Resource World Magazine

A LT ER NATI V E EN ER G Y R E VI E W Developments in Alternative Energy by Jane Bratun CANADA'S FIRST OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT TO PROVIDE ENERGY FOR HOMES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA NaiKun Wind Energy Group, Inc. [NKW-TSXV], based in British Columbia, is developing Canada's first offshore wind project, the NaiKun Offshore Wind Energy Project to be located off the coast of Haida Gwaii in the Hecate Strait. Up to 110 wind turbines will be installed to generate up to 396 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to serve more than 130,000 British Columbia homes. Studies show the Hecate Strait is an ideal location for the project because the proposed wind farm area has consistent wind speeds, with annual average speeds of 9.6 metres per second. The sea is relatively shallow; the water depths range from 10 to 26 metres. The sea floor is flat and sandy. The wind turbines will be positioned a minimum of 8 km from the shores of Haida Gwaii between Cape Ball and Rose Spit. The wind turbines will operate at wind speeds between 4 and 25 metres per second and will be capable of varying the pitch and angle of their blades to capture maximum wind energy. Designed to operate remotely, the blades will rotate at a maximum rate of 18-20 revolutions per minute. Protection around the base of wind turbines, where needed, will limit disturbance to the seafloor. The project includes an offshore con58 www.resourceworld.com verter station that will convert wind power from the turbines into electricity. A buried (up to a depth of 1 metre), high voltage, direct current, submarine cable will transmit electricity from the wind farm to the mainland (Ridley Island). An onshore converter station at Ridley Island and overhead transmission lines will connect the project to BC Hydro's main power grid, and a second buried submarine cable, the HaidaLink, will connect to Haida Gwaii, providing clean, renewable energy; diesel fuel currently powers the islands. A support vessel will provide operations and maintenance support. Installation of the wind turbines will take place during low wind and wave periods (April to September); the project is expected to be fully operational in 2014. HUMAN-MADE RESERVOIRS COULD REDUCE GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION COSTS Geothermal energy developers working on the flanks of an ancient Oregon volcano say they have taken an important technological step toward expanding geothermal energy into a major source of homegrown power. AltaRock Energy, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, is analyzing data from its Newberry Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Project; they are confident they have created three geothermal reservoirs from a well where no geothermal reservoirs existed before. With human-made reservoirs expanding the energy output, the cost of constructing a geothermal plant could be reduced by 50%. The reservoirs are created by injecting cold water into hot, low permeability rock to amplify fractures there, which then allows the surface hot water to leak out and fill the human-made reservoirs. The potential cost savings results from creating multiple hot water reservoirs from one well or single site. AltaRock President, Susan Petty, says still to come is data showing that these reservoirs can power a commercial geothermal power plant. "The purpose of the Newberry EGS Project is to demonstrate AltaRock's technology designed to lower the cost of EGS, and thus allow economic extraction of heat from the earth in locations where high temperatures can be reached by conventional drilling techniques," said Ms Petty. The US Department of Energy is paying half the $43.8 million cost of the project as part of its effort to do for geothermal energy what it did for shale gas. You can follow the Newberry Project updates at http://blog.newberrygeothermal.com NORTH YORK GETS COMMUNITY ENERGY STORAGE To facilitate a more reliable energy supply, a project developed and unveiled by a Canadian consortium led by eCAMION Inc. has installed a community energy storage system (CES) in North York, Ontario. It provides direct backup (as opposed to power station backup) and facilitates a reliable supply of electricity on site. This project will improve the reliability of Toronto's electricity grid because it can provide North York with power during power plant interruptions, store surplus electricity generated at night, and use that power to provide electricity to augment electricity supply during times of peak demand, usually in the afternoon. This 500 kilowatt energy storage system can also back up wind and solar plants with electricity from fossil-fuel or wind or solar power plants. It is compact, just a APRIL 2013

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