Currently in the US there is a project underway that would put current driven propellers in New York’s East River.  It’s called the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project and it is being run by Verdant Power Inc.  The project started about a year ago as part of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s larger PLANYC 2030 initiative.  At first the project was slowed by a mountain of regulatory hurdles, but they were able to get the first turbines installed in December.  These turbines were riddled with problems caused by the strength of the current of the river.  The upside to this is that there is the river is capable of generating more power than they originally expected however they are still working out the kinks.  Once they do this they plan to install 300 more in the river.

Clearly there are problems with this technology as there is with all new technologies.  There is a lot more to be learned about this source of energy generation yet it is safe to say this will never be an all inclusive solution to our energy needs.  The fact of the matter is there is no golden answer that is going to satisfy all of our needs and please everyone.  What we need is a diverse portfolio of energy sources and in which tidal power should be a part.

Sources:

1. Eureka Magazine
2. New York Times
3. US DOE

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