Linear Deployment Sequence

• Step 26 · Scout Design (4 weeks) Axial Labs designs the flexible-foil VAWT scout unit. FreeCAD + OpenFOAM. NACA 4412 flexible blade, spring-loaded pivot, sealed PMA micro-generator, cellular IoT telemetry module. Output: manufacturing drawings.
• Step 27 · Scout Prototype (3 weeks) 3D-print flexible blade mold. Fiberglass layup. Assemble with off-the-shelf generator, IMU, cellular modem, pressure housing. Test in Burrard Inlet from a dock. No permits needed for temporary monitoring equipment under 5 kW.
• Step 28 · Scout Batch Manufacturing (4 weeks) Build 20 scout units. Fiberglass blades from the mold. Assembly line: one unit per day, one person. Total cost: $80,000.
• Step 29 · Scout Deployment (8 weeks) Deploy scouts sequentially at 20 sites across the Salish Sea. Rent a 20-foot boat, drop anchor + scout unit + tether, record GPS, confirm telemetry to CommandCC. One site per day, four days per week. No permits required.
• Step 30 · Scout Data Collection (26 weeks) Six months of current velocity data streaming to CommandCC. Rosetta compresses. EMPIRE1 monitors for sensor faults. Output: a complete tidal energy resource map of the Salish Sea at 30-second resolution across 20 locations and every tidal state and season.
• Step 31 · Site Selection (2 weeks) Analyze scout data. Rank sites by annual energy potential (integral of v³ over time). Select top 5 sites for Tier 2 harvesters and top 2 sites for Tier 3 kites.
• Step 32 · Ocean Permitting (50 weeks) DFO authorization, Transport Canada clearance, BC provincial foreshore tenure for the seven selected sites. Environmental screening (using scout data as baseline). First Nations consultation. This is the long step.
• Step 33 · Harvester Design + Prototype (8 weeks) 2 m rotor, NACA 63-series blades, venturi duct (NACA 4412 revolved), direct-drive sealed PMA. OpenFOAM CFD on Mothership. Prototype manufactured and tested (tow test or dock deployment).
• Step 34 · Harvester Manufacturing (12 weeks) Build 15 ducted propeller units. CNC aluminum rotors. Fiberglass ducts. Sealed generators. Gravity base frames (concrete-filled steel). Assembly and pressure testing. Total cost: $350,000.
• Step 35 · Kite Design + Prototype (8 weeks) 4 m composite wing. 0.5 m ducted micro-turbine. ArduPilot-based autopilot. Synthetic tether with power/data cable. Pool testing, dock testing, open water tow test.
• Step 36 · Kite Manufacturing (6 weeks) Build 8 kite units. Composite wing layup. Ducted turbine (AXL-T10 adaptation). Autopilot integration. Tether fabrication. Total cost: $180,000.
• Step 37 · Harvester Deployment (6 weeks) Marine installation. Hire a barge with crane for gravity base placement. Three units per site, five sites. Subsea cable to shore. Shore station commissioning. BC Hydro interconnection per site.
• Step 38 · Kite Deployment (4 weeks) Simpler installation than harvesters. Screw anchor installed by diver, kite tethered, autonomous flight initiated from shore station. Four kites per site, two sites.
• Step 39 · Ocean Fleet Operational (1 week) 43 ocean units live. CommandCC managing the full 88-node fleet (pipe + ocean). Total additional revenue from ocean: about $160,000 per year.