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#1 Yesterday 13:39:21
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 9,165
Bogs and Bog, Floating Island Technology, and Roller Solar.
To me this somewhat for amusement and learning. But I think it might lead to something useful, so if the administration tolerates it I will work on this. Otherwise, we can delete it.
I have noticed that certain people in the world have created floating islands to make farms on, so that is of interest. Also, Bogs could be places where Carbon could be sequestered, from the atmosphere. Ideally such sequestration could be in association with economically gainful activities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinampa
Quote:
Floating islands for farming are innovative solutions that utilize water bodies for agricultural purposes. These islands can be constructed using various materials and designs, such as reeds, mud, or specialized floating structures. Here are some key points about floating islands for farming:
Chinampas: These ancient Aztec floating gardens are still used today in the Valley of Mexico. They consist of small, rectangular plots built on lake beds, surrounded by canals for irrigation and drainage. Chinampas are known for their ability to grow diverse crops and support a balanced ecosystem.
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BioHaven Floating Islands: These islands are designed for farm ponds, treatment ponds, and more. They come in various sizes and can be customized with planting pockets for aquatic or terrestrial plants. BioHaven islands are also used for waterfowl nesting and can be placed in shallow or deep water.
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Floating Riverbanks: These can be planted with edible crops, transforming canal and river banks into floating farms. They provide inspiration and food for local populations and can be positioned next to boats, cafes, or docks.
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Floating Walkways: These can be combined with Floating Ecosystems to create larger floating farms, allowing for easy access for planting and harvesting crops.
1Floating islands for farming offer sustainable and innovative solutions for growing crops in water bodies, supporting both agricultural production and environmental conservation.
5 Sources
This may have paths to Mars.
Also, though this may have paths to solar energy.
A floating Island might support solar collectors and farming. It might be spun on the water to assist in making the installation sun facing.
https://engineerine.com/portugals-floating-solar-farm/
Quote:
Portugal’s Floating Solar Farm: A Renewable Energy Revolution
Last Updated on March 24, 2025 by Alex Ramirez
Image Quote: 
I think that the means of floatation of floating islands is partial fermentation and the pickling of the substance of the island. The Oxygen being consumed, decay is retarded. The mass if filled with gas bubbles.
So, I am thinking that you could put new vegetation under the island periodically and perhaps bubble Nitrogen or CO2 under the island to push tiny flotation bubbles under it.
You might put woven mats on top, and maybe bamboo frames on top of that.
Then Solar panels on top of that.
You may or may not promote agriculture on top of the island, under the solar panels.
You may be able to rotate the island during the day so that the solar panels face the sun.
If you are on top of a salt water body, even hypersaline, your flotation will be enhanced, and the salt may help to pickle the biomass under the island.
Should you want to inhibit evaporation, you might put a vapor barrier under the mats that would be put on top of the islands vegetation mass.
On Mars, if you had this in a dome, your pressure could be low inside the dome and you could have hypersaline water.
OK, that opens it a bit. The island is to primarily be made of biological waste.
If you are promoting agriculture on top of it then the nightly dews will settle on the vegetation helping to water it. This most likely would be done on fresh water, but maybe some salt tolerant crop could be grown on salt water.
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Last edited by Void (Today 11:25:42)
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#2 Yesterday 17:36:42
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 9,165
Re: Bogs and Bog, Floating Island Technology, and Roller Solar.
The idea of a floating island well sized to a pond which could rotate to follow the sun, allowing better solar panel performance, could be hindered by winter ice.
However, moving water can melt holes in ice, on rivers and even lakes.
https://www.elitedockbubbler.com/
Quote:
Bubbler systems are effective for melting ice by transferring heat energy from the water to the ice, causing it to melt. Here are some key points about their operation:
Heat Transfer: Bubblers transfer heat energy from the warmer water at the bottom of a lake or pond to the ice cover, which helps to melt the ice.
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Controlled Melting: These systems can reduce ice thickness, allowing ships to pass through or causing ice to break up more easily.
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Environmental Benefits: Using bubbler systems can also improve water quality by adding dissolved oxygen, benefiting aquatic life.
1
Installation Considerations: The effectiveness of a bubbler system depends on factors like water depth, temperature, and natural ice cover characteristics.
2For more detailed information, you can refer to the sources,, and.
33 Sources
So, a pond almost entirely covered by a floating island could retain considerable heat in the water at it's bottom provided the pond were greater than 6 feet deep as I recall.
If you included a means of melting the ice by swirling that warmer water onto the water at the perimeter, of the floating island, you might be able to keep ice from gluing the island in place to the shore. A bubbler method might work.
And during the winter, you might also add heat back into the pond using solar energy.
Such a pond almost fully covered by a floating island, might engage in a simulation of the pickling process of a natural bog. So the decay rate of the floating island might be slow.
While you could rely in part on decay to insert tiny bubbles into the mesh of the floating island, it could be that burning something and then pumping the exhaust under the floating island would do rather nicely, as it would be deficient of Oxygen.
I am not sure how artificial saltwater bogs would work, but the salt might be assistive in pickling the floating island.
As I have said before you might include vapor barriers to reduce evaporation from a saltwater or brine bog, floating island.
The idea of a floating island, is then that it can rotate during the day, helping to present an array of solar panels to the sun, with one degree of mobility, and a bio-bearing.
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Last edited by Void (Yesterday 17:49:27)
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#3 Today 11:29:51
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 9,165
Re: Bogs and Bog, Floating Island Technology, and Roller Solar.
I have expanded the title of this topic with the phrase ", and Roller Solar".
Both a rotator platform and "Roller Solar" can probably use ganged collective actuation for collections of solar panels mounted on them.
I will reference "Roller Solar" here now, bringing materials into this topic:
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 39#p237139
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 48#p237148
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 54#p237154
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 55#p237155
Buth turntable and roller schemes provide one axis of rotation.
I feel that either could implement rows of solar panels that can have that have mutual linkages that can orient them to the sun.
A visual for that might be vertical or horizontal window blinds.
While this may give the best pose to the sun's movements in the sky, it might also allow the panels to be posed in a manner to endure weather conditions that can cause damage, by wind or hail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_blind
Imagine that this is a collection of solar panels: Image Quote: 
Imagine that the sun is at the left of the image. The panels would be too close together. but the concept is represented.
The primary axis of rotation is to spin horizontal with the floating island, and between vertical and horizontal for the roller.
Each presents a flat surface upon which hinged solar panels can be attached. Linkages can "Gang" these panels.
So for the primary orientation, you could have a singular method of actuation and positioning.
For the flat island, that will be an orientation of the whole structure. For a roller system the roll is the primary be a roll, which will be controlled by a single method of actuation and orientation.
The will both present a flat surface to the sun, upon which a collection of solar panels can be linked to be actuated and positioned as a collection.
To protect from wind, perhaps the solar panels can be "Locked Down" to the flat surface.
To protect from hail, perhaps an approximately vertical position would be appropriate. But that might expose the panels to damage from the wind. So, not perfect protection.
Otherwise, orientation can be according to energy concerns.
A solar panel may have a cooling pigment on its back side, and in the night might lie flat with that cooling surface exposed to the sky.
So, if you have a water reservoir, you might cool it at night and use the cooled water to cool the solar panels during the day.
Ending Pending
Last edited by Void (Today 11:51:29)
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