Monday, June 11, 2007

Hydropower in New York City

One of the last places you'd think of an innovative tidal power project would be New York City, but anyone with any knowledge of the geography of the city would know that it is actually a very good place to consider tidal/hydro power.

Manhattan is an island surrounded by fast moving currents flowing through the East, Harlem, and Hudson Rivers. The geography makes it an ideal area to test hydropower projects because of the tidal forces in the watershed.

The tidal power project is located across from the UN building on the East River and is currently powering only a handful of customers, but if the tests prove successful, the project could be expanded:
Under the East River’s surface, along Roosevelt Island’s eastern shoreline, are six tidal-powered Kinetic Hydropower System turbines providing energy to a parking lot and a Gristedes.

Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project has set a record for free-flow turbines producing continuous energy for 2,400 hours, and to commemorate this, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials are expected to host a celebration today.

It is the first kinetic hydropower technology for customers and the first-ever “multi-turbine kinetic hydropower field” to be installed and operated.

Verdant Power installed its first turbine in December and the sixth in early May. Five are producing power, one is taking measurements and all are monitored to see what affect the rotation of the turbines is having on fish.

Verdant Power’s goal is to expand the operation to up to 300 turbines along Roosevelt Island and by the United Nations that could provide 10 megawatts of power locally, or enough energy to power roughly 8,000 homes, Taylor said.
Opponents have worried that the underwater turbines would turn the local fish population into sushi. It's the first project of its kind in the world.

Each turbine produces 1,000 kilowatts a day, and produces no pollution, but the tidal forces that run the turbines only produce sufficient flow about 77% of the time.

That's the kind of project that should get uniform support, and Riverkeeper is cautiously optimistic.

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