temperatures drop to -25°C. Greenhouse owners eat eight times more vegetables than before and their incomes have increased by 30 percent. The project is leading to better nutrition and health for over 50,000 people – a quarter of the local population.

Video: GERES, solar greenhouses in India - 2009 Ashden Award winner
Video link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xFe91lMRH0 (working)
Video link on Bitchute: Link: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Wv5zUK1EKqHB/ (working)

NGO GERES in India: Walipini
                              passive solar greenhouse in Ladakh in
                              India
NGO GERES in India: Walipini passive solar greenhouse in Ladakh in India [5]

Video: Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus (5'39'')
Erdmauer-Passiv-Solartreibhaus funktioniert auch bei -30ºC OHNE HEIZUNG
Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus
Link: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Wv5zUK1EKqHB/ - Bitchute-Kanal: NatMed-etc. - hochgeladen am 15.8.2022

Video: Prince Charles, keynote speaker at Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy 2009
Video-Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACjvf8lqY6I (working)
YouTube Channel: Ashden


Geres Indian Himalayas
English | French

http://solargreenhouse.org/video_Geres_Indian_Himalayas.html

Geres Indian Himalayas videos

Greenhouse running
English | Ladakhi

Greenhouse Advocacy Ladakh
English

Greenhouse construction
English

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Proceedings of the seminar "Energy and Climate Change in cold regions of Asia

Local, national and international organisations from Hindu-Kush Himalaya, Central Asia and Europe had gathered at Leh in April 2009 to share their best practices and technologies in development sector. The 4-days seminar was organized by GERES India at Leh (Ladakh) in Northern India, from 21-24 April 2009.

 

GERES is very pleased to inform you that we have finally published the book - Proceedings of the Seminar 'Energy and Climate Change in Cold Regions of Asia'.

[This link is in the Internet Archives showing 30 important pdfs that DON'T open.
The web site of GERES from 2022 (https://www.geres.eu/) shows no documents about Ladakh any more].

GERES at Copenhagen, dec. 2009

GERES, a NGO whose primary focus is in both climate change and development, will take part in the next Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December 2009.

Project partners

Funders

Additional support

A network of six NGOs from Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti, and two European NGOs collaborate on different projects for the livelihood enhancement of Indian Western Himalayas.

Ladakh Ecological Development Group
   
LEDeG: Ladakh Ecological Development Group - ledegleh@gmail.com

Ladakh Environment and Health Organisation
   
LEHO: Ladakh Environment and Health Organisation - tashileho@yahoo.com

Leh [=Ladakh] Nutrition Project: LNP - lnpleh@yahoo.co.in
   
SKARCHEN: Society for Knowledge and Responsibilities of Culture Health Education and Nature - skarchen@yahoo.com

Spiti Transhimalayan Action Group: STAG: Spiti Transhimalayan Action Group - nonostagkaza@yahoo.com   

SECMOL: Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh - info@secmol.org - Web: www.secmol.org

Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association - BORDA - office@borda.de - Web: www.borda-sa.org

GERES : Groupe Energies Renouvelables Environnement et Solidarité - tel : 0091 1982 251 586 - india@geres.eu - Web: www.geres.eu


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Latin America: March 2, 2014: Pit greenhouse underground, or on the surface -- Ladakh (India), Feb.3, 2011: Technics for building a greenhouse with double walls around (GERES 2009) -- Video: Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus (5'39'') Erdmauer-Passiv-Solartreibhaus funktioniert auch bei -30ºC OHNE HEIZUNG   -- Web site 1: Welcome of NGO "geres" in India working with renewable energies -- Web site 2: Purpose -- Web site 3: Impact and effects: fresh food all day long -- Web site 4: The solar green house with it's solar front side, with double earth walls and special colors -- The passive solar greenhouse for cold areas described has several components, which together ensure that these requirements are met -- Web site 5: Where geres is working -- Web site 6: Links to detailed documentation of solar greenhouses for summer and winter (the links are not working) -- Web site 7: Discussion (nothing is any more there) -- Web site 8: NGO "geres" -- Web site 9: NGO network: LEDEG - LEHO - LNP - SKARCHEN - STAG - SECMOL - BORDA - GERES --

Photo sources
[1] Plan of a pit greenhouse fully underground, cross section scheme:
https://agricultorfindesemana.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/un-invernadero-bajo-tierra-o-en-una-vieja-cuadra/

[2] Plan of a pit greenhouse on the surface with earth walls, cross section scheme:
https://agricultorfindesemana.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/un-invernadero-bajo-tierra-o-en-una-vieja-cuadra/

[3] Ladakh (India) Feb.3, 2011: construction of a pit greenhouse on the surface by NGO GERES:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110203102241/http://solargreenhouse.org/index.html

[4] Plan of the GERES pit greenhouse at Ladakh (India) with solar front, doubled earth walls and special colores:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110201073208/http://solargreenhouse.org/solar_greenhouse.html

[5] Ladakh (India) 2009: Walipini Earth wall solar green house works at -30ºC NO HEATING - Treibhaus
Link: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Wv5zUK1EKqHB/ - Bitchute-Kanal: NatMed-etc. - hochgeladen am 15.8.2022

[6] Logo of GERES India: https://web.archive.org/web/20110301190629/http://solargreenhouse.org/geres.html



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