Revolutionary wind project set for fall launch

ST. JOHN'S - A cutting-edge project that may revolutionize how isolated communities are powered is on track to launch later this year.

Since early 2007, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and some research partners have been preparing to install a system in Ramea that converts excess energy generated from wind turbines into hydrogen that will be stored and converted back to electricity.

The target is to have the initiative up and running some time this fall.

"We're breaking ground," says Greg Jones, a manager of business development with the utility. "This is world-class technology that we are implementing here."

The project expands on a successful wind demonstration project implemented in the southwest coast community in 2004.

That system sees Ramea residents getting their juice from a combination of six, 65-kilowatt wind turbines owned by Frontier Power Systems and a three, 900-kilowatt diesel generators owned by Hydro.

The initiative has reduced the amount of diesel required to power the community by more than 325,000 litres since inception.

But under the existing network, when the wind is too strong, excess energy is wasted.

The new process - which adds three 100-kilowatt turbines, specialized hydrogen devices and a new control system to the mix - will store that wasted power in the form of hydrogen.

Basically, the turbines will generate power, which will be used to run a hydrogen electrolyzer that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.

"The oxygen is released into the atmosphere," Jones says. "The hydrogen is put into storage tank. Now we have a fuel that is basically derived from wind."

The stored fuel will power a hydrogen generator when there is insufficient wind to generate electricity, reducing the amount of diesel burned and providing a clean energy source. The control system will integrate the various parts of the system.

The tender for the new wind turbines, which will be owned by Hydro, has been awarded and other components of the implementation are falling into place.

According to Jones, the goal is to pilot the system for three or four years, providing a chance to better understand and optimize it.

If successful, similar systems will be used in the 20 other isolated communities Hydro now serves with diesel generators. The long-term goal is to reduce the 15 million litres of diesel used annually to power those generators by 90 per cent.

And, if all that works out, the technology will go to market and be sold across Canada - where more than 100 communities could avail of it - and around the world.

Jones says the project has been attracting significant international attention because of its focus on small diesel-powered places.

"The idea is to be our own first customer," says Jones. "We'll meet our own needs first and then make it a revenue generator."