To the seasons of life
Pole installation and work on Voght street Merritt
Photo KDG
The work continues for the Merritt Green energy and new substation power project. Poles on Voght to transmit power from the substation and generator.
A worker on site says that they are putting pipes in the road to bring three phase power to some business’s for after they move the poles to the other side of the road.
On this day: September 30th 1955
Popular entertainer James Dean dies at 24 in a car crash.
This hawk seems relaxed around electrical fixtures.
Photo KDG
Birds are relatively safe on poles as they do not ground the power however they can sometimes make contact between transformers and lines making a circuit. This could cause an explosion and perhaps kill the bird.
On this Day:July 16 July 16th 1935
The World’s first parking meter is installed in Oklahoma.
New Tesla S
Photo KDG
Another new Tesla S owner charges his car in Merritt. The Kamloops BC resident that just bought this new EV says charging here works for him as he loops through Kelowna and back home. The model also sports a D Designation meaning 2 axles under power or (four wheel drive ). There is also to seats with belts to secure two “Grand Kids” facing backward behind the rear seats. Suitable for kids nearing 4 feet in height it looks like loading a raised trunk a with children with a view of the road behind.
The car was purchased for about 130 thousand dollars and reflected a discount in the Canadian dollar.
The Tesla Corporation had a half billion dollar cash infusion from the US Government, the owner also recovered a 5 thousand dollar incentive from BC hydro, he charged his car with out cost at the 500 amp charger at Voght and Merritt Ave, here.
On this Day: May 21 1937
The Soviet Station North Pole 1 becomes the first research station on polar drift ice.
Poles in place for the 130 KV line from the Merritt Substation to the Highland Valley
Photo KDG
1917 diploma from NVGH , Nurse training
Photo KDG
The calendar has brought to light a number of items from history in the Nicola Valley, 100 year anniversaries of the drill hall, and the center piece of the the town ” the Coldwater Hotel” indicate a great effort by a small population. The approximate 700 people of Merritt at the twentieth century produced a lot of “golden age ” construction on the coin of three coal mines but may have often suffered from a sense of abandonment from time to time with the draw of events like World War 1 .
An accounting of 2000 men working on the Kettle Valley Rail Way, resulting after construction in a local Doctor becoming an engineer,brakeman and passenger may be a personality quirk of those that wanted a future here or real abandonment. One of the signatures of the local doctors on the nurses qualification went on to be the local MLA after antics like ” riding a boxcar” down from the Kettle Valley as a mode of transportation.
At this writing a electric co gen plant is under construction on in the area of the ruins of ” Merritt Light and Power” a progressive project of the people of the era at the turn of the twentieth century as well. That activity certainly suffered from abandonment more then once in its completion. According to John Chase, a local official the present plant is a huge partnership with two other similar projects in BC, (one at Fort Saint John). They are too big to suffer abandonment.
Editors Note: The recent 500 KV lower mainland transmission project and its completion as well as Teck corporations mine expansion projects in the billions give a sense of security . However kudos to those who have found the joy of risk in a reasonable way that have resulted in expression and spiritual joy. For those that found themselves in frontier with or without abandonment or even risked modern travel or invention, the trying of something new, good on you and we hope some of it spills over on us.
On this Day: April 7th 1890
The completion of the Lake Biwa Canal:
hose
A pole waits to be installed at the edge of the Extra foods parking lot,Merritt BC to bring co-gen power to the Highland valley.
Photo KDG
On this day: February 4rth 2004
The social media site Facebook is created.
Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard
File photo KDG
The 130 KV transmission line from Merritt to the Highland Valley is under way. A legal notice from BC Hydro put in the local paper says that helicopters will be stringing rope lines for the line for less then a week and be finished by mid December. Sources say that the line is a two wooded pole “H style” construction.
The project is slated to finish in 2015.
Today in History: December 2nd 1970, December 3rd 1997
Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard
File photo KDG
The 130 KV transmission line from Merritt to the Highland Valley is under way. A legal notice from BC Hydro put in the local paper says that helicopters will be stringing rope lines for the line for less then a week and be finished by mid December. Sources say that the line is a two wooded pole “H style” construction.
The project is slated to finish in 2015.
