South Peace Historical Society

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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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BN17-19: BC Hydro to Monitor Wind Activity

Recent Items – 2001

Oct. 23, 2001

DAWSON CREEK — BC Hydro has installed wind-monitoring equipment on existing infrastructure (referred to as “piggyback installations”) in Dawson Creek to measure the speed, direction and consistency of the wind.

These installations are the tenth and eleventh tall-tower wind monitoring devices installed in the province by BC Hydro.

Approximately five more monitoring stations (piggybacks and monitoring towers) are expected to be installed throughout B.C. over the next year, including two new towers in addition to the piggybacks in the Dawson Creek area.

The Dawson Creek towers are planned to be installed on private property, and BC Hydro asks that the public respect the owner of the property and refrain from trespassing.

This wind resource project is part of BC Hydro’s commitment to explore green energy sources that could be viable in the near future.

Options being considered in this green and alternative energy program include wind, micro hydro, woodwaste and community energy planning.

This project is separate from, but complementary to, BC Hydro’s recent request for proposals from experienced wind developers to contribute to the 20-megawatt green energy demonstration project planned for Vancouver Island, which will also include ocean wave technology and micro hydro.

“BC Hydro has made a firm commitment that 10 per cent of its new energy generation will be acquired through green energy,” said BC Hydro’s vice-president of Strategic Issues and Planning, Bruce Sampson.

“By monitoring the wind in these areas, we hope to identify realistic green energy options, including green energy supplies, new products or services, and possible new business ventures, as well as confirm that these resources are a good fit economically, environmentally and socially.”

For a typical installation, two anemometers (wind gauges) are mounted at 30 metres and 50 metres above the ground on the existing tower and a data logger is on site to capture the wind data.

Data will be recorded almost continuously from the monitoring equipment for one year. The data will be downloaded by telephone, cellular and manual connection and sent for analysis to BC Hydro’s offices in Burnaby.

Wind is currently used to generate electricity in places like Denmark, Germany, Great Britain and the US. In Canada, wind is generated or planned in Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland. In B.C., the success of wind generation is made more challenging by mountains and trees.

Although the price of hydroelectricity is very competitive, continued technological advances are expected to result in a decrease in the cost of wind generation.

This article is taken from the Peace River Block Daily News, Dawson Creek, with the permission of the publisher. The Daily News retains all rights relating to this material. The information in this article is intended solely for research or general interest purposes.

« BN17-18: DC Recycling Operation Expands Over the Year

BN17-20: Land Wanted for Nature, Not Soccer »

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