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Riding the Energy Tide

The search for cleaner, renewable energy sources is moving out to sea, or under it, to be more specific. Just off the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, a project is taking shape that could help power homes in Massachusetts without fouling the air around them.

The Massachusetts Tidal Energy Co. has requested permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct a feasibility study for a project that would harness the ocean’s energy through a series of underwater propeller blades connected to a generator, which would then direct the power to nearby electric transmission lines.

The underwater power plant would be less visible than nearby wind farms and far less polluting than coal-fired power plants, which generate enormous amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. But it raises other potential problems, such as whether for-profit companies should be allowed to use public waters for private gain, and whether the underwater propellers would disturb marine life or infringe upon other uses of the waters, such as boating and fishing.

The technology to run the underwater plant is still in development. The company is also exploring other potential sites around the country. A separate project is being researched in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, where 75-foot tides promise far more power-generating potential.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org