PG&E, San Francisco and Golden Gate Energy team up on tidal power
The strong tidal currents flowing in and out of San Francisco Bay used to be one of the deterrents to prisoners trying to escape from the prison at Alcatraz by making it extremely difficult to get from the island to the mainland. Soon, those same currents may be put to use to provide electricity to communities in the Bay Area. Pacific Gas and Electric Company is teaming up with San Francisco and Golden Gate Energy to examine the viability of installing tidal power generators in the water to harness all that energy.The feasibility study will start this summer and should be complete in about a year. They will measure how much energy might be available and look at the technologies that are available to capture some of that energy as well as do an environmental impact study. PG&E will kick in $1.5 million to fund the study by outside consultants and San Francisco will put in another $346,000. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute in 2006 indicated that the tides of San Francisco Bay could provide one of the biggest sources of tidal power in the world.
[Source: Pacific Gas and Electric]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sebastian 11:03PM (6/20/2007)
Excellent but they should have thought of this sooner. More people should also follow their example.
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Tormod Henne 3:18AM (6/21/2007)
We already have a few of those here way up north.
In Norway, opened 2003 (sorry, nopwegian only):
http://www.bellona.no/norwegian_import_area/energi/fornybar/31311
In Murmansk, under construction:
http://www.bellona.org/news/tidalplanteng
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John Rowell 8:43PM (6/21/2007)
Tidal power just makes sense on so many levels. I hope when the feasibility study is complete they don't waste time getting this project "in the water". Our air quality is so terrible throughout the state, and our electric prices so high, a wave power plant off the SF bay will definitely help.
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