Vancouver Olympics to rely on green tech & stinky generators

Green is a buzzword for everything from LED TVs, cosmetics, and the Olympic Games. The organizers of the Vancouver Winter Olympics have made an effort to make these the greenest games ever but have gotten mixed results.

BC Hydro and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) united to make smart energy choices a goal. With help from green tech company Pulse Energy, organizers can monitor power usage at a number of venues in real time. By observing the data quickly managers can take action by tweaking various issues like turning off lights that aren’t in use.

Data will also be available to show energy savings and the subsequent reduction in greenhouse gasses. The plan is on target to save Vancouver between 15-20% in energy costs during the games. That translates into a hefty 18 gigawatt hours or enough to supply power to 1,600 homes for a year.

This information isn’t a behind the scenes or unpublished type of deal. Information on energy usage is free to all participating venues and also the public. Watching that hockey game between Finland and Sweden? Hop on VenueEnergyTracker.com to check out Canada Hockey Place’s performance during intermission.

The program looks great but Vancouver hit a bump on their way to being the green games. BC Place does not participate in the online energy tracker program but will host the opening ceremonies next month. The venue’s six large generators have annoyed local residents with their grating noise pollution. Ray Appel lives nearby and was disturbed by the noise as he worked from home. He said, "It is an irritating sound, enough to drive you crazy when you are trying to sleep," He also noted, "When you stand near them you can barely breathe.”

Several other people in Appel’s condo complex complained to the city of Vancouver about the noise but found out that VANOC is exempt from city noise laws. VANOC says that the diesel powered generators are needed since they need more power for BC Place than the grid can supply.

Holding the Olympic Games is a Herculean task for any city. But, billing that city as the home of the greenest games ever is bound to invite the amount of attention usually reserved for a certain Simon Cowell show or the women’s figure skating finals. Vancouver asked for the spotlight and now they have to deal with it one smelly generator at a time.