Today in History: December 2nd 1970, December 3rd 1997
A crane drives piles at the 200 million dollar cogen facility in Merritt BC
Photo KDG
Today the hydro news letter is saying another increase in generating ability is being done on the 40 year old WAC Bennett dam on the Peace river in north eastern BC. The Gordon M. Shrum Generating Station is getting attention :
“There’s nothing else like it,” says Gammer. “There are lots of other dams and generating stations in the province, of course, but this is the biggest one we have.” Keeping GMS operational at all times is critical to maintaining provincial power reliability. That’s the thinking behind continual maintenance programs that aim to keep dam and generating station equipment in good working order. Staff work year-round to maintain the day-to-day reliability, but as with all facilities, the time comes when regular maintenance just isn’t enough. “GMS is more than 40 years old and large parts are starting to wear out and need replacement,” says Gammer. One way to think of it, he says, is to think of maintenance on your home. Good maintenance like repairing cracks, cleaning gutters and updating appliances is necessary all the time, but eventually, he says, you’re going to need to do major repairs, such as replacing your roof. “And we did that very thing at Peace Canyon.” There’s a lengthy and complex capital program underway at GMS and W.A.C. Bennett to complete these major repairs. Along with maintaining the critical reliability, these heritage facilities are benefiting from the improved technology and equipment available today. Just like you’ll get more out of a laptop manufactured today compared to a computer manufactured in the 1980’s, new equipment such as transformers and turbines perform more efficiently today compared to those installed when GMS first went into service.
Replacing transformers at GMS. Transformers increase the voltage at the station to 500,000 volts to efficiently carry electricity over long distances, and 12 of the 30 transformers at GMS have been replaced over the last five years.
Replacing five turbine runners at GMS. Through the power of falling water, the turbines rotate at 150 rpm, spinning the connected equipment in the generator to produce electricity. This multi-year project will wrap up in 2017.
Upgrading the control system for the generating station. The unit controls on all 10 generating units needs to be replaced. Work is already underway on the second unit in this multi-year project.
Rip-rap upgrade on the outside of the dam face. Large rock (rip-rap) protects the upstream face of the WAC Bennett Dam from wave erosion. The current plan is to start rip-rap replacement in the summer of 2016, after obtaining all permits and regulatory approvals.
Spillway Chute Upgrade. Upgrades and repairs are required to improve the condition of sections of the spillway, which is 680 metres long and 30 metres wide. source http://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2014/gm-shrum-generating-station.html?WT.mc_id=c-14-11_upgrades
Four and a half million people in BC get some power from the station and as a lot of hydro infrastructure, it needs attention, and hydro is going strong on projects about the province. Pick up trucks and crews are out and about all over here and from replacing cedar poles with pine treated poles with arsenic and copper to new 500 KV lines electricity is big stuff here. BC hydro power and authority has a legislated monopoly on every drop of water in the province for power generation and has had difficulty in recent years in licencing out some of that ability ( the run of the rivers sub licencing) and keeping the cost of that cogeneration down. A co generation project here in Merritt will see a green energy project ( burning green wood waste ) use the public electric grid to sent that recapture into the grid. But at what price we wonder. Missing here are wind turbines ( wrong kind of wind, to gusty) and solar energy capture. We are on the EV charging station grid and hope it is more then just public relations. The most successful public relations program Hydro ever had in our view was the `it works like a dam `conservation project and to the prudent it should still be in the mind of all rate payers in the province. The production of hydro power while attractive in its lack of smokestacks does not add to the nitrogen cycle as properly managed petro chemicals do. Fertilizer for crops and stirred up nutrients for food chain are important as well. Toxic substance should be removed and carbon sinks of large crop lands enhanced as well as conservation. Thrift in waste is an economic opportunity as shown in places like California in recent years.
Today in history: November 5th 2003:
Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway pleads guilty to 48 murders.
Nissan Leaf
At 500 volt 120 amp charging station
Photo KDG
The 500 volt 120 amp DC charger is getting use on Voght street, the owner of this car stopped the charge at 86 percent as he said that’s” better for the battery”. He had charged up in Hope about an hour to the west of Merritt. The approximate 1/2 hour charging stop, was on his way to Salmon Arm, ” I also use the 2 hour charger at my home”
One year ago, electric vehicle drivers in British Columbia would have been hard pressed to find a public charging station to top up their battery. Today, they have access to nearly 500 electric vehicle charging stations located throughout the province: source : One year ago, electric vehicle drivers in British Columbia would have been hard pressed to find a public charging station to top up their battery. Today, they have access to nearly 500 electric vehicle charging stations located throughout the province. source: http://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2013/11/14/charging-bc/
Charging stations have a number of capacities needing more or less time and attention:
New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
UVic’s two new electric vehicle charging stations come into operation the week of April 2nd. These level 2 (240 volt), 60 amp stations from Sun Country Highway are available for use by the campus community and guests 24/7 outside the Campus Security Building in parking lot #2. They are located in metered parking spaces for a fee of $1.50 per hour (a $.25 premium over our regular parking rates) for a maximum of 2 hours. Funding for these stations has been provided by the BC government’s Community Charging Infrastructure Project, an incentive program that has funded over 500 electric vehicle charging stations across BC. Find out more about the program at the Plug In BC website.
