| San Francisco Tidal Power in the Works |
| Written by Hank Green | ||
| Monday, 25 June 2007 | ||
 It's pretty convenient that many of the world's major cities happen to be fairly near to renewable energy sources. Two of America's largest cities, New York and San Francisco, happen to have extremely strong tidal currents. And while we've previously reported that New York is working on some tidal infrastructure, today we're excited to announce that San Francisco is looking to up the ante. The City of San Francisco and PG&E (their electric utility) are partnering to study where and how to build the most effective tidal power plant in the bay. The force of the water is, of course, tremendous, and it's been estimated that tidal turbines in the bay could produce as much as 400 megawatts of power. Of course, getting at real numbers is precisely why this $1.5 million study is being done. Depending on the results of the study and the level of cooperation between utilities, state governments and the federal government, the bay could be producing power in as little as five years. But we'll have to wait and see, this is only the first step on an unfortunately long road. Via SFGate and Green Wombat See also: -In Stream Tidal- -Giant Shark Fin?-
Comments
(3)
I wonder
written by Tobias , June 25, 2007
Every time I see a post about tidal/wave-power I wonder what effect taking that energy out of an area has on the ecosystems there. Not that I'm against using it though, I just wonder what kind of effect it might have.
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written by Mike , June 26, 2007
The amount of energy involved in a tide coming in or going out is not going to be affected in any measurable way or amount by a submerged turbine. The same amount of water is going to flow the same distance in the same amount of time. As long as they don't put too many turbines together to form a dam effect there should be no effect on the environment.
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written by 3rd gen SF , October 15, 2007
What effect will this have on shipping lanes, cruise ships, etc. which have huge drafts. Will they be able to pass over the turbines?
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