Richmond, BC
The Vancouver International Airports north airfield lighting distribution system was in need of replacement. It was aging, near its end of life, and was expensive to operate and maintain. WSP was engaged as the prime consultant for the design and construction of a new critical back-up power system. Flywheel energy storage technology, combined with a 625 kVA dual conversion online uninterruptible power supply system, was selected and designed to mitigate power outages while transferring between generator and utility power. The power system also consisted of two new 600 kW redundant high-efficiency generators and an intelligent power switchgear distribution system. The innovative solution of using a flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system is highly reliable, environmentally sustainable, minimizes electrical noise, and is easy to operate and maintain.