Permaculture Design-Principle 6

Cycling of Energy - Reconnecting movement of energy

All too often, our conventional systems are linear in nature, causing energy sinks which leak resources out of the system. For example, sewage is dumped into rivers and oceans where it pollutes habitats and the nutrients which agriculture could re-use are lost.

We need to make energy systems that are cyclical, and where possible use biological resources (plants, animals, people) to save energy and develop sustainable systems, reconnecting energy movements to keep them circulating within the system itself. For instance, we can dump sewage into artificial wetlands which remove all the contaminants and pathogens. The wetland plants can then be harvested regularly and used as fertiliser on the surrounding agricultural land so completing the energy cycle.

Appropriate technology

Use of non-biological appropriate technology can be used if they create long-term, sustainable biological systems and an enduring physical infrastructure, such as photovoltaic cells, solar water heaters, and composting toilets have used non-renewable resources in the manufacture, but they can be used effectively to produce or cycle on-site energy.

Solar cooking

From garden to solar oven

Solar greenhouse

Drying grapes and growing greens year-round		The fish tank acts as a solar heat collector, absorbing heat from the sun and releasing it into the greenhouse at night. It also provides enriched water for watering plants in the greenhouse.

1. Relative Location - Where stuff in the right place
2. Each Element Performs Multiple Functions - Multitasking
3. Multiple Sources for Each Need - Redundancy planning to reduce failure
4. Energy Efficient Planning - Zoning & sectors
5. Using Local Biological Resources - "Think globally, Act Locally"
6. Cycling of Energy - Reconnecting movement of energy
7. Optimum Sizing & Stacking - Intensive systems under control
8. Accelerating Plant Succession and Evolution- Working with Nature, not against Her
9. Polyculture and Diversity of Species - Resilience and resistance to pest attacks
10. Increasing "Edge" Within a System - Increasing productivity through edge effects and natural patterns

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