Category Archives: Technology

TIDAL CURRENT :RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR RACE ROCKS

Posted on by

Complete Video Coverage of the Announcement at Pearson College

 TV and Print Media Coverage of the event.

Press Release : CANA PARTNERS TO ENABLE PEARSON COLLEGE – ENCANA – CLEAN CURRENT TIDAL POWER DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT RACE ROCKS, BC Victoria

– Thanks to an innovative partnership between Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, EnCana Corporation and Clean Current Power Systems Incorporated, Canada’s first free-stream tidal power project will be built at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, offshore of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The project will enable the world famous marine park to tap into surrounding ocean currents and convert tidal energy to electric power for its needs beginning in early 2006. Making the announcement were:
Gwyn Morgan, President and CEO of EnCana,
Glen Darou, President and CEO of Clean Current,
Richard Neufeld, British Columbia Minister of Energy and Mines,
and Stuart Walker, Director of Pearson College.

 

Gwyn Morgan

Gwyn Morgan

Officially known as the “Pearson College – EnCana – Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project at Race Rocks,” the project is enabled by a $3-million investment from the EnCana Environmental Innovation Fund. “EnCana is pleased to be a partner in this first-class, alternative energy project,” said Morgan. “Our investment in this B.C.-based unconventional environmental and power technology reflectsour desire to tangibly encourage innovative energy solutions.” EnCana’s Environmental Innovation Fund was established to advance new technologies and solutions that improve environmental performance associated with consuming and producing energy. Commercial proceeds from financed projects will be re-invested into the fund to ensure their sustainability.

 

Richard Neufeld

“The commitment by Premier Campbell in promoting alternative energy sources has helped British Columbia become a world leader in sustainable environmental management,” said Neufeld. “The province commends projects like this one, as they show our commitment to developing clean energy solutions that will benefit all British Columbians.” The multi-year demonstration project will involve the installation, operation and monitoring of a 65kW free-stream tidal turbine generator in the water near Race Rocks, a provincial ecological reserve located 10 nautical miles southwest of Victoria.

Glen Darou

Clean Current is a private British Columbia-based company that designs and licenses technology that efficiently converts the energy of tidal currents into electricity. Clean Current’s proprietary technology consists of a horizontal-axis ducted turbine with a direct-drive variable speed permanent magnet generator. The turbine generator is equally efficient in both directions as the tidal currents reverse twice each day. “This Canadian technology is simple, efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Darou. “We believe it is highly exportable technology, with strong potential to succeed in international settings. Our company is delighted to have the support of EnCana, Pearson College, and technical partners AMEC, Powertech Labs Inc. and Triton Consultants Ltd.”

Pearson College, one of ten United World Colleges worldwide, is the custodian of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, located three nautical miles from campus. Diesel-powered generators currently provide electricity requirements at the reserve. Students and staff will work elements of the tidal power demonstration project into their studies. “This is a terrific project for Pearson College, in that it supports our goal of making the ecological reserve a showcase for alternative, low-impact technologies such as tidal power,” said Walker. “We would like to thank Clean Current for their commitment to developing the technology and EnCana for the financial support that is making this demonstration project possible.”

Second Year Pearson College student Alyssa Holland (year 30) concluded the presentation , by thanking the speakers. As a student involved in Environmental Systems and the diving program, she shared the enthusiasm she has for the resources of the area and emphasized the great importance she and other students attach to the effort of those involved in this project in the ongoing goal of producing energy sustainably.

Dave Skilling

Communications Coordinator
Lester B. Pearson College
250-391-2479
www.pearsoncollege.ca
www.racerocks.ca

 

Environmental Protection of the Ecological Reserve with the Installation of the Tidal current Generator at Race Rocks

Posted on by

This file provides information on the process used to ensure environmental protection of the Ecological Reserve with the installation of the tidal current generator at Race Rocks.

BACKGROUND REFERENCES:

Contents:

BACKGROUND REFERENCES: See Below

1.Permit Application for Research on the Ecological Reserve 2004

2. Appendix A– Energy at Race Rocks : The problems and Solutions:

3. Environmental Impact of Tidal Current Energy Generation on Marine Mammals: Addendum to Clean Current Permit Application: Garry Fletcher.

4. References on the effects of Tidal Energy Generation on Marine Life:

5. Information for the Race Rocks Advisory Board on Alternate Energy Developments In the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve: 2004.

