(Passamaquoddy) Tribe's tidal study wins energy grant (Maine)

[jpak]

http://bangornews.com/news/t/downeast.aspx?articleid=165550&zoneid=177

PLEASANT POINT, Maine - The Passamaquoddy Tribe’s efforts to someday harness the energy-producing power of tidal and ocean currents and turn it into electricity took a step forward this week after the federal government awarded the tribe a $120,000 grant, tribal environmental officials said Wednesday.

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"Preliminary studies have indicated sufficient tidal current to power underwater turbines designed by Underwater Electric Kite Inc., of Annapolis, MD," Crawford wrote in the proposal he presented to the federal government. UEK has been designing underwater turbines since 1981.

The plan calls for the installation of a UEK 8-foot underwater turbine at two sites: Kendall Head and First Island, near the reservation.

"The turbine will generate data that will be used to determine the feasibility of developing a tidal-power site that may include up to 55 turbines generating an estimated 29.25 gigawatt-hours," the proposal said.

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[kristopher]

1. These are good (if small) systems.

Well engineered for reliability, servicing and wildlife protection.