More Powerful: Race Rocks tidal power and Pearson College
In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.
The Race Rocks Ecological Reserve — just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia — is managed by Pearson College, an international high school. Students learn about marine ecology and, increasingly, about energy. The facilities at Race Rocks, where some students spend a great deal of time, require energy to run. Typically this has been provided by diesel fuel, which is expensive and dangerous to transport. The transition to renewable power is well under way, with several arrays of solar panels in place and, now, a new tidal energy turbine in place several metres below the ocean surface in fast moving tidal currents. Some students have seen their future aspirations transformed by their work at Race Rocks and their introduction to renewable energy.