6.Outline of Expectations for a Baseline Study and Follow-up monitoring of the Current Energy Project at Race Rocks:

7. Video of the type of organisms that grow in the area of the turbine site.

8. Pam and Jason of Archipelago Marine Document life forms along the cable path.

9. Video of impact of Concrete Anchor Placement for the Tidal Energy Project

10. Environmental Monitoring at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve related to the Pearson College-Encana-Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project by Pam Thuringer of Archipelago Marine, 2006.

11. Environmental Impact of the Diesel Energy Power generation System at Race Rocks

12. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: range Expansion of generator shed for battery storage

:13. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: Installation of Electrical Cable and Conduits at Race Rocks

14. Preliminary Environmental Screening for: Installation of the Piling for the tidal energy generator:.https://www.racerocks.ca/bc-parks-impact-assessment-process/ Continue reading →

Samples of screenshots from the remote cameras.

Posted on by
Observation of the scenes on the cameras often yield some interesting and varied scenes. Feel free to add to this collection of the screen shots from the video cameras. e-mail : Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the @ sign)gmail.com See further directions on this .

Telephoto of the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. This was taken on a clear day- May 18, 2001 zoomed in on the remote camera. The tail end of a tugboat-drawn barge going up the Strait of Juan de Fuca, May 18, 2001 On a calm day, the area is a very popular site for observation of marine birds and mammals by the tour boats which take on passengers in Sooke or Victoria. May 18, 2001
Captive tourists look out on the life of freedom enjoyed by the elephant seals and sea lions. May 18, 2001 May 18, 2001: Inflatable boats are used by many of the marine mammal tour boats.  We get some glorious sunsets looking out from Race Rocks.This one has the Metchosin Hills in the foreground: June 11, 2001
July 1, 2001, Canada Day fireworks over the provincial capital Victoria, B.C. Mike Slater lined up this scene on camera 3. July 4, 2001, American Independence Day fireworks over Port Angeles to the south of Race Rocks. Jean Dalphond captured this collage of images when he was staying at RR doing a project in early June, 2001.
Gull chicks hatching
July, 2001		 Pigeon guillemots – nest in burrows in the rocks – use remote camera to find
July, 2001		 There was an abundance of baby seals – born in mid July – 2001. Mike and Carol set the camera up on this scene on camera 2 .

The Brandt’s cormorants on the west shore in
January, 2002
May 2002 : yes, sometimes Race Rocks can be “golden”. This is camera 1 on the elephant seals.
June, 2002 : We have had a successful year for gull hatching: 96 counted at one time and most of them survived.
Pam Birley from England has sent us this eagle sequence, January, 2004. She has contributed her album of pictures to our daily log files. The OCEANQUEST exercises:use screen capture to contribute to a database

BC Parks Impact Assessment Process

Posted on by

FIle No: 85700-35-0210206

Name of Action:       Construction and Pile Drilling for Current Turbine Project  

Proponent:               Lester B Pearson College

Review Date(s):         Nov 2, 2005             

  1. Issues and Environmental Components
  2. List any issues of concern that have been or may be raised by BC Parks, other government agencies, First Nations, or the public.

2 Identify any geographic “hotspots” at or close to the proposed action (e.g., areas of high use, concentrations of facilities, wilderness conservation zones, unique landscape features).

Below are the relevant items that we are contributing to this Preliminary Assessment, the third in a series leading up to this project. If further items are provided in the next few weeks, they will be updated here:

Location: The proposed location of the Tidal Current Generator Piling for the Cradle is shown below. This site was chosen after extensive testing of the current profiles in both channels with the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler.

The red lines indicate the Pearson College  permit access area..

 

 

 

3. Identify any important environmental, recreational, social or economic values in the area of the proposed action and/or the area surrounding the proposed action (e.g., rare or endangered species, hiking experience, midden site). Include a rationale as to why the value is considered important.

The location for the installation is in the current channel just South of North Rock, with the typical associations of organisms of the highly current swept areas of the island. Since the depth is up to 20 meters, there are few macroalgae present.

Archipelago marine has done a SIMS towed video CD . The route they took and the timing of the footage was done according to this Chart. Video taken by Pam Thuringer in the area of the chart missed by the towed video is now available from Archipelago marine

Some footage taken by the Pearson College Divers which shows the bottom fauna in the area of the turbine piling is located here:

In order to predict the best location for the installation of the tidal power generator, an ADCP ( Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) supplied by ASL Environmental Sciences was deployed. This instrument will collect current regime information for a period of one month. Rita Santos did the video and Angie Karlsen helped Chris Blondeau lift and position the concrete weights used to secure the device on the sea floor..

For an idea of the general patterns of organism distribution, the two clips below were taken from the video which was filmed at the location of the ADCP research at Station2:

Preliminary Screen Checklist (partial)

C. Level 1 report should recommend appropriate times and methods for construction to ensure birds /wildlifeimpacts are kept to a minimum.