Also note that the province recently announced an extension of the its Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive Program which provides BC residents with up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price of qualifying new battery electric cars. source: http://www.uvic.ca/sustainability/home/news/current/EV%20Charging%20Stations.php
Editors note: The quotes above are dated. However this week sees the arrival of the BMW version of electric vehicle to the Vancouver market. The E1 is being sold as a mid range EV. The Province paper is reporting that it is a carbon fiber body usually only available at ” bank account breaking prices.” The BMW website is promoting a turbo charge cord as a quick and easy way to charge an EV. The cord has an adapter that can access 120 and 240 volt house wiring, Electric ranges and dryers have a 240 volt capacity, the 240 volt system depending on the amperage can increase charging conveinece by bringing time down to about 2 hours. It appears that the cord can be brought on trips where access to friends outlets may be available. There is no free power from private homes and they are metered in the normal way. The charging net work of public access remains free to users.
Access to some charging stations may require a key fob, particularly in the US, some universities are adding 25 cents an hour to the parking fee for charge stations. Key fobs are available at a monthly rate on AV sites and a visit rate.
Sun Country, EV
Photo KDG
Sun Country Electric Hyway is the business that is most seen in operations in Canada. The roadster seen is a discontinued Telsa model, its production was taken over by the Tesla model S with a range up to near 500 kilometers. A jaguar model Ev up to near 1.5 million is coming in the fall of 2015. the sun country website lists numbers of EV models from numbers of companies: https://suncountryhighway.ca/evfinder/
Sun country has an EV with a 1.5 liter gasoline charging engine that can be driven for hundreds of KMs and the vehicle used to run electric tools.
The Tesla model S has been involved in a couple of fires, the all aluminum body is flammable at high heat.
Watch out for proprietary adapters especially on Tesla roadsters, The Sun Country network 30 to 90 amp chargers are only accessible with an adapter, not free, for some Tesla products.
For the record, there were 187,500 “highway vehicle fires” in the US in 2011 (the last year for which data is available), according to the National Fire Prevention Association. But there was a fire yesterday that is starting to catch some attention, and we’re pretty sure you all know why. Electric vehicle fires – whether they be in China or the US, started while moving or stopped – often become comment fodder, even when we learn after the fact that the electric part of the powertrain has nothing to do with with the blaze. source:http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/02/tesla-model-s-fire/
Today in history: June 17th 1994
OJ Simpson is arrested for the alleged murder of his ex-wife and boyfriend, after a slow speed chase.
500 volt 120 amp quick charger
Electric cars are getting some attention again. The province wide Electrical utility BC Hydro in its latest newsletter is journalising the early adoption of EV Cars and hybrid electric vehicles.
Auto show recognizes B.C.’s big appetite for electric vehicles
British Columbians are among the early adopters of alternative-energy vehicles, including electrics. So it was no surprise there was an electric component to the Vancouver International Auto Show held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in March.
But who expected that more than 20 vehicles at the show — roughly five per cent of all vehicles there — had electric capabilities?
The latest models of some popular plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) were on the floor, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, the For Focus Electric, the Nissan Leaf, and Toyota’s plug-in Prius.
The current state of EVs in B.C.
There aren’t too many EVs on B.C. roads yet, but the demand is increasing. And BC Hydro plays an important role, developing guidelines for charging infrastructure and providing information for those who may be thinking about getting an EV, including:
Merritt has a number of charging stations, in particular located with in a couple of blocks of the City hall complex on Voght Street, just before the right hand turn to highway 97 c that turns into highway 8 to Spences Bridge. The stations are on beside the downtown tourist info center, as well as in the city hall parking lot,behind the civic center and theree is one at the bus depot by Boston pizza on the way from town towards Kamloops on highway 5A.
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Brand new EVs from BMW and Kia
BMW and Kia announced new EVs, with the latter revealing the Soul EV, a zero-emission edition of its sporty urban crossover.
The German auto manufacturer shone the spotlight on two EVs. The BMW i8 is a sleek machine with scissor doors that is a plug-in hybrid. It’s a high priced, high powered sports car that can go from zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds.
While equipped with an electric drive on the front wheels and a turbo gasoline engine powering the rear wheels, the i8 can be operated using only the electric motor.
The BMW i3 is a zero-emission club car hatchback designed for everyday city use. The four-seater has two full doors and two coach doors that are hinged at the back and make it easier for rear-seat passengers to get in. It’s more roomy than you’d expect, in part because the electric engine doesn’t require as much space as a traditional combustion engine.
