Isabela Project Hunt Camp Facilities

6-7-2000

The meeting with Felipe Cruz went well, however he started the meeting
by stating that he did not feel that solar would work for the hunt camp.
In describing the camp and it's requirements it became obvious that the
camp will be an energy and logistical challenge. Adding to the problem
is that the facility is for a short-term project (3 years) and the
entire camp must relocate after approximately every 6 months. The entire
facility must be air transportable in under 1200 lb. units.

Recommendations-

Power System for the camp-

There is no real logical answer to the power requirements for the
facility. In a remote location like this there is every good reason to
specify using renewable energy, both a combination of wind and solar to
power the camp to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. However since
the facility is for a short term project and is further complicated by
the fact that the camp will relocate every 6 months, the cost and
construction infrastructure for a renewable energy system does not make
economical sense.

There are extraordinary energy demands for the camp to include power for
a kitchen facility with 2 refrigerators and 2 freezers, cooking range,
lighting, small appliance loads, 2 saltwater desalineators, pumps for
salt water, waste water disposal systems, 4 freezers for dog food and
air conditioning units on the living quarters. The renewable
energy/solar system to operate such a facility through the night would
require a capitol investment of over \$125,000 and it would not be easy
to relocate. In such a case a diesel generator is the most economically
viable solution to providing power to the camp.

The best answer to controlling the energy operations of the camp is to
provide a generator capable of handling the average load of the system.
However the problem with the camp facility is that the generator must be
drastically oversized to withstand the large potential motor start
requirements of the refrigeration units, and as a result will run
inefficiently a majority of the time. The answer is to operate the
generator in conjunction with a battery storage bank and inverters which
can handle motor start requirements, store excess generator capacity and
even shut down the generator during periods when it is not required. A
sufficiently sized battery bank can also have the capacity to provide
the camps energy during the night when quiet time is desired. Generally
such a hybrid generator/battery system can reduce engine run time by up
to 66%. In the case of this camp facility with its high load
requirements, by downsizing the generator and having a planned operation
of 16 hours a day it is possible to reduce engine run time by 40% and
corresponding fuel consumption by 60%. This is a major factor
considering the high logistical costs of fuel delivery to the camp
locations.

The load calculations for the camp are estimated to be a 24-hour demand
of 174 kWhr. A 12 kW generator operating 14.5 hours per day will
generate all the daily power for the camp. However peak load demand on
the generator is estimated to be 15.2 kW, which with electrical motor
starting would require a 20kW generator. A 12 kW generator combined with
a battery bank and two 5.5kW inverters would have the capacity to handle
any peak loads the system requires and the fuel savings are dramatic.

12kW Generator, 1.4 gallons per hour @ 14.5 hours per day X 365 X 3
years = 22,228.50 Gallons of fuel @ \$1.50 delivered cost = \$
33,342.75VS-

20kW Generator, 2.1 gallons per hour @ 24 hours per day X 365 X 3 years
= 55,188 Gallons of fuel @ \$1.50 delivered cost = \$ 82,782.00

The cost of the inverters (2 at \$3,000 and the batteries 4 @ \$2,500 +
hookups \$500.00) a total of \$16,500.00 will pay for it self almost
four times over and will provide quiet time for camp operations. A
further benefit to having the inverters and batteries is the ability to
add solar or small wind generators to further reduce engine run time.

Another option to meditate the environmental concerns of using diesel
fuel for camp operations is to offset the emissions created in camp by
installing solar and renewable energy at the Park Headquarters. This
would reduce the diesel fuel use and related emissions on Santa Cruz
Island, essentially buying back the emissions caused by the camp
generator. A good demonstration project could be to install a 4.4kW
solar array, with two 300 watt wind generators on the facility shading
the bicycle parking area at Park Headquarters. This size array would
generate electricity for the park, generate interest in renewable energy
by the public and demonstrate the Parks environmental mission. Such an
installation would cost under \$30,000 and could be paid for out of the
fuel savings from camp operations.

Further recommendations to manage energy usage-

-   Provide one propane stove in addition to the electric stove to allow
    for cooking without the generator. The propane stove should have
    electronic ignition, not pilot lights to reduce propane usage.

-   When the living quarters are not occupied during the day the air
    conditioners should be shut off to prevent unnecessary cooling load.

-   Run the desalinator units during the day when the generator is
    running and the air conditioners are turned off.

-   Use a heat exchanger off the generator engine to provide hot water
    for the camp.

-   Using the generator to burn up "bad" helicopter fuel will reduce
    fuel shipments to the camp and eliminate the problems of disposal of
    waste fuel.

Logistical Movements-

During the relocation of the camp facilities it is logistically
imperative that the Guadalupe River be made available to the project.
Transporting materials by helicopter sling load over 8-10 miles will
require over 20-minute round trips. Assuming 3 trips per hour, refueling
stops and crew breaks, in one day only 21,000 pounds of material can be
transported. If the Guadalupe River were to assist, by using the
helicopter to sling loads onto the boat, which can transport 44,000
pounds of deck cargo and than moving the material by sea to the new
site, many hours of valuable helicopter time would be saved.. Than by
unloading the boat with the helicopter in conjunction with regular sling
transport operations more than triple the amount of material can be
moved in one day.

The project should purchase 50 Mega-Bags for the staging of materials
and for camp movement. These Mega-Bags have become an indispensable tool
at Channel Islands NP for aerial sling work and cargo operations. They
are low in cost, last a long time and allow for better, safer sling
operations. [http://www.trimeg.com](http://www.trimeg.com/) \$27.00 each
delivered in California.

Disposal of human waste can be a problem, but the concept of using a
marine head treatment process should work well as the camp facilities
are located in a marine environment.

I will check with the inverter manufacturer and get their
recommendations on system configurations and provide the information to
Felipe. In addition information on the reverse osmosis water makers is
being sent from Village Marine.

Kent Bullard

Maintenance Supervisor

Channel Islands National Park

kent_bullard@nps.gov