B.C. lighthouses go from diesel to renewable

Ten lighthouses are expected to make the changeover in about a year, while the other 17 will be retrofitted as their diesel powered generators meet life expectancy. The green move makes economic sense because the solar and wind equipment is expected to pay for itself in about four years, says Shaun Loader, senior project manager, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard. Loader says the high annual costs of diesel and transporting logistics weigh in the decision to shift to renewables. “Imagine trying to fuel some of these sites with 50,000 litres by plane. It’s not very cheap.” Up until now, the lighthouses have each had two diesel generators supplying a total of 23 kilowatts. With solar and wind replacements one diesel generator will remain as a backup power source. The lighthouses are on islands and remote mainland locations across B.C.’s West Coast, from Green Island in the north to Merry Island in the south on the Sunshine Coast. The latter lighthouse was recently retrofitted with two five-kilowatt solar arrays and two three-kilowatt wind turbines. The Cape Beale Lighthouse near Bamfield on Vancouver Island is currently under construction and Entrance Island Lighthouse in Nanaimo Harbour was recently completed.