When plugged in to a Level 2 charger, the i3 can charge to full in about three hours, BMW claims. It only takes 20 minutes when connected to a DC fast charge station.
BMW also had its charging station, available for residential installation, at the show.
Taking alternative-energy vehicles for a test drive
Paul McGeachie, executive director of the show, said that some 850 people took the opportunity to test drive a variety of eco-friendly vehicles at the Green Ride and Drive showcase.
Vehicle manufacturers, he said in an interview, like to give people a chance to get into the cars, especially the models that have been developed in response to the growing call — by the general public and governments — for alternative energy vehicles.
Not all electric vehicles that are being manufactured were at the show, however. Among the missing models were the Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid and the Volkswagen E-Golf. And California electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla wasn’t at the 2014 Vancouver Auto Show.
Third Eco-Run event taking place in B.C.
For the last two years, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has staged the Eco-Run, a “demonstration drive” involving energy-efficient vehicles.
The route for the third event, being held from May 6 to May 9, 2014, will be from Vancouver to Whistler and back.
Journalist Clare Dear explained to media at the opening of the 2014 Vancouver Auto Show that the Eco-Run is “not a race or a competition” but is designed to show consumers what vehicular options are available to them, as well as how “a few simple changes in driving habits will help reduce fuel costs”.
Dear, who leads the organization of the Eco-Run for AJAC, said that the B.C. exhibition will feature 20 vehicles from 12 manufacturers, and will include “pure electrics and hybrids, as well as fuel-efficient, gasoline-powered vehicles”.
Along the route to Whistler, the vehicles will be put on display and the Eco-Run ends with a consumer show at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where there will be a driving simulator to help consumers learn how to drive with fuel efficiency in mind.
First Canadian Green Car Award to be presented in 2015
At next year’s Vancouver auto show, the first Green Car Award will be presented as part of AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year program.
Kevin Corrigan is an automotive journalist and chairs the committee that will make the selection. In announcing the award to media, he said that the award stems from changing fuel efficiency requirements for new vehicles, as well as the fact that most automobile manufacturers have eco-friendly vehicles that can be considered for the award.
The Green Car won’t necessarily be an electric vehicle, though. Corrigan noted that in Canada, a driver’s location and principal use mean that efficiency is a subjective determination. While a typical city dweller is a good candidate for a fully electric vehicle, for example, those living in rural communities may not be. And businesses operating a fleet of limousines in urban environments have different vehicle needs than someone employed in construction.
Corrigan defined a green car as being, “a vehicle which, for its size and purpose, provides the consumer with environmentally friendly returns favourable for its class”. The key, he said, was that vehicles to be considered for the Green Car Award offered fuel efficiency and addressed environmental concerns.
The existence of the award, though, indicates that electric vehicles are becoming more noticeable, and more interesting. And British Columbia is leading the way.
The assertion that BC is leading the way is important as the introduction of EV chargers and a commitment to a network in China Last week by principals in the Tesla network is sure to have results with in a reasonable time. Given the unprecedented success of all things technical in the recent decades by the Chinese and its precarious position with pollution and carbon emissions it is bound to take up the interest.
At the recent delivery ceremony of Tesla’s first batch of Chinese orders in Beijing, two solar photovoltaic (PV) charging systems caught the eyes of the guests. The system was requested by Tesla Motors (Palo Alto, CA, U.S.), and designed and manufactured by Hanergy Solar Group Ltd. (Hong Kong).
Hanergy’s thin-film flexible PV system was Tesla’s first choice for the first PV Supercharger station in China. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, said at the ceremony, “In the future, Tesla will work with partners to build supercharger network. The first charging station in Beijing was built in cooperation with Hanergy Solar Group. Tesla will continue to invest in the construction of superchargers in China, aiming to quickly expand the network.”
Solar power combined with energy storage systems
In his interview, Elon Musk also stressed that the charging stations that Tesla is building in China can work 24 hours per day. Utilizing solar power and energy storage systems, the charging stations reduce the impact of electric coal on environment. The batteries are charged during the daytime with solar power; then can supply power for vehicles at night. In fact, under the double pressure of escalating oil price and increasingly strict emission standards, the electric vehicle industry has become a strategic industry all over the world.
Cross-industrial innovation
Combining the electric automobile industry and that of renewable energy, the cooperation between Tesla and Hanergy is an active practice towards cross-industrial technological innovation. It is a first step towards freedom from the traditional energy pattern and the plight of traditional fossil energy on which the current electric auto industry relies upon.Source:
2014-05-05 | Courtesy: Hanergy | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH
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Happy EV watching from the Proprietor review: KDG
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
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The Proprietor Review 