Delahunt Continues Efforts to Stop Cape Wind

US Representative Bill Delahunt (D. Mass) has called upon Massachusetts Governor Romney to enlist the help of PresidentBush to stop the Cape Wind project, as reported here. According to Delahunt:

The governor has to play a role. What he has to do is pick up the phone and call the White House, and say we don’t want 130 windmills in Nantucket Sound

But despite these calls, the process marches on. The article reports that the Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency in the permitting process, is expected to release a draft Environmental Impact Statement on the $947 million project by the end of the month or early September.

An Alternative Energy Blog

If you enjoy this blog, you may also want to check out this one that's just come to my attention: altenergyblog.com. It covers the marine renewables beat, as do we, but also has news of other onshore renewable developments like wind and solar.

Wave Energy Test Center Opens

The Herald reports here on a test center, the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec), which will allow for the full-scale, long-term testing of marine power and is designed to put Scotland at the forefront of harnessing wave and tidal energy. EMEC has secured its first client, Ocean Power Delivery (OPD), designers of the wave energy generator Pelamis and reportedlhy, a number of other developers have expressed interest in testing their devices at the site.

NewYork To Gain Current Project

This article, Tidal flow to power New York City, Helen Pearson, Nature, (8/9/2004) reports on a proposed tidal current project for the East River in New York City. Verdant Power , an energy company based in Arlington will be developing the project. The plan is to attach the machines, which look like small wind turbines, to concrete piles hammered into the bedrock nine metres below the river's surface. As the tide surges in and out, the heads pivot to face the current and the blades spin. The project will start out generating just 200 kilowatts at peak but there are plans for expansion to add 200-300 more turbines. As the article reports, the UN headquarters in Manhattan is among those who have expressed interest in tapping into the environmentally friendly energy that would be produced by the project.