The key to sustainability of the Race Rocks Ecosystem with its program of research and education has been the development of an integrated energy system for Race Rocks. The links on this page provide an insight into how we have accomplished this task.
Recent Posts on The Integrated Energy System
In 2005 and 2006, Lester Pearson College received funding from the Ministry of Energy and Mines to assist with the development of the infrastructure for an Integrated Energy System at Race Rocks. The funding covered the initial costs of purchase and installation of the Solar Energy Component of that system.
Background of the Integrated Energy Project
for Race Rocks: Starting in 1997, Lester B. Pearson College had to raise the funds to keep the diesel generators working to supply electricity to the island. The cost of doing this was originally $11,000 per year and within 4 years reached $20,000. The lighthouse light and foghorn had been made energy self- sufficient with 8 solar panels and a battery array installed by the Coast Guard by 1997. By 1998 we were proposing to develop support for alternate energy technologies to make the rest of the island energy-self sufficient and in so doing, create a curriculum resource on alternate energy for science courses at Lester Pearson College and elsewhere.
Link to the Traditional Energy System at Race Rocks
The Archives of the TIDAL CURRENT ENERGY Project 2006-2011