LOCE Wind and Wave Energy Weblog

The web's first ocean and offshore wind energy weblog. Continuously renewed, like the ocean itself.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

San Francisco Still Looking At the Tides for Energy


This article, Mayor's Idea: Catch a Wave to Make Power reports that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom hopes to make new waves for his city, with tidal and current energy projects that would be located under the Golden Gate Bridge and off Ocea Beach. Here's how the project developed, according to the article:
The ocean energy idea -- which already is taking hold in other parts of the world -- got its first strong push three years ago locally when Newsom's archnemesis, then-Board of Supervisors president and Green Party member Matt Gonzalez, won approval of a resolution calling for a tidal-energy power project.
After a couple years of serious study, the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute concluded: One: That San Francisco could tap enough wave power at Ocean Beach to keep the entire city lit -- depending, of course, on how large a wave plant it chose to build. And two: That the tides at the Golden Gate make that spot the best in the entire lower 48 states to produce tidal power, though the potential for installing turbine generators under the bridge is a bit limited by space.

Right now, the City is grappling with who will own the tidal power project and who will pay the $5 million to $7 million it will cost for this little experiment under the Golden Gate.

1 Comments:

  • At 9:43 AM, Blogger luis said…

    Very interesting.

    If the economics don't work, sustainable efforts won't either.
    Check Http://LivePaths.com, a blog about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These include some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.

     

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