from the GSX CCC listserve (Kevin Pegg):

January 2, 2002 -

BC Hydro installs wind monitoring equipment in Merritt & Ashcroft

MERRITT, ASHCROFT - BC Hydro has installed two new wind monitoring towers to measure the speed, direction, and consistency of the wind for at least one year as part of its commitment to find new green energy resources to help meet demand. The first tower is located on Crown land at Sugar Loaf Mountain in Merritt, and the second is on private property 15 kilometres south of Ashcroft.

To date BC Hydro has placed fifteen wind monitoring installations across B.C. Some installations are stand alone towers, similar to the
recently erected Port Alberni and Port Alice installations while others consist of equipment mounted on existing infrastructure (referred to as "piggyback" installations). Other wind monitoring towers include those erected near Jordan River, Mount Hays in Prince Rupert, and near Dawson Creek. Approximately three more monitoring stations (piggybacks and monitoring towers) are expected to be installed throughout B.C. over the next year.

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 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. Demand is growing rapidly on Vancouver Island, and new generation is needed, as presently only 20 per cent of the energy used by Island residents is created on Vancouver Island. "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 Executive Vice-president, Operations, Gary Rodford. "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 a pole-style 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.

CONTACT: Elisha Odowichuk
Media Rleations Manager
Phone: 604 623-4099

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Kristann Boudreau
NGO Liaison
Corporate Sustainability Group
BC Hydro
333 Dunsmuir Street - 10th Floor
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6B 5R3
Ph: 604-623-3536
fax: 604-623-4335
email: kristann.boudreau@bchydro.bc.ca