Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
Posted on 12/19/2007 5:29:27 AM PST by Uncledave
Another wave energy effort pitched for Humboldt coast John Driscoll The Times-Standard Article Launched: 12/18/2007 01:21:21 AM PST
A partnership has formed to float another wave energy project off the Humboldt County coast, with an aim to produce electricity by 2012.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has signed a power purchasing agreement with Canadian firm Finavera Renewables to buy electricity generated by the 2 megawatt project.
As conceived, the plan is to deploy about eight power buoys hitched together about 2.5 miles to sea, probably off the Eureka or Trinidad coast. The buoys would generate power from waves, and the electricity would run through a cable to a substation on shore.
”We're looking forward to moving this nascent technology a step further,” said PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Zerwer.
The project -- which would provide enough power for about 2,000 homes -- is not the same as another PG&E is exploring off the Humboldt Coast. That effort looks to produce up to 100 megawatts with several wave generation technologies. But Finavera's buoys could end up being among those technologies. Zerwer said she could not disclose the terms of the contract which PG&E planned to submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission today.
Finavera spokesman Myke Clark said the eight buoys in the Humboldt Wave Advertisement Energy Power Plant would stretch out over perhaps a square mile. Clark said the company has already begun to contact interested parties in the area, and plans to begin to meet soon with groups like fishermen, environmental groups and others concerned with development in coastal areas.
”We know that this isn't our resource to develop,” Clark said. “Other people were there long before us.”
Finavera submitted its proposal in 2006 to PG&E, which was soliciting ideas from the marketplace. PG&E hopes to have 20 percent of the power it purchases come from renewable sources by 2010.
Finavera's AquaBuOYs employ a piston-like device to drive ocean water through a turbine, which generates electricity. One such buoy being tested off Newport, Ore. sank in rough seas in October. Clark said that the firm doesn't know why the buoy sank, but that the prototype is not representative of a buoy that would go into a commercial project.
Finavera is also involved in other wave energy proposals on the West Coast, and in British Columbia and South Africa.
The company already has a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which governs the projects, for an area off Trinidad. Clark said the project could go into the area covered by that permit, or another covered by PG&E's permit off Humboldt Bay. If it goes elsewhere, the firm would have to secure another permit from FERC for a different area.
At a glance: Wave energy proposal
Power: Enough for about 2,000 homes.
Location: Nearly three miles off Trinidad or Eureka.
How it works: Eight power buoys would be hitched together to generate power from waves. Electricity would be sent to shore through a cable to a substation.
Lighting up: Projected to produce electricity by 2012.
An animated depiction of Finavera's wave buoys can be seen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=r89xQxZsaN8.
Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
Local utility received a grant to install a small hydro wheel in the Yukon River; don’t know what ice out might think about such a wheel but since we are paying 44 cents/kwh for oil generated elec; sounds like a good idear to me.
Back when Humboldt county produced so much electricity that they had to export it to neighboring counties (from the south bay nuke plant), my profs at Humboldt State were opposing every type of power possible.
We finally asked one prof if there was any source at all that he approved of, so he said "geothermal". I had to laugh because a few miles south in Geyserville the greens were fighting that too.
“I hope energy projects like this do not give the enviro wackos a big head and cause them to try to shut down cars, ar travel, house building and every thing else.”
We must read different newspapers, I thought they were already doing this.
Son is builder/surfer there.
It never ceases to amaze me.
Maybe I shouldn't make fun of the greens because they gave me so much work writing impact statements when I was starting out --but they're just so frigging goofy! I'll never forget Peter Jennings "proving" how evil logging was by referring to the beautiful second growth redwoods he was standing in front of as "virgin forest".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.