British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 coastal lighthouses are going green. Not the colour: they will remain red and white on the outside. However, their power sources are turning to renewable energy.
sa国际传媒淲e have 27 staffed lightstations. So far we have four that have renewable systems installed,sa国际传媒� says Shaun Loader, senior project engineer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. sa国际传媒淣ext year wesa国际传媒檒l have six more that are going to be upgraded to the same system.sa国际传媒�
Renewable systems include battery banks, inverters, solar panels and wind turbines.
News from : Heresa国际传媒檚 to a brighter future! Thanks to its new solar array, 馃搷 Entrance Island Lightstation now harnesses the power of the sun to mark the entrance to Harbour.
sa国际传媒� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
Coastal B.C.sa国际传媒檚 lightstations have traditionally run on diesel generators. Now that those generators are approaching the end of their life, stations are being converted to renewable energy sources. Itsa国际传媒檚 a more cost effective way to power lightstations, Loader explained, especially when the cost and difficulty of delivering diesel to the stations are factored in.
sa国际传媒淭hose lighthouses are there for a reason. Theysa国际传媒檙e difficult to access and treacheroussa国际传媒ou can imagine getting supplies in there.sa国际传媒�
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There are already four lightstations that are in various stages of conversion: Entrance Island at the mouth of Nanaimo Harbour, Merry Island on the Sunshine Coast, Boat Bluff near Bella Bella and Cape Scott at the north end of Vancouver Island. While the conversion systems are modular, each combination will be customized to the individual stations depending on whether they get more sunlight or more wind, Loader explained.
Timing for construction will depend on the weather windows: long stretches of calm weather will mean the work will be done faster.
News from : Our greening work at Boat Bluff Lightstation shows how sustainability is largely a balancing act. On a steep cliff at the entrance to Tolmie Channel near , Boat Bluff now draws power from these slanting solar panels.
sa国际传媒� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
The six stations expected to convert to renewable energy sources in 2019 are Carmanah on the West Coast Trail, Cape Beale (also along the West Coast Trail), Lennard Island off Tofino, Estevan Point, Ivory Island and Green Island, just off of Prince Rupert.
Work has already begun on the Cape Beale lightstation, which will receive two, 5-kilowatt solar arrays and two, 3Kw wind turbines, an inverter and battery bank system by the end of 2019. The cost to upgrade Cape Beale, for instance, will run around $300,000 ($40,000 for the battery bank, $100,000 for solar and $150,000 for wind turbines).
The payback for conversion wonsa国际传媒檛 take long. It costs between $30,000 and $40,000 per year for diesel per lightstation, and that doesnsa国际传媒檛 include delivery and crew costs. With Cape Bealesa国际传媒檚 combination, for example, sa国际传媒渋t will be just under four years of payback.sa国际传媒�
News from : Our final spotlight this week shines on Cape Scott Lightstation, located at the northwest tip of 馃搷 Island. We worked with to install a trio of solar arrays that now give power to light the way for mariners.
sa国际传媒� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
2/3 News from : Check out all of the sustainable upgrades at 馃搷 Merry Island Lightstation! This remote site was powered by diesel generators. We converted it to renewable energy and upgraded the diesel system for use as emergency backup.
sa国际传媒� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
The diesel generators wonsa国际传媒檛 be removed completely, Loader said. They will be replaced as they reach end of life; lightkeepers just wonsa国际传媒檛 depend on them as much as they do now.
sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e good as an emergency backup,sa国际传媒� Loader said, or if the station needs to increase capacity or power supplied to the site for a search or other unexpected event.
sa国际传媒淲ith renewable energy there will be gaps. On days where theresa国际传媒檚 not much wind or not much sun, (the generators) will be a backup system.sa国际传媒�
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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