The operation of a fuel cell to produce electricity requires a number of components outside the fuel cell stack itself. One key component is the humidifier. Proper operation of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell requires a certain humidity level to be maintained in the membrane(s) present in the stack; the humidifier fulfills this requirement […]

SyncWave Energy Inc (SEI) is a domestic developer of wave energy conversion technology. In 2008, SyncWave aims to deliver small commercial SyncWave Power Resonators (SPR) for generating electricity in isolated communities and off-shore installations. SEI is collaborating with University of Victoria researchers to deploy a TRIAXYS™ Directional Wave Buoy to obtain a wave spectra representative […]

CanGEA – the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association – is a non-profit association encouraging research, exploration and development of high temperature geothermal energy resources in Canada. Geothermal energy is a renewable, reliable source of electricity and heat. Geothermal power sources produce long term revenues with no fuel costs and no emissions. Thus, the purpose of this […]

The focus of this project with NyFound Energy Services Inc., a developer of mid-sized clean heat, power, and energy utilities in western North America, revolves around the use of wood waste produced by the local sawmills in Merritt to produce electricity and the potential to also capture waste heat to supply dryers used at the […]

In another project directed by Carmanah, the engineering intern devised a strategy that would maximize the operating efficiency of the LEDs over the life of the product they were integrated into. The net effect would be to maintain a brightness that complies to the end user's expectations while broadening the number of sites the product […]

Tidal currents can provide a significant and predictable source of renewable energy. This project will research the use of composite materials for the blades of a tidal turbine to harness this energy. The rotor blades are currently made of steel, which leads to several problems in the marine environment, expensive manufacturing processes and difficulties in […]

Results from a state-of-the-art regional climate model will be used to analyze properties of near-surface winds (speed, direction, power, and variability in time) in selected regions of southern British Columbia. Station observations taken over recent decades will be used to develop a relation between model output fields and wind characteristics that can be used to […]

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells have great potential for mobile and stationary power applications. For such applications, this type of fuel cell must be capable of operating at a high power density with an ultra-low content of electrocatalyst to reduce its weight, volume and cost. Presently, the cost of this fuel cell is too high […]

SWITCH Materials is developing a revolutionary new type of film for application in SMART window technology. The proposed SWITCH film will allow windows to automatically darken when exposed to sunlight, blocking harmful Ultra Violet and Infrared Radiation and improving occupancy comfort while also providing the user the ability to, at the flick of a switch, […]

Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. As the technology has evolved it has become increasingly attractive to companies to invest in large solar farms. Solar energy is an inherently intermittent resource. For companies to invest millions (each 10MW solar PV farm represents an investment somewhere between $40 ‐ $45 million) in developing solar […]

This project is targeted at rehabilitating closed landfill sites to produce biomass energy crops as an alternative to traditional agricultural crops. The establishment of agricultural crops on brownfield lands like these present unknown risks of contamination from legacy materials in the landfill. Growing biomass energy crops on these sites eliminates that risk and provides a […]

Energy-production performance is one of the most frequently analyzed parameters by wind-power site operators. Carrying out performance assessments is not usually a technical challenge for so-called conventional sites. However, the complex nature of winds and their interaction with turbines does make it difficult to assess wind-power performance. To date, only standard CEI 61400-12-1, which assesses […]