INNOVATION May-June 2018

F E A T U R E

P hoto : UV ic

Vancouver-based tidal turbine company ready to go with a turbine that, Smith wrote, “can harness the power of the ocean’s tides to produce massive amounts of electricity without harming the environment.” But BC Hydro did not give that project the green light—it was considered

too expensive and its reliability was unproven. Other projects that were approved, including a 2001 wave energy project off Ucluelet, failed to gain traction against far less expensive terrestrial wind and solar power options. Tidal and wave project development then sat mostly dormant. Now, years later, it’s become apparent that large-scale tidal barrage (dam-like) projects like that proposed in 1995, with their potential risk to marine habitats and shorelines, may not pass today’s more stringent important market in BC that marine renewable energy is perfectly suited for: the 50 or so small coastal communities, many of which are First Nations, that currently depend on diesel generators for their electricity. “There has been a shift from looking at big megawatt projects to investigating much smaller, 50 to 100 kilowatt- capacity installations,” says Buckham. “People are starting to recognize that smaller markets—remote, off-grid communities—are paying an extremely high cost for their energy. And there is environmental assessments. There is, however, a small but

“Alternative-energy aficionados have long dreamed of harnessing the West Coast tides for the production of electricity, and such projects are not without precedent. The world’s largest tidal-power facility opened in France in 1966, producing 200 megawatts of electricity.” And in fact there was a

SEABC CERTIFICATE IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM PRACTICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE— UBC Robson Square, Vancouver, BC Classes are simultaneously broadcast online to reach out to students from outside the Lower Mainland, across Canada and beyond Next courses begin this September, Tuesday, September 11 toThursday, December 6, 2018 for 13 consecutive weeks. Courses are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. CONTACT: Shannon Remillong, Program Administrator 604-789-5801 ; courses @ seabc.ca LEARNMORE: www.seabc.ca/certificate-program/overview/ 4 COURSES ARE OFFERED EACH TERM. The Certificate in Structural Engineering program (CSEP) offers practical structural engineering courses that help structural engineers of all experience levels to improve their knowledge base in their design practice. The program offers more than 30 different courses in diverse areas of structural engineering practice in buildings and bridges. The courses are taught by experienced practicing engineers and/or professors from UBC and BCIT. Whether you are trained in North America or overseas, you will benefit from taking the CSEP courses. Our students are engineers who have received an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and are looking to broaden their capacity to practice structural engineering. A good understanding of fundamentals of structural mechanics and engineering mathematics is essential for students to do well in the courses.

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