Nature reports that a small farm of tidal-powered turbines in the East River will start providing power to New York City come September. Once operational, this will be the first power-producing tidal turbine farm in the world. The blades of the turbines will spin as the river's tides flow in and out, producing about 200 kilowatts total. While this is a relatively small amount of power, it will provide a proof-of-concept for a possible larger installation of tidal turbines later on.
The New York project signals a trend towards cheaper, free-standing turbines that can be dropped into oceans or estuaries. The first experimental tidal mills were installed last year: a 300-kilowatt turbine was sited off the north Devon coast in Britain and another of the same capacity was placed near Hammerfest, Norway. The two European companies behind them are planning to expand these individual mills into turbine fields.Taylor believes he has an advantage over his competitors, because the design of his turbine blades means that they keep spinning even at slower water speeds.
Expanded to a full 200-300 unit farm, the tidal turbines would produce 6.5-10 megawatts, not nearly enough to power all of New York, but a good addition to a renewable mix. The unit cost is fairly high right now, but designers expect prices to come down as the technology matures.
