Energy companies tap the tides

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the quest for oil-free power, a handful ofsmall companies are staking claims on the boundless energy of therising and ebbing sea.

The technology that would draw energy from ocean tides to keeplight bulbs and laptops aglow is largely untested, but several newlyminted companies are reserving tracts of water from Alaska's CookInlet to Manhattan's East River in the belief that such sites couldbecome profitable sources of electricity.

The trickle of interest began two years ago, said Celeste Miller,spokeswoman for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The agencyissues permits that give companies exclusive rights to study thetidal sites. Permit holders usually have first dibs on developmentlicenses.

Tidal power proponents liken the technology to little windturbines on steroids, turning like windmills in the current. Water'sgreater density means fewer and smaller turbines are needed toproduce the same amount of electricity as wind turbines.

After more than two decades of experimenting, the technology hasadvanced enough to make business sense, said Carolyn Elefant, co-founder of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, a marine energylobbying group formed in May 2005.

In the last four years, the federal commission has approved nearlya dozen permits to study tidal sites. Applications for about 40others, all filed in 2006, are under review. No one has applied for adevelopment license, Miller said.

The site that is furthest along in testing lies in New York's EastRiver, between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, where VerdantPower plans to install two underwater turbines this month as part ofa small pilot project.

Power from the turbines will be routed to a supermarket andparking garage on nearby Roos-evelt Island.

Verdant co-founder and President Trey Taylor said the 6-year-oldcompany will spend 18 months studying the effects on fish beforeputting in another four turbines.

The project will cost more than $10 million, including $2 millionon fish monitoring equipment, Taylor said.

"It's important to spend this much initially," Taylor said. "It'slike our flight at Kitty Hawk. It puts us on a path tocommercialization and we think eventually costs will fall reallyfast."

If all goes well, New York-based Verdant could have up to 300turbines in the river by 2008, Taylor said. The turbines wouldproduce as much as 10 megawatts of power, or enough electricity for8,000 homes, he said.

With 12,380 miles of coastline, the U.S. may seem like a wide-open frontier for the fledgling industry, but experts believe only afew will prove profitable. The ideal sites are close to a power gridand have large amounts of fast-moving water with enough room to buildon the sea floor while staying clear of boat traffic.

The industry is coalescing over worries about dependence onforeign oil, volatile oil prices and global warming. Many states havepassed laws requiring a certain percentage of energy from renewablesources, and tidal entrepreneurs believe they will be looking todiversify beyond wind and solar power.

Elefant said the industry is still trying to figure out how muchenergy it will be able to supply from tides, as well as waves.

"While ocean energy may not power everything in the U.S., it willbe functioning in tandem with other renewable resources andsupplement other sea-based technologies," said Elefant, a lawyer inWashington, D.C. "The most important thing is for the nation toinvest in a diverse energy supply."

Energy companies tap the tides

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the quest for oil-free power, a handful ofsmall companies are staking claims on the boundless energy of therising and ebbing sea.

The technology that would draw energy from ocean tides to keeplight bulbs and laptops aglow is largely untested, but several newlyminted companies are reserving tracts of water from Alaska's CookInlet to Manhattan's East River in the belief that such sites couldbecome profitable sources of electricity.

The trickle of interest began two years ago, said Celeste Miller,spokeswoman for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The agencyissues permits that give companies exclusive rights to study thetidal sites. Permit holders usually have first dibs on developmentlicenses.

Tidal power proponents liken the technology to little windturbines on steroids, turning like windmills in the current. Water'sgreater density means fewer and smaller turbines are needed toproduce the same amount of electricity as wind turbines.

After more than two decades of experimenting, the technology hasadvanced enough to make business sense, said Carolyn Elefant, co-founder of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, a marine energylobbying group formed in May 2005.

In the last four years, the federal commission has approved nearlya dozen permits to study tidal sites. Applications for about 40others, all filed in 2006, are under review. No one has applied for adevelopment license, Miller said.

The site that is furthest along in testing lies in New York's EastRiver, between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, where VerdantPower plans to install two underwater turbines this month as part ofa small pilot project.

Power from the turbines will be routed to a supermarket andparking garage on nearby Roos-evelt Island.

Verdant co-founder and President Trey Taylor said the 6-year-oldcompany will spend 18 months studying the effects on fish beforeputting in another four turbines.

The project will cost more than $10 million, including $2 millionon fish monitoring equipment, Taylor said.

"It's important to spend this much initially," Taylor said. "It'slike our flight at Kitty Hawk. It puts us on a path tocommercialization and we think eventually costs will fall reallyfast."

If all goes well, New York-based Verdant could have up to 300turbines in the river by 2008, Taylor said. The turbines wouldproduce as much as 10 megawatts of power, or enough electricity for8,000 homes, he said.

With 12,380 miles of coastline, the U.S. may seem like a wide-open frontier for the fledgling industry, but experts believe only afew will prove profitable. The ideal sites are close to a power gridand have large amounts of fast-moving water with enough room to buildon the sea floor while staying clear of boat traffic.

The industry is coalescing over worries about dependence onforeign oil, volatile oil prices and global warming. Many states havepassed laws requiring a certain percentage of energy from renewablesources, and tidal entrepreneurs believe they will be looking todiversify beyond wind and solar power.

Elefant said the industry is still trying to figure out how muchenergy it will be able to supply from tides, as well as waves.

"While ocean energy may not power everything in the U.S., it willbe functioning in tandem with other renewable resources andsupplement other sea-based technologies," said Elefant, a lawyer inWashington, D.C. "The most important thing is for the nation toinvest in a diverse energy supply."