Yesterday, Verdant Power, Inc., announced it installed an array of three 35-kilowatt, 5-meter-diameter turbines in the East River of New York City. These turbines, powered by tidal currents in the river, will provide a small amount of electricity to Roosevelt Island, which lies between Manhattan and Queens.
Array of three 35-kilowatt tidal turbines as they would be deployed in the East River in New York City. (Artist’s rendering courtesy of Verdant Power, Inc.)
If the project is successful, it could lead to deployment of similar but larger (10-meter) turbines off the coast of Wales sometime in 2023, according to a news article in GTM (Greentech Media) published on October 20.
Read more about this project in GTM.
Project details on Verdant Power, Inc., website.
I grew up in Astoria, Queens and would play along the East River around the Queensboro bridge. Because of under ground rock columns… largely blown away, and fierce tidal changes that section of the River was known as Hell’s Gate.
I guess they found a suitable site.
Verdant is a global player and probably seeking similar sites along the new England coast, they are not the only developers in this field; so keep your eye out for Chinese and Korean hydro companies.
Around 1885 the largest explosion known to man outside of atomic bombs was in the east river at Hell’s Gate. It was implemented to remove those treacherous rocks. A tunnel from Manhattan to Astoria was built and lined with explosives.