British Columbia鈥檚 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.
鈥淲e have 27 staffed lightstations. So far we have four that have renewable systems installed,鈥� says Shaun Loader, senior project engineer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 鈥淣ext year we鈥檒l have six more that are going to be upgraded to the same system.鈥�
Renewable systems include battery banks, inverters, solar panels and wind turbines.
亚洲天堂 from : Here鈥檚 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.
鈥� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
Coastal B.C.鈥檚 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. It鈥檚 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.
鈥淭hose lighthouses are there for a reason. They鈥檙e difficult to access and treacherous鈥ou can imagine getting supplies in there.鈥�
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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.
亚洲天堂 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.
鈥� 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 won鈥檛 take long. It costs between $30,000 and $40,000 per year for diesel per lightstation, and that doesn鈥檛 include delivery and crew costs. With Cape Beale鈥檚 combination, for example, 鈥渋t will be just under four years of payback.鈥�
亚洲天堂 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.
鈥� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
2/3 亚洲天堂 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.
鈥� Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN)
The diesel generators won鈥檛 be removed completely, Loader said. They will be replaced as they reach end of life; lightkeepers just won鈥檛 depend on them as much as they do now.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e good as an emergency backup,鈥� Loader said, or if the station needs to increase capacity or power supplied to the site for a search or other unexpected event.
鈥淲ith renewable energy there will be gaps. On days where there鈥檚 not much wind or not much sun, (the generators) will be a backup system.鈥�
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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