Good Now maybe he can get the wind generators off shore from girl-killer-fatso-teddy's compound too.
On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 4:41 AM, Florida Cracker <[email protected]>wrote: > > 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. > > > > > > -- *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
