May 29, 2006
Current from the currents | Three recent proposals target Maine's coast for tidal energy development
By Whit Richardson
The tides along the downeast coast are legendary. Over the course of a single day, the ocean will rise and fall close to 20 feet near Eastport ˆ a fact that has not been lost on those seeking sources of renewable energy.
Past attempts to harness the power of the tides, from water wheels to dam-like structures, have met with varying degrees of success, but recent technological advances and rising energy costs have set the stage for another attempt to extract energy from the big tides in Maine and elsewhere.
During the last few months, three tidal energy-related proposals have surfaced in Maine. One, a year-long feasibility study funded in part by the Maine Technology Institute and completed by the nonprofit, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Electric Power Research Institute, pinpointed Eastport as a prime site for a tidal-energy field test. In early April, a Washington, D.C.-based private developer, Maine Tidal Energy Co., applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to study the Penobscot, Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers for potential tidal energy development. And in late April, an employee at the Cutler Naval Base applied to FERC for approval to study Little Machias Bay for another potential energy project.
To supporters of tidal energy development, it seems obvious to harness one of the state's natural resources for power. "In Arizona it would be almost natural that you would adopt solar energy because you have sunshine all the time," says Bob Judd, a Lubec resident and retired power executive from California who acted as an advisor on EPRI's tidal energy study. "Just like the sun in Arizona, we have a gift, a natural attribute of the area, an inheritance, if you will, that can be utilized without diminishing it."
But the recent spate of proposals also is driven by significant advances in the science of tidal energy. EPRI's recent study, which also looked at the potential of tidal energy projects in four other states and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, found that new technologies could make tidal electricity competitive with electricity produced from burning fossil fuels or from other renewable resources such as the sun or wind, delivering power for about four to five cents per kilowatt-hour. George Hagerman, an oceanographer from the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute who worked on the EPRI study, says the fact that a relatively young technology could be so competitive with mature technologies was a surprise. "It's very unusual that a new technology comes in and right out of the box is competitive with wind, which has been under development for decades," Hagerman says.
So far, though, these new technologies make sense on paper. Now, say developers, it's time to get the turbines in the field, producing results that could make or break the future of tidal power in Maine. "Finally, the technologies have reached the point where it's time to leave the drawing board and put them in the water," says Carolyn Elefant, CEO of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, a year-old, Washington, D.C.-based trade association promoting the ocean as an energy source.
Underwater windmills
Maine is not the only state in which energy developers are eyeing the tides. Projects have been proposed in San Francisco, Washington and Canada, and a Virginia-based company is preparing to deploy six test turbines ˆ which basically look like small windmills anchored to the ocean floor ˆ in New York City's East River. The test will only provide electricity to a small grocery store and a parking lot on Roosevelt Island, but will be the first tidal energy project of its kind in the United States.
Because they are similar, emerging tidal energy turbine technology benefits from the years of R&D spending by the wind energy industry, says Elefant. Another potential advantage for tidal power ˆ on paper, anyway ˆ is that the technology seems to pose no adverse environmental affects; the turbines are mostly hidden from view, allowing them to dodge the aesthetic question that has beached many wind farm proposals. The turbines also should not be a hindrance for navigation or recreation.
The key question is: Where along the shore should one be built? While the EPRI study identified Eastport as the best site in Maine, Hagerman says there could be dozens, even hundreds, of sites along the coast suitable for small-scale tidal energy development. All it really takes, he says, is a good current and a good-size tide.
Maine Tidal Energy Co. seems to believe this is true. While the private developer could not be reached for comment, the company's preliminary FERC application to study the Kennebec River estimates spending between $1 million and $4 million on research, engineering and permitting ˆ an amount that doesn't include the costs of further development if the results are promising.
By way of comparison, bringing EPRI's Eastport tidal energy demonstrative project through the permitting process and field tests could cost $7 million, estimates Judd. But to construct a 12-turbine, 10-mega-watt project to power about 3,500 homes, the costs would be $24 million, according to the EPRI study. "It's not a lot of money when compared to other power plants or LNG terminals being proposed up and down the coast," Judd says.
Still, even a potential project in Eastport would only be a test case. Hagerman estimates it could be several years before tidal generation projects are actually ready to connect to the grid. "We definitely need to start these studies now," he says. "In a reasonably proactive program you still wouldn't be ready to commission until 2015."
And even if the results of preliminary trials are promising, Maine is not likely to replace its land-based power plants with a raft of submerged turbines any time soon. "Tidal is not a panacea. No renewable resource is, because they tend to be intermittent," says Beth Nagusky, director of the State Office of Energy Independence. "But they're part of a diverse and more sustainable energy portfolio."
