Wind, Waves, and Watts [ the Obama return to sanity has already
begun ]
http://www.truthout.org/010509EA
The steady, strong winds over the Atlantic off New England have
attracted another developer interested in harnessing them for power
generation. A new wrinkle in the proposal by Grays Harbor Ocean
Energy
Company, of Washington state, is that the supports anchoring each
wind
turbine platform to the ocean floor would be designed in a way to
turn
wave action into electricity as well.
For Grays Harbor, this feature serves two purposes: It increases
the likelihood that its platforms will be producing power even when
winds are still, and it qualifies the initial stages of the project
for review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission instead of the
Minerals Management Service of the Department of the Interior.
Why one federal agency should have supervision over ocean wave
energy and another over ocean wind energy is one of those
governmental
head-scratchers that turn organization charts into mazes. Congress
should resolve the disparity as soon as possible. It should also
facilitate all offshore energy projects by granting the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration increased funds for
seabed surveys.
In the meantime, it is to Grays Harbor's advantage to be seeking
a
preliminary permit from FERC, which is considered more responsive
than
Minerals Management. Although the law giving Minerals Management
authority over offshore wind projects passed in 2005, the agency is
still drawing up regulations for awarding leases and overseeing
projects. It can proceed with oversight of the Cape Wind project on
Nantucket Sound because the 2005 law specifically grandfathered it.
If Grays Harbor gets its preliminary permit from FERC, it will be
able to deploy a platform with a meteorological tower at its proposed
site 12 to 17 miles south of Nantucket. This will provide the wind
and
wave data it needs to determine if the project is feasible. Another
site being looked at is south of Block Island. Grays Harbor's CEO
Burton Hamner likens his three-sided turbine platforms to a "big,
triangular footstool." He acknowledges that they have yet to be
tested
in the rough conditions of the Atlantic in depths of up to 200 feet.
If Hamner can bring just one of his New England projects to
fruition, it will make a substantial contribution to the energy grid.
Each site could produce up to 1,000 megawatts, about the output of
the
Seabrook nuclear plant, and an average of 400.
While developers have installed many turbines in the US west, the
nation lags behind Europe in exploiting stronger offshore winds.
Getting regulations in place promptly and investing more in basic
seabed research are two needed steps to encourage this form of
renewable energy.
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