Date of work: The installation in November is timed after the nesting and seal pupping season and in the time of the year when the Sea Lions have returned but are concentrated in the area to the East of the docks, on South Rock and on Middle and West Island. The closest population that may be disturbed by the drilling is on North Rock, and part of Middle Rock. In the past that population frequently comes and goes probably because of the fall schedule of blasting by DND .
Construction Method: We have been advised that a contract has been let by Clean Current for the drilling and installation of the piling to bear the generator to:

Fraser River Pile & Dredge Ltd. (FRPD)1830 River Drive
New Westminster, B.C.
V3M 2A8
Tel: (604) 528-9333
(Project manager Rick Gillis)
The attached .pdf file.. Construction Drilling provides the details of this phase of the project.

The amount of oil consumed in the drilling operation is approximately 5 gallons /hr. For a drilling depth of 8 m, the operation should take 4-5 hours. The drilling operation will not produce an oil slick. In the event of a spill FRPD, will employ their standard method of deploying containment booms and pads to contain the oil. Due to the challenging conditions in this area, FRPD will have additional booms and pads on board.
The drilling operation is a closed system. All drill cuttings will be brought to the surface and then processed through a cyclone which will separate the cuttings from the water. The water and entrained air will then be returned to the ocean via a pipe at a depth of approx. 20 ft. All of the cuttings will be collected on a scow that is tied up along side the drilling barge.The cuttings will be taken ashore for disposal.
Six anchor blocks of approximately 6’ x 6’ x 6’ will be used to anchor the drilling rig in position. Each of these blocks can be dropped at a predetermined location; however, depending on the current during this operation, the actual location may differ from the intended spot. Also, once all 6 blocks are in position, the anchor lines will be tensioned to firmly lock the barge in position. During this winching operation, it is very possible for the blocks to slide a short distance along the seabed until they lock in position. The thinking now is that 4of these blocks will left in place for the duration of the Tidal Generator Project. This will avoid further damage to the bottom in future operations where a barge will have to be employed for the lifting of the generator on regular (yeaarly) basis for servicing.
Equipment

Island Tug operates a large fleet of tugs and barges including one self-propelled cable layer. The principal method of cable handling utilizes one of two powered self-breaking drums. Reel number 1 has a capacity for 80,000 feet of 2-inch diameter cable with a break holding capacity of 200 tons. Reel number 2 has a capacity for 30,000 feet of 2-inch diameter cable with a break holding capacity of 100 tons.

Procedure of Cable Laying – General

Reel number 2 is mounted aboard the cable layer, Georgia Transporter. Cable is transferred from shore storage reels to the ship-mounted reel and transported to the site. Cable is taken ashore at the cable shore-end via a bow mounted adjustable ramp. A bow mounted cable chute is used to deploy the cable while the Georgia Transporter is towed astern. Two GPS systems monitor the surface position and provide feedback via digital charts. Track corrections are implemented through a variety of methods using the Ship’s power, directing the towing vessel or employing side boats. For shallow water lays, the cable tension is not monitored by equipment but by the angle off the bow, with lay and reel speeds corrected as necessary. For deep-water lays, the cable tension is monitored with on deck tension monitoring equipment such as linear tension devices or load cells. Cable weights and water depth information are pre plotted along a planned track in order to adjust for the intended tension at given positions.

Reel number 1 is mounted aboard one of Island’s flat deck barges and used in the same manner as the description above, with the exception that the barge will start and finish on four point moorings.

Island Tug And Barge Ltd.
R.L. (Bob) Shields
President
Piling Construction:

Further details of the column construction in the figure above can be obtained from a .pdf file from Clean Current
On Site Supervision: Chris Blondeau, operations manager, and Garry Fletcher, Ecological Reserve Warden will be available to oversee the environmental concerns. In addition, Pam Thuringer and staff of Archipelago Marine have been contracted to do an ongoing environmental assessment for the duration of the construction phase of the project.
Recommendations:1. If it is possible, we recommend the temporary displacement of any of the larger motile invertebrates such as sea urchins, sea stars and sea cucumbers in the impacted area while the project is being carried out, with their return to the same approximate habitat upon completion. This may however not be feasible given the nature of the operation and the timing.

2. Working at this time of year could involve difficult weather conditions. It must be emphasized that the safety of personnel and the ecological reserve is paramount.

