Tidal Power Plant at Eastport, Maine, U.S. Coast Guard Station

Eastport, Maine, August 26, 2010 - Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is installing the largest tidal power plant to date in U.S. waters. The Maine-based energy company is using the movement of tides to generate renewable power for the U.S. Coast Guard station in Eastport, Maine. The bay's five-knot tides provide a predictable, clean source of energy.

While tidal water moves more slowly than wind, it provides more force. Tide velocities peak four times a day, and one of ORPC’s innovations is developing the systems to harness that power as the turbine spins at different rates. The power plant will use advanced cross-flow turbines, a permanent magnet generator and a power electric system that transforms the generator’s energy output to grid-suitable electricity.

The barge-based plant uses the power from two turbines to charge large battery packs, which are ferried daily by skiff to the Coast Guard station in Eastport. The battery packs provide roughly 20 kilowatt-hours of power daily, about half of the energy needs of the 41-foot search and rescue boat docked there.

This plant is a small power plant, as it would take 25 such turbines to equal the rated capacity of one average wind turbine.

This “demonstration” project cost $4 million, including more than a million dollars of federal and state support. ORPC is using the data it is gathering to fine-tune a larger installation in Cobscook Bay, planned for 2011. That system, according to the company, should generate enough electricity to power 50 or 60 homes.

Feats of Clay

What is sustainability? Is true sustainability achieved at the local level, in small increments, or at the top with massive multinational corporations? Is sustainability linked to decentralization? Are some measure of sustainability and decentralization prerequisites to both democracy and the emergence of a vibrant civil society?

A case in point may be Mansukhbhai Prajapati, a craftsman based in Gujarat. Prajapati, a high school dropout, has been called a 'true scientist'. His Mitti Cool, a clay refrigerator that works without electricity, has turned the world's attention to simple steps in sustainability.

Presenting the national award to Mansukhbhai in 2009, India’s President Pratibha Patil appreciated his work and asked him for a Mitti Cool. Scientists and journalists from across the world have visited his unit to see how he makes eco-friendly products at a low cost. The simple and unassuming Mansukhbhai has been modestly successful financially, but his ambition is to make more low-cost and eco-friendly products for the masses.

"A good majority of Indians cannot buy a fridge as it is expensive. Besides this, electricity bills and maintenance costs are also high. Mitti Cool is an eco-friendly product which has no maintenance costs. It also retains the original taste of vegetables, says Mansukhbhai who has sold 1500 units so far.

Prajapati’s refrigerator cools naturally without using any electricity. It is ideal for rural areas with an erratic power supply. They are priced from Rs 2,000 (USD 44). The refrigerator has a capacity of 50 liters and its upper portion stores about 20 liters of water, while the section below the water tank has separate space to store fruits, vegetables and milk. The water in the tank keeps the temperature lower in the cabinet so that vegetables and fruits stay fresh for almost five days, while milk can be preserved for three days.

Armed with the success of the Mitti Cool refrigerator, Mansukhlal started experimenting with non-stick tawas (fry pans) and water coolers. For example, the clay water cooler comes with a 0.9 micron candle inside the water storage pot to filter water. Clay is a magical ingredient, Mansukhlal believes, because it's environment-friendly, and also because these natural products don't need electricity to function.

The hottest selling item today from Mansukhlal's Mitti Cool range is the non-stick tawa, which is substantially cheaper than other