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Image Used by Permission of the Marine Current Turbines TM Limited |
This web site was
created to provide easy access to information about tidal energy projects
proposed in the Puget Sound region of Washington State using Tidal
In-Stream Energy Conversion (TISEC) technologies. TISEC
technology has advanced from the theoretical
stage to the pilot stage with pilot projects built in Great Britain and under
construction in the U.S. and Canada. Permits for full scale development in Great
Britain are proceeding. The project proposals are basically for creating
underwater wind farms with rotors ranging from 5 - 20 meters in diameter. In Puget Sound their are currently 10 proposed projects located at 8 different sites by 4 different Proponents. Tacoma Power is proposing to develop tidal energy at the Tacoma Narrows and Washington Tidal Energy Company is proposing development at Deception Pass. Snohomish County Public Utility District Number 1 has proposed a competing project proposal for Deception Pass as well as Admiralty Inlet, Agate Pass, Guemes Channel, Rich Pass, San Juan Channel and Spieden Channel. The City of Port Townsend has also proposed a competing project proposal for Admiralty Inlet. Tacoma Power has a three year study permit issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). All the other proposed projects have study permit requests pending with the FERC. Tidal energy has the benefits of being a renewable energy source that is predictable in time, duration, and production levels for the foreseeable future with a high level of accuracy. It could also displace the need for other non-renewable energy sources that contribute to global warming.
But there are also a lot of unknowns about the effects of tidal energy development on marine resources. Studies have not been conducted to identify the effects of these energy projects on marine life. As projects are planned and developed in the United States and in Canada, studies will need to be conducted to analyze the potential effects.
Development of tidal energy in Puget Sound has the additional problems of being proposed at a time when millions of dollars are being spent on the recovery of species listed under the Endangered Species Act. How would development of tidal energy effect the recovery efforts of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon, Hood Canal Chum Salmon, or the Southern Resident Orca Whales? How would they affect bottom fish recovery plans? How may the proposed projects affect sediment deposition by potentially slowing the currents through the project areas? These and other questions will need to be answered as the project proposals move forward.
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