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quebec

LineScout power grid robot rolls on down the line

We've seen prototype cable-crawling robots that look like UFOs from the Electric Power Research Institute, but north of the border rolling robots are already checking live high-voltage power lines in the vast Hydro-Quebec network.

Developed at the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute following the 1998 ice storm, the LineScout is a remote-controlled rolling robot that uses its movable, 360-degree cameras to inspect power lines.

A thermo-infrared imager on the device helps identify power problems, and sensors check the electrical resistance of splices. It's also equipped with manipulators that can unscrew bolted assemblies and perform minor repairs on the line.

Operated … Read more

Road test set for all-electric cars in Quebec

Quebec's power utility is teaming up with Mitsubishi Motors to road-test the performance of up to 50 all-electric vehicles against the rigors of the Canadian climate and measure their infrastructure needs.

The $4.4 million project, which organizers say will be Canada's biggest trial yet of all-electric vehicles, is planned for this autumn near the Boucherville research facility of Hydro-Quebec, the provincial government-owned electricity utility.

"It will allow us to advance our knowledge of the technology and its integration into our grid, which in turn, will help us plan the necessary charging infrastructure for homes, offices and … Read more

Quebec sued for not considering open source. Why this is bad policy

Facil, a Quebec-based open-source organization, has sued the Quebec provincial government for buying Microsoft software without considering open-source software, as CBC reports. The problem, it seems, is that Quebec has an "open markets" policy that it is supposed to follow. In practice, however, the Quebec government IT buyers have been shoveling money into Microsoft and other proprietary vendors without any real consideration for open source:

In [the lawsuit], the group says the provincial government has refused to entertain competing bids from all software providers, opting instead to supply public-sector departments with products bought from proprietary vendors such as … Read more