One: The Pelton wheel that could

Words by Lynsey Burke/June 12, 2024

Do you take a mental note of your daily energy consumption, live an increasingly sustainable lifestyle, go green(er), adopt a new-to-you eco-conscious mindset – are these things top of mind during your day-to-day life?

When you’re on limited resources, whether you have a finite water source on a back-country campout or perhaps you’re simply just trying to lower your expenses by using less, your consumptive awareness becomes heightened. Perhaps you’re a big picture person and it makes you feel good knowing that you’re lessening your impact and leaving the smallest footprint you possibly can in your home and life – no matter your motive, it’s commendable.

Keeping the lights on

The average Canadian home, based on a 2,000-square-foot space, uses roughly 26 to 33 kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy daily.  In comparison  to SPL, which can host up to 225 guests at a time and 75 resident staff, runs at a modest 45 to 50 KWh, using roughly 1,000 KW daily.

Today, Jamie and I explore the four-lake multi-storage dam system in the mountain behind, which as he simply puts “keeps the lights on” at the Lodge. The modest yet sophisticated energy source was originally developed 40 years ago.  With shared water rights on the land  SPL is able to power and heat our entire little village.

We are proud to reveal the recently installed custom-built shiny new Pelton wheel. It has been twinned with the original and was a notable 250-thousand-dollar total investment. Jamie shows me this new-fangled operation near the shores of the lake where the subtle outbuilding does the job of a medium-scale power grid.

“We’re trying to make decisions for the greater good,” he says. “By minimizing our footprint and believing in humanity and generosity; those things are so important for the next generation.”

The big thinkers and regional tradespeople collaborated to build a micro dam system and installed the new wheel – we’ll call it Blue, because well, it’s a beautiful cobalt blue … reminiscent of a clear and inviting body of water.

Blue is a water wheel that extracts energy from the force of moving water. On this day of my tour, we start by visiting site A known as the run of the river, where in 1989 Jamie and a team built a dam with nothing but manual labour and a large dose of problem-solving skills.

“Keeping the energy up is the biggest investment,” he tells me as we admire the satisfactorily full body of water above the dam way. With over 100 thousand dollars invested into this system over the last five years, there is much emphasis put into monitoring the water levels.

Staying at SPL with Blue in mind

With this understanding, I have become newly aware of my consumption after seeing first-hand the hard work of the interconnected tributaries and the work of the newest permanent Lodge resident Blue.

Scanning the landscape, we look back in his record book and talk about drought and the dry years past. SPL has run solely off of the Pelton wheel system for 11 and a half months of the year, while utilizing the backup diesel generator for only 15 days, a system we want to avoid using as it can cost upwards of 500-dollars per day plus the environmental cost of using diesel.  In seasons of drought, the diesel generator has been required for a two-month stint.

At SPL, a basic understanding of how hard-working Blue can make your stay with us comfortable, but also having the understanding that drought happens and that resources are indeed limited here is a key to unlock a connection to the land. To spend your time at the Lodge with this mindset is a true value – as the reminder and carry-over to your life at home has a rewarding ripple effect.

We live in a time of such existential comfort. Comfort is so easily attained that discomfort can seem daunting and scary. To become precautionary in making decisions and to prioritize your energy use we become a cog in the wheel of efficiency.

Alike the Pelton wheel, we can work together as components of a machine. Each of us plays a part to ensure that we don’t deplete the source. Take only what we need and leave the rest. Or better yet, give back to nature in some fashion.

True value lies in more with less

By extracting energy from high-altitude water sources, the simplicity and non-intrusive nature of the Pelton turbine is precisely what our Lodge is aiming to achieve. More with less. The subtly of the 12-inch pipe that runs underground requires nothing more than the clearing of potential debris and the dedicated efforts of Jamie, who measures the water levels in the stored rain buckets where he regularly observes the flow coming out of the adjustable pipe. Today, he closes it slightly to reduce the flow and use only the what is required, and nothing more.

You are encouraged to enjoy your time here by seeking more fulfillment in using less while optimizing your enrichment through tapping into your own strength and understanding. By stripping down what a raw experience can be, guests can feel more in-tune with nature and themselves, feeling less distracted and challenged in a way that can formulate rewarding experiences.

The Pelton wheel turbine captures the water’s momentum with an optimal efficiency. With the installation of the Pelton wheel turbine system there is the added benefit of the system helping to support and manage the environmental flow – a beautiful synchronicity of ecological benefit and lodge energy requirements.

More with less. Play in nature and be pushed past your comfort zone, only to come out on the other side feeling bold. Go home feeling inspired to apply these insights to your daily life, because sometimes we all need a little nudge to trying something hard to get us back in touch with our innate human needs.

To combat energy waste, we can take an individual and collective approach to lessening our impact on the environment. Follow the SPL blog series on More with Less in the coming weeks to see how we manage our water, heat, solar and waste. Start your own journey into green living by following the lead of the zero-waste movement and applying the SPL’s six core values to your daily living.

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