Prepared by G. Fletcher Nov 2, 2005

the Racerocks.com Activity 2004-2005

Posted on by

The racerocks.com  activity was designed to accommodate those students who had an interest in internet technology and webcasting live activities from Race Rocks and from  Pearson College Campus. This set of photos show some of their activities 

The Race Rocks Weather Station

Posted on by

 

October, 2005 Chinyere and Juan Carlos inspect the Davis Weather Instrument that we have installed at Race Rocks for real-time monitoring and archiving of meteorological events.

 

Several individuals and groups have helped us in implementing this weather station. In particular we must mention the anonymous gifting to Race Rocks of two G4 Computers from our friend Julia from Boston. The weather instrument console originally interfaced with one of these computers and regularly transmitted the data by FTP to the Telus internet server.  Now a computer supplied by Pearson College transmits this data to a different server used by this website.
Thanks also to Mike Slater for an excellent job of installing the mast and the conduit for the instrument, and for the remote help in keeping the software running through our internet connection.

Funding of the weather instrument and installation work was originally funded byThe B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines to assist in the upgrading of Internet services from the Island and to up-date monitoring of the environmental factors as part of the Pearson College, ENCANA, Clean Current Demonstration Tidal Power Project.

You may be able to find a Davis Weather Instrument in your neighbourhood too !

Imagine my surprize in April 2007 when I came across this Davis Weather Instrument operating behind the Bayon Temple at the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site in Cambodia.

 

Race Rocks Millenium Project 2002-2004

Posted on by

A Bold Initiative: racerocks.com utilizes 21st century technology to maximum advantage to create a dynamic educational web experience utilizing the extraordinary marine eco-system at Race Rocks, Canada’s most southerly point in the Pacific.

Real time streaming video webcasts digital images of marine life from above the sea at Race Rocks and below the ocean when divers are on hand to do the live mobile webcasts. In addition, a complete environmental scan will be continually transmitted from the site using an array of data sensors in five ecosystems of the area.

The knowledge of the First Nations is being explored and explained as the Salish people share generations of experience in living in harmony with the abundance that once dominated this region and is now threatened.

Creative educators are developing internet-based curriculum to stimulate students and teachers to engage fully in the racerocks.com educational program. Researchers will share their studies and discoveries as we gain a new and deeper understanding of the ecosystem

The Place

For centuries, deep ocean currents and the great rivers of the Georgia Basin have converged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between southern Vancouver Island and Washington State. Race Rocks reveals itself as nine rocky outcrops thrust from the ocean floor in the middle of the strait.

For generations the people of the Salish Nation prospered in this region at the entrance to the Salish Sea. The extraordinary richness of this diverse ecosystem represented by Race Rocks is valued today as it was then. Race Rocks has been an ecological reserve since 1980 and is becoming Canada’s first internationally recognized Marine Protected Area.

The small, rocky outcrops are home to seals, sea lions, elephant seals and birds, as well as the buildings and equipment of the Race Rocks Lighthouse. These outcrops are literally the tip of the ecosystem New leading-edge bathymetry reveals Race Rocks as a giant underwater mountain. The diversity of marine life is breathtaking and still not fully explored. The teachings of Salish elders merge with more recent science to explain the mysteries of nature at Race Rocks.

The Technology

Recent developments have made a complex real time streaming video site possible. Presently three and potentially up to seven digital cameras and an array of data sensors above and below the ocean at Race Rocks will collect information. The signal is compressed and transmitted by broad band radio from the top of the Race Rocks light tower direct to nearby Pearson College. From Pearson College, through high speed fiber links to the racerocks.com server, and then on to the AKAMAI network, the video and data will be available throughout the internet. Two-way interactive capability is being incorporated into the design to allow for specific educational programming.

The Partners

Lester B. Pearson College– is one of ten United World Colleges located around the world. Two hundred students from over 80 countries study the International Baccalaureate curriculum during their two years at Pearson College. Garry Fletcher, a faculty member teaching Environmental Systems and Biology at Pearson College, is the educational director of racerocks.com. Garry and his students will guide the educational content of the site. Pearson College operates the former Race Rocks light station facilities as a education centre under an agreement with BC Parks. Pearson College is the lead proponent and partner directing the racerocks.com project.


LGS Group Inc. – is one of Canada’s largest full service IT consulting firm with 2100 employees in 20 offices in Canada, Europe and the US. LGS is donating the time and resources to provide project management and web design services in the creation of racerocks.com. Along with their ability to capitalize on emerging Internet technologies to promote the project, LGS brings essential knowledge, skills, and expertise. 

Telus– a leading Canadian telecommunications company, is providing the bandwidth and server capability  to host racerocks.com. Skilled technical staff at Telus have assisted in the development and implementation of the project assuring high-speed delivery to the Internet and accessibility to a large audience. Telus is donating this component to racerocks.com.