Past attempts to harness the power of the tides, from water wheels to dam-like structures, have met with varying degrees of success, but recent technological advances and rising energy costs have set the stage for another attempt to extract energy from the big tides in Maine and elsewhere.
During the last few months, three tidal energy-related proposals have surfaced in Maine. One, a year-long feasibility study funded in part by the Maine Technology Institute and completed by the nonprofit, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Electric Power Research Institute, pinpointed Eastport as a prime site for a tidal-energy field test. In early April, a Washington, D.C.-based private developer, Maine Tidal Energy Co., applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to study the Penobscot, Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers for potential tidal energy development. And in late April, an employee at the Cutler Naval Base applied to FERC for approval to study Little Machias Bay for another potential energy project.
To supporters of tidal energy development, it seems obvious to harness one of the state's natural resources for power. "In Arizona it would be almost natural that you would adopt solar energy because you have sunshine all the time," says Bob Judd, a Lubec resident and retired power executive from California who acted as an advisor on EPRI's tidal energy study. "Just like the sun in Arizona, we have a gift, a natural attribute of the area, an inheritance, if you will, that can be utilized without diminishing it."
But the recent spate of proposals also is driven by significant advances in the science of tidal energy. EPRI's recent study, which also looked at the potential of tidal energy projects in four other states and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, found that new technologies could make tidal electricity competitive with electricity produced from burning fossil fuels or from other renewable resources such as the sun or wind, delivering power for about four to five cents per kilowatt-hour. George Hagerman, an oceanographer from the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute who worked on the EPRI study, says the fact that a relatively young technology could be so competitive with mature technologies was a surprise. "It's very unusual that a new technology comes in and right out of the box is competitive with wind, which has been under development for decades," Hagerman says.
So far, though, these new technologies make sense on paper. Now, say developers, it's time to get the turbines in the field, producing results that could make or break the future of tidal power in Maine. "Finally, the technologies have reached the point where it's time to leave the drawing board and put them in the water," says Carolyn Elefant, CEO of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, a year-old, Washington, D.C.-based trade association promoting the ocean as an energy source.
Underwater windmills
Maine is not the only state in which energy developers are eyeing the tides. Projects have been proposed in San Francisco, Washington and Canada, and a Virginia-based company is preparing to deploy six test turbines ˆ which basically look like small windmills anchored to the ocean floor ˆ in New York City's East River. The test will only provide electricity to a small grocery store and a parking lot on Roosevelt Island, but will be the first tidal energy project of its kind in the United States.
Because they are similar, emerging tidal energy turbine technology benefits from the years of R&D spending by the wind energy industry, says Elefant. Another potential advantage for tidal power ˆ on paper, anyway ˆ is that the technology seems to pose no adverse environmental affects; the turbines are mostly hidden from view, allowing them to dodge the aesthetic question that has beached many wind farm proposals. The turbines also should not be a hindrance for navigation or recreation.
The key question is: Where along the shore should one be built? While the EPRI study identified Eastport as the best site in Maine, Hagerman says there could be dozens, even hundreds, of sites along the coast suitable for small-scale tidal energy development. All it really takes, he says, is a good current and a good-size tide.
Maine Tidal Energy Co. seems to believe this is true. While the private developer could not be reached for comment, the company's preliminary FERC application to study the Kennebec River estimates spending between $1 million and $4 million on research, engineering and permitting ˆ an amount that doesn't include the costs of further development if the results are promising.
By way of comparison, bringing EPRI's Eastport tidal energy demonstrative project through the permitting process and field tests could cost $7 million, estimates Judd. But to construct a 12-turbine, 10-mega-watt project to power about 3,500 homes, the costs would be $24 million, according to the EPRI study. "It's not a lot of money when compared to other power plants or LNG terminals being proposed up and down the coast," Judd says.
Still, even a potential project in Eastport would only be a test case. Hagerman estimates it could be several years before tidal generation projects are actually ready to connect to the grid. "We definitely need to start these studies now," he says. "In a reasonably proactive program you still wouldn't be ready to commission until 2015."
And even if the results of preliminary trials are promising, Maine is not likely to replace its land-based power plants with a raft of submerged turbines any time soon. "Tidal is not a panacea. No renewable resource is, because they tend to be intermittent," says Beth Nagusky, director of the State Office of Energy Independence. "But they're part of a diverse and more sustainable energy portfolio."
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