A pilot project has significantly reduced the Queen of Oak Bay’s energy consumption, according to B.C. Ferries.
The province’s largest ferry operator recently released results from an energy savings pilot project on its Queen of Oak Bay ferry. The project began in 2013 as an audit to assess electrical energy usage on the ferry and eventually resulted in the development of new energy optimization software that collected electricity data from 20 places onboard the ship.
B.C. Ferries said the initiative yielded energy savings equivalent to 30 sailings from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay. The Queen of Oak Bay saw reduced fuel consumption, lower costs and associated carbon emissions and reduced maintenance costs as a result of the pilot project’s initiatives.
The Queen of Oak Bay received various upgrades, including brand new energy efficient LED car deck lighting and variable frequency drives to improve control of accommodation fans.
They also installed delivery pumps to improve the efficiency of steering hydraulics, which they say has resulted in an estimated savings of 38,000 kilowatts per year.
“B.C. Ferries is committed to safeguarding the environment, as well as finding new ways to improve the sustainability of our operations,” Mark Wilson, vice-president of engineering for B.C. Ferries, said in a press release.
B.C. Ferries plans to adopt similar measures on their existing ferries in the near future.