Manhattan, NY – A hydroelectric power project slated for the East River could soon juice the city with a megawatt of electricity if it gets a final thumbs-up from the feds.
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After more than 10 years developing a plan to tap into renewable energy by installing turbines off the Queens shoreline, Verdant Power filed for a pilot commercial license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 29.
If the license is granted, the floor of the East River between Roosevelt Island and Queens could be lined with up to 30 underwater turbines by the end of 2011, said Trey Taylor, president of Verdant.
The company will then make an effort to sell its electricity to Con Edison or the New York Power Authority, and connect to the city’s distribution grid.
“It’s the first project of its kind in the world,” Taylor said of Verdant’s plan to bring oil-free electricity to New York City’s grid.
Filing for the final permit has been a long time coming for Verdant’s team of green energy gurus. They have endured test runs resulting in breakdowns and snapped blades, as well as years of navigating a lengthy regulatory process.
“It’s an educational process that we had to go through,” Taylor said. “Future projects will probably go much quicker.”
Verdant is seeking a 10-year pilot commercial license, which could be awarded in as little as six months, said Celeste Miller, a FERC spokeswoman.
Verdant’s newest turbine is faster, stronger and easier to install than its older versions, which were installed during a test run that used six underwater turbines to provide electricity to a grocery store and a parking garage on Roosevelt Island.
“It’s what we call our generation-five turbine,” he said.
The new-and-improved turbines are created from a composite material that can withstand the strong currents of the East River, Taylor said.
They utilize a more efficient and powerful drivetrain system – the process by which the water current’s kinetic energy is converted first to mechanical power, then finally, electricity.
Verdant said it has thoroughly studied the area to make sure its clean energy project will not conflict with underwater life, shoreline fishing or commercial shipping, Taylor said. It has also determined how to properly separate the turbines so that they will not interfere with the water flow.
“We’re pulling out the minimum energy without interfering with its velocity,” he said.
If Verdant is awarded a commercial license, the new turbines could begin being manufactured and installed as early as the fall, Taylor said.
Company officials already have plans for similar projects in the west channel of the East River – on the other side of Roosevelt Island – as well as other locations around the city.
“The future looks so good for this type of technology,” Taylor said.
Its about time! A company is looking to do this in FL too. Scientific progress is the backbone of this country’s economy.
“We’re pulling out the minimum energy without interfering with its velocity,” he said.
I think he meant to say “the maximum energy”, or at least he should have.
Either way, this whole project is just water under the bridge…..
Don’t worry everything will be made in China instead of America; because the unions will force the price of American goods to be too expensive. Look at what they did to GM and Chrysler and obama [read you] is paying the union pensions through taxes. Great unions [leaders serving themselves] and they talk about bank bonuses
the only way this is happening is if they sell the energy for a premium – which in turn means we new yorkers will cough up the money….
Jist a game!
This is a source of power most of the time, except the two or three times a day the tides reverse and the power comes to a full stop. So there are huge construction costs but you still need power plants to be built for the time this does not produce power.
uchhh, its more pullution than water in there