Thursday, January 13, 2011

River power coming

From the Daily News:

A hydroelectric power project slated for the East River could soon juice the city with a megawatt of electricity if it gets a final thumbs-up from the feds.

After more than 10 years developing a plan to tap into renewable energy by installing turbines off the Queens shoreline, Verdant Power filed for a pilot commercial license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 29.

If the license is granted, the floor of the East River between Roosevelt Island and Queens could be lined with up to 30 underwater turbines by the end of 2011, said Trey Taylor, president of Verdant.

The company will then make an effort to sell its electricity to Con Edison or the New York Power Authority, and connect to the city's distribution grid.

31 comments:

Joe said...

Wrong turbo...
Need to use a delta, those spin same direction on both in and out cycles.
You then get to store both cycles, No cigar here

Deke DaSilva said...

This project should give the "bike path left" a huge BONER!

Anonymous said...

Let me guess no negative effects right?

That is why it will be in Queens so we reap all the "Positive" Benefits.

Alfredo

Anonymous said...

bye bye fishies

Charlie D. Toona said...

bye bye fishies

Is this a fluke?

Anonymous said...

quit the carping..
we're all floundering in "the flood"

Anonymous said...

Harumph! Some people would do anything for a fin! Ask Moby!!!

Anonymous said...

Is this being done on porpoise?

Anony2 said...

Shouldn't they need to prove Con Ed and others will buy their electric before proceeding?

Anonymous said...

R U a Pisces working for scale?

Gill Hodges said...

I think it's a pain in the bass!!!

Anonymous said...

Who is letting out the contrcts? Wait till the sharks show up.

Anonymous said...

Certinaly will cost more than a fin - even if they scale back the program.

Anonymous said...

don't worry, the project will soon sink awash in debt.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't they need to prove Con Ed and others will buy their electric before proceeding?

Naw, the politicans will fire a shot over the bow. They will keel haul them if they don't.

Anonymous said...

This is a spectacular opportunity to harness the power of our river tides.

Check out their corporate website and the detailed analysis, planning and test prototypes they have already put in place in LIC

Invest 1/2 an hour in reading and I think a lot of folks will be impressed.

I've followed this project for the last two years.Please keep an open mind.

Douglaston, NY

Anonymous said...

bye bye fish?

i know fish swim all over but i wouldnt want to eat an east river fish.

Joe said...

I seen these tide mill systems in Norway and Japan. They date back to the early 1900's

They use a large column down to the water that tapers to a turbine at the top.
When a wave hits, the water inside the column rises compressing the air as it moves supwards. When the wave falls the air is sucked backdown and air from the outside is suckes back in.
A the two-way delta blade turbine spins in the same directin when the air is compessed and and funneled upwards by a wave, and continues when the wave drops and the air is sucked back in.

In this system 2-way turbine has wedge shaped blades that arent pitched, it does not have to stop turning and chang direction.
The turbine isconnected to a flywheel & alternator, which produces smoother steadier electricity on on both incoming and outgoing waves 24-7.

Joe said...

Turbines in the East River between Roosevelt Island and Queens ?

Do these people have any clue how much wood and crap is floating, creeping around the bottom and emulsified in that water ?
You cant see any of it from the surface but its pretty nasty
I blown 2 out-drives and dozens of props boating.
Good chance they are going to loose most of that equipment in a couple months

B Dylan said...

The tides they are achangin'!!!

Helen said...

Keep it on the Manhattan side, by the UN building

Tru Datt said...

Keep it on the Manhattan side, by the UN building

I'd rethink that. "They" might engage fish in espionage work and I heard pikes peek!

Joe said...

>>Keep it on the Manhattan side, by the UN building<<

Cant, that’s the boat channel.
When going up and down the east river safe rule is to stay within 300 yards of the Manhattan shoreline.
That’s the deepest part of the river.
The Queens side all the way north to S Brother Island is all huge sharp rocks and shallow silt just below the water in places. The weird geography also create Whirlpools and weird currents at certain times.
If you have an under powered boat you can be overtaken and smashed to bits.

Anonymous said...

Yes it should be interesting with all the garbage in that river especially down below waiting to be spun up.
The rest of the country has done a lot of hydro electric so lets hope this at least cuts down on emissions from the plant or any other nasty toxic brew that really has no safe place to store anyways.

But as in the words of Paul Harvey we'll wait.. for the rest of the story.

Anonymous said...

You know, they were using tidal mills in Dutch Kills during the days of the Dutch. That is what drove those big millstones that are sunk in Queens Plaza.

Everything old is new again.

Velvethead said...

Change the blades to Ginsu knifes.
Free Sushi!!!
You know Vlad Bloomburg would work his vig into that.

Anony2, you're right on that Con Ed statement you made. I recently read a trade article on a Queens Co-op that laid down a "solar blanket" on their flat roof that runs their meter backwards on sunny days. The Power Pimps were not happy about this.

Anonymous said...

You know, they were using tidal mills in Dutch Kills during the days of the Dutch. That is what drove those big millstones that are sunk in Queens Plaza.

Oh yes, I remember THAT story - EDC and the politicans and City Planning took the stones from the community and parked them in a corner in the library.

Took money to move them as they fired librarians.

That was showing respect for the public.

Anonymous said...

The same folks tried prototypes here a few years ago and I guess they learned from that and perfected the designs to work in the east river. Apparently they underestimated the currents and the designs were not strong enough. SO I guess they got it right and if so it would certainly be applied elsewhere (oceans) and provide opportunities to sell the equipment or bring the technology to where desperately needed communities where electricity is in short supply - I hope it works well!

Joe said...

There must be millions of pounds of garbage and bits of saturated bits of wooden pylons, piers lurking like submarines below that water.
Some of it as large as telephone poles
I haven't a clue how open blade turbines are going to last

Helen said...

Joe ~

Very informative, thank you!

Anonymous said...

More asthma to Queens