Current-harvesting turbines represent a sharp break from the first wave of tidal power, so-called "barrages" in which impoundments installed across estuaries or bays created hydroelectric reservoirs refilled twice daily by rising tides. The La Rance barrage in Normandy has produced up to 240 megawatts of power--as much as many natural-gas-fired power plants--since 1966. Halifax utility Nova Scotia Power has been generating up to 20 megawatts of power since 1984 at a tidal barrage in the Bay of Fundy, whose funnel-shaped inlet produces the world's largest tides--16 meters at its head.
One wonders why an "industry" that is more than 30 years old is still simply
mostly talk.
Of course, one wonders the same thing about the solar industry, which started in 1954.
Don't worry your visionary little head about it. Clearly you think that climate change is something that can wait until...well whenever you substitute
energy for talk.
Of course, for you to learn to discuss
energy, you would need to learn the use of scientific units, like the difference between units of energy and power.
If one wants to know why the tidal industry has not expanded significantly after many decades of big talk, one can read on:
The Verdant company actually reports on its
energy output:
It's been over four years in development, permitting, and testing, but the nation's first hydro-power plant is up and running. Two giant turbines installed last month at the bottom of the New York's East River are finally putting out some real juice. Virginia-based Verdant Power, the startup that has collaborated with Con Edison...
But the power generating turbine, Taylor told me today in a phone interview, "is producing power beautifully. That little sucker is just humming away, and exceeding our expectations." Since it was installed into the riverbed last month, Taylor says, the single turbine has generated about 5,000 kilowatt hours of energy—roughly speaking, enough to power the average U.S. household for six months. Once state officials are convinced that the turbines pose no threat to fish (which are being monitored 24/7 with $1.5 million in Verdant's sonar equipment), Taylor will install four more turbines, possibly by March...
$1.5 million dollars in
monitoring equipment to produce 6 months of power for one household.
Do you
try to look this silly or do you simply do this out of pure cluelessness?
In 2005 New York consumed 146,887,419
megawatt-hours of electricity. Note that the big deal tidal plant produced 5
megawatt hours (5000
kilowatt hours).
So all we have to do is to increase these systems by a factor of about 30,000 and we're home free.
:eyes:
Fortunately we don't have too much trouble with climate change and have plenty of time to test this happy face shit out.
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