Series: Mining & Materials • Part 13 of 14
Communities Around Lakes
The first hole becomes the first lake. Around it, a town grows — powered by sunshine , built from our own steel, glass, and blocks, warmed by quiet waste heat from compute, and stitched together with short circular loops.
Today’s mission
Plan a lake‑centered town where industry is a polite neighbor, not a skyline.
Publish pre‑calculated energy, water, transit, and land‑use kits.
Prove that a mine’s end is a city’s beginning.
Why lake towns (from pit to park)
Our mines are planned to become lakes. That means benches become coves, haul roads become trails, and the campus becomes a quiet neighbor that exports heat, power, blocks, and jobs. Lakes buffer water and seasons, and they make the town feel like a park with addresses.
- Clean process: smokeless furnaces, electric trucks, covered conveyors.
- Short loops: heat to homes, cullet/scrap stay local.
- Ship shapes: finished products leave by rail & ship; waste doesn’t travel.
Plan & shoreline design (gentle edges, generous space)
Shore rules (simple & safe)
- Set‑back: no buildings within 50 m of highest lake level; trails/boardwalk allowed.
- Littoral shelf: a 5–20 m shallow band for habitat and wave gentling.
- Slopes: stabilize inner banks; plant native reeds and trees; no bare riprap walls.
- Public first: at least 70% of shoreline is public park/trail.
Town structure
- Blue‑green ring: habitat + trail around the lake; PV meadows sit outside that ring.
- Center: school • clinic • market • library within a 10‑minute walk of most homes.
- Campus: glass/blocks/compute downwind and down‑grade, linked by e‑bus and freight spur.
Energy & heat (microgrid with manners)
Electrical plan
- PV meadows: 1 MWp ≈ 1.6–2.2 ha. Trackers double as shaded trails.
- Site battery: size ≈ 12 h × average town load.
- Ring bus: MV loop (MEC‑96‑E) feeds neighborhoods, campus, and docks.
Heat plan
- Waste heat: compute halls export 45–60 °C water to a district loop.
- Thermal storage: insulated tanks flatten winter mornings.
- Lake source heat pumps: closed loops (no open intake) supply peaks without touching ecology.
Rule‑of‑thumb PV sizing (town)
PV‑min (MWp) ≈ Average MW × 5.14 (5.5 peak‑sun hours, 85% DC→AC). We oversize PV to power neighbors and speed cloning (Part 10).
Water & ecology (closed loops, clear water)
Loops
- Town water: treatment → distribution → reuse → polish → return; lake buffers seasons.
- Campus water: industrial loops stay separate; blowdown mineralizes blocks .
- Storm: bioswales and wetlands clean runoff before it meets the lake.
Quality & safety
- Continuous monitoring at inlets/outlets; publish data live.
- Non‑motorized lake (paddles, sail); electric service boats only.
- Emergency spillways sized for once‑in‑a‑century storms, not wishful thinking.
Homes & public life (the town you can walk)
Housing kit
- Blocks (CO₂‑cured), LC³ binders, and solar glass — all made next door.
- All‑electric: heat pumps, induction kitchens, heat‑recovery ventilation.
- Orientation & shade from street trees and verandas; roofs host PV where useful.
Civic spine
- School, clinic, library, market hall, makerspace.
- Sports fields at the downwind edge; boardwalk & playgrounds at the lake.
- Weekly market for local metal/glass/brick craft.
Mobility & access (wheels meet water)
Everyday motion
- E‑bus ring around the lake (5–8 km typical); 10‑minute headways all day.
- Protected cycleway parallel to the bus loop; e‑bike share at docks & center.
- Freight stays on the rail spur; last‑mile by small e‑trucks.
Neighbors & jobs
- Campus jobs: manufacturing, QA, controls, maintenance; clean, shift‑friendly.
- Town jobs: teaching, health, hospitality, crafts, logistics.
- Training center pairs with seed factory to grow talent locally.
Pre‑calculated town sizes
Lake Village
~5,000 people • ~2,000 households (2.5 persons/hh).
| Metric | Planning value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Average electric load | ~2.1 MW | Homes ~1.26 MW + civic ~0.8 MW |
| PV min | ~10.8 MWp | Avg×5.14 rule |
| Storage (12 h) | ~25 MWh | Site battery |
| District heat supply | ~5 MWth | Glass/compute mix |
| Water demand | ~600 m³/day | 120 L/person/day |
| Lake area (typical) | ~0.5 km² | Trail ≈ 2.5 km |
| PV meadow area | ~0.22 km² | ≈ 22 ha |
| E‑bus ring | 2–3 buses | 10‑min headway |
Lake Town
~25,000 people • ~10,000 households.
| Metric | Planning value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Average electric load | ~9.4 MW | Homes ~6.28 MW + civic ~3.1 MW |
| PV min | ~48 MWp | Avg×5.14 rule |
| Storage (12 h) | ~112 MWh | Site battery |
| District heat supply | ~30 MWth | Compute 20 MW + lines 10 MW |
| Water demand | ~3,000 m³/day | 120 L/person/day |
| Lake area (typical) | ~2.0 km² | Trail ≈ 5.0 km |
| PV meadow area | ~1.0 km² | ≈ 100 ha |
| E‑bus ring | 3–5 buses | 10‑min headway + feeders |
Lake City
~100,000 people • ~40,000 households.
| Metric | Planning value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Average electric load | ~37.5 MW | Homes ~25.1 MW + civic ~12.4 MW |
| PV min | ~193 MWp | Avg×5.14 rule |
| Storage (12 h) | ~450 MWh | Site battery |
| District heat supply | ~60–80 MWth | Compute + lines |
| Water demand | ~12,000 m³/day | 120 L/person/day |
| Lake area (typical) | ~5.0 km² | Trail ≈ 7.9 km |
| PV meadow area | ~3.9 km² | ≈ 390 ha |
| E‑bus ring | 10–12 buses | 5–10 min headway + trunks |
All values are planning points so builders can stage land and utilities without a calculator.
Land‑use & metrics (make room for birds and ballgames)
Budget (typical Lake Town)
- Shore parks & habitat: ~30–40%
- PV meadows: ~10–15%
- Homes & mixed use: ~25–35%
- Streets & paths: ~10–15%
- Campus & yards: ~10–15%
Noise & light
- Industrial edges stay <75 dBA at the fence.
- Downward, warm lighting; curfew for fields near roosts.
- Train horns traded for quiet crossings wherever allowed.
Q&A
“Is it safe to live near an ex‑mine?”
Safety is designed in: stabilized slopes, lined & monitored outflows, separate industrial water loops, and public dashboards for air/water/noise. The lake is the town’s park, not its sump.
“What about flood or drought?”
The lake is storage. Seasonal inflows fill it; controlled outflows and auxiliary basins manage storms. PV meadows and wetlands slow water, then clean it before it meets the lake.
“Will there be enough heat in winter?”
Yes: compute waste heat is constant and predictable. Thermal tanks and lake‑source heat pumps cover peaks. Buildings are efficient and all‑electric; demand is calm.
“Do PV fields spoil the view?”
We place PV outside the green ring, underplanted as meadows with walking paths. Fences are low and wildlife‑friendly. Panels face the sun; people face the water.
Up next — Scaling Civilization: Playing in Terawatts (Part 14 of 14). We’ll zoom out from one lake to a lattice of cities and campuses — a world that runs on sunlight and good engineering.