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre-a leading organization in marine research and public education on the West Coast of Canada. The Marine Science Centre has committed a significant contribution of funds and expertise to the project. In return it will gain a new window for aquarium visitors into an ecologically sensitive marine world at the South tip of Vancouver Island. The most recent contribution is a hydrophone which will be installed subtidally at Race Rocks.

Apple Computers (Canada)– The Computers that we use for the live video webcasts from Race Rocks are all made by APPLE COMPUTERS. In July of 2000, Apple Canada became a partner in the Millennium Partnership program with the donation of a Macintosh PowerBook G3. 500 MHz. It followed up with further support in April of 2001 with the donation of a G4 500 MHz portable computer. These new high speed computers have been essential in broadcasting the manually operated live programs from the islands.They have been a most valuable addition for our live video webcasting programs.

Apple and the Apple Learning Interchange:

The quicklime live video streams were hosted by the Apple Learning interchange over the Akamai Internet distribution network. In April of 2001, a set of three airport cards was provided by ALI in order to make all the cameras webcasting wirelessly from the island. Race Rocks support pages, learning activities, discussion forums, and scheduled chats.

Seapoint Sensors Inc. of Kingston New Hampshire has joined as a partner providing a turbidity meter for measuring turbidity or suspended solids and a Chlorophyll fluorometer for measuring chlorophyll a . Both are representative of a fine line of high performance oceanographic sensors. They are installed sub-tidaly in 8 meters of water off the docks on the North Side of Race Rocks .

CompuSmart of Victoria , B.C. has joined as a partner in providing the majority of the funds for the purchase of a new computer for the Database which is being produced to handle the  Phase 2 Environmental Data Sensors for Race Rocks.

Sorenson Media provided  software to assist in the production of the live streaming video and the improvement of the archived video on the website.

FRIENDS of ECOLOGICAL RESERVES-The “Friends” have been long time supporters of Race Rocks. They have given financial help for the purchase in 2000 of a camera for the project and in 2001, a SONY wireless microphone.

 

SONY of Canada Ltd.

joined as a partner in April of 2001, with the donation of a SONY Digital Video camera. This camera joins the three other SONY cameras that are used to provide the live streaming video from Race Rocks.

Government Agencies-racerocks.com has received assistance from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in many aspects of the project development. BC Parks has provided the use of buildings and facilities at Race Rocks. Both levels of government are working cooperatively with local First Nations groups as well as other community groups to create the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

 

Millennium Partnership Fund– racerocks.com would not have been possible without major funding from the Canadian Millennium Partnership Fund of the Government of Canada. We are very grateful to the Federal Government and all those who assisted us in our application.

Graduate Students We are particularly fortunate to benefit from the services and support of a number of alumni of Lester B. Pearson College who have donated their time or have given direct financial assistance to racerocks.com

Ken Dunham ( PC year 9) has designed and implemented the advanced network at Pearson College, and recently
extended these facilities across the water to Race Rocks.

Giovanni Rosso (PC year 24) has provided the money for a digital camera which we use to document the project.

Jochen Kumm (PC year 10) has provided a computer for the Ecological Overview database and is assisting with the development of the Environmental Database for racerocks.com

Affiliated Organizations

  • Glentel

Continue reading →

Installation of Succession plates for the Tidal Energy project

Posted on by

This video shows the installation process for the tidal energy generator research project. This was carried out by Chris Blondeau and the Pearson College Divers in order to determine which surfaces discouraged growth in the waters at Race Rocks. As a result, Titanium was used in the construction of some parts of the generator as it was one of the metals most resistant to fouling.

See other archived video with Pearson College Divers

Link to the Integrated Energy Project

Deploy and Retrieve ADCP Instrument 2005

Posted on by

In order to predict the best location for the installation of the tidal power generator, an ADCP ( Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) supplied by ASL Environmental Sciences was deployed. This instrument will collect current regime information for a period of one month. Rita Santos did the video and Angie Karlsen helped Chris Blondeau lift and position the concrete weights used to secure the device on the sea floor..

See other archived video with Pearson College Divers

Tidal Energy Project -Announcement of Partnership

Posted on by

On February 25, 2005, Pearson College hosts the announcement of the Pearson College, ENCANA, Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project at Race Rocks.
This video by Alexander Mirzoyan ( yr 31) (Russia) presents the complete proceedings and speeches. Pearson College Director Stewart Walker leads off with introductions to the speakers

CBC-tidalenergySee CBC TV News Clip