September 9, 2021—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 15
Kyuquot finds solar solutions for aging infrastructure New community centre planned for construction in 2022 will have a roof covered in power-generating panels By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter Houpsitas, BC – With a growing community relying on aging infrastructure, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ leaders are forced to look for alternate power sources to serve residents. Kyuquot’s electricity comes from a privately-owned company that purchases power from the BC Hydro grid and resells it to Kyuquot. There is a single cable feeding the electricity to the village and it is at capacity. “The old line is maxed out. It is a singlephase line and we need a three-phase line,” said Cynthia Blackstone, KCFN chief administrative officer. Residents of Kyuquot don’t get BC Hydro bills like most people in the province. Instead, the entire village of about 200 people is a single BC Hydro customer. KCFN charges each home a flat monthly rate that may be reduced if the homeowner has power-saving features like a woodstove. “The people pay $60 to $100 per month for electricity,” said Blackstone, while the nation pays $300,000 per year for electricity. The flat monthly rates do not cover the First Nation’s entire electricity bill. But even if they did, the current infrastructure does not support the electricity demand. Because upgrades to the current power supply won’t be happening anytime soon, Blackstone says her administration must look at alternatives. Presently, the community school is outfitted with solar panels. The panels collect energy from the sun and converts it to electricity. “On good days almost all of the electricity for the school comes from solar power,” said Blackstone. She noted that the panels generate power even on cloudy days or on a bright, full moon. The school building is owned by the school district, who covered the cost of solar panels at the school. KCFN is planning for more solar panels on their public buildings, starting with a new community centre they plan to build. Blackstone told Ha-Shilth-Sa that the existing community centre, located near the shoreline, is now being used as a food storage facility since the pandemic began. Built in the 1980s, the center started out as a workshop but wound up becoming the community hall. According to Blackstone, the old facility, which holds an estimated 60 to 70 people, will soon be demolished. In its
Photo by Eric Marks
The Kyuquot community school is outfitted with solar panels. The panels collect energy from the sun and converts it to electricity. place will be a small gymnasium that will also serve as a community centre. And the entire roof will be fitted with solar panels. “We’re pretty excited about that,” said Blackstone. She anticipates that when the centre is built, its solar panel system will create surplus energy that will be redistributed throughout the community, saving KCFN electricity costs. They are hoping to have more solar panels installed on the clinic and KCFN administration buildings to further ease the burden on the old power line. The cost of the new centre is being covered by a private donor to the tune of $3 million. The funds were initially donated through a foundation to be used for Kyuquot’s planned big house. RecPhoto by Eric Plummer ognizing the community’s need for a By mid August the dry Somass River could almost be walked across at low tide. gathering place, they agreed to have the funds redirected to the community center, according to Blackstone. While Blackstone doesn’t yet know what the electricity cost savings will be, she is certain that after the return on investment, there will be substantial savshorter days, we’re having average to By Eric Plummer ings. low temperatures and we’re having better Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor “The cost of electricity here is high,” recoveries overnight as well.” she said. The Coastal Fire Centre also expects Vancouver Island, BC - Wildfire condiConstruction on the new centre is extions are improving, leading the province to see changes to the Vancouver Island pected to start in 2022. portion of the fire danger rating map next to lift its campfire ban for the north half “We’re excited to get a new community week. This would entail less combustible of Vancouver Island on Friday. centre, bigger than what we have,” said fuel in the island’s forests. This notice came from the province’s Blackstone. “Definitely conditions are starting to Coastal Fire Centre today, despite the
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Drought remains, but fire ban lifted in north island
fact that all of Vancouver Island remains under Level 5 drought conditions, the most severe rating issued by B.C.’s Water Management Branch. Currently most of Vancouver Island also remains under the “extreme” fire danger rating. But these conditions are expected to soon change, which is why the campfire prohibition will be lifted at noon on Sept. 3. The bottom half of Vancouver Island will remain under a campfire ban, extending south of Nootka Sound, Strathcona Provincial Park and the Comox Valley. After months of very little rain and temperatures that reached 40 C on some days, cooler and drier conditions are coming, said Julia Caranci, a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre. “We are expecting a significant amount of rain this weekend, starting on Saturday,” she said. “We are now in a fall-like weather pattern where we’re having
change,” said Caranci. “The weather is not going to go back to that heat dome, the hot and dry temperatures that we were seeing up until a few weeks ago.” While campfires will remain prohibited in the southern half of Vancouver Island, a ban is also still in place for Category 2 and 3 fires. These pertain to fireworks and burn piles larger than half a metre and two metres high, respectively. This order is set to remain in place until Oct. 15. This year’s fire season has proven to be more severe than most. Nearly 900,000 hectares burned across B.C., more than double the average area over the last decade. The Coastal Fire Centre, which includes Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and central coast, saw over 7,000 hectares burned since the spring, more than last year and 2019. All evacuation orders and alerts have since been removed for the Coast Fire Centre.
