Tides turn for tidal power as renewable energy

Tidal power, where turbines act much like underwater windmills transferring sea currents into electrical currents, appears to be gaining strength around the world, and some in Long Island's business community are asking whether the Island is just treading water on the issue.

Verdant Power of Manhattan, having worked for the past several years on a tidal generating project in the East River, is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow it to connect its turbines to Con Edison's grid, according to company chief executive Ronald Smith.

And, in Portland, Maine, Ocean Renewable Power Co. said last week its Beta Power System, which it said is the largest ocean energy "power plant" ever installed in U.S. waters, succeeded in generating grid-compatible power from tidal currents at Cobscook Bay in Eastport, Maine

Sheldon Sackstein, chairman of the business group Action Long Island, commissioned a study this summer on tidal power. The study concluded tidal power is workable and it "seems logical to turn to the oceans and waterways to provide clean, renewable energy."

The study, by Kevin Gaffney, who studied energy and natural resource management at La Salle University, asked "why harnessing this power hasn't been made a priority in the search for feasible alternative energy sources" on Long Island. The report said the Long Island Power Authority had been involved with three separate studies on the issue in the past few years that were "attention worthy for the encouraging and positive results they reported."

Dan Zaweski, a LIPA vice president for renewable energy, begged to differ. While the studies "recognized there is potential for some relatively small energy to be produced" from such power, he said, the technology does not yet lend itself to "utility scale" needs.

The studies, Zaweski said, showed either that the technology did not work properly, or if it did, it would not provide sufficient power for Long Island's needs. There are also problems siting the equipment. Fishermen worry about the impact on their industry.

But Gordian Raacke, of Renewable Energy Long Island, said he thinks tidal power needs a hard look. "We have great potential here on Long Island for ocean energy," Raacke said. "Obviously, like any new technology, they're trying to get the kinks worked out. But it's a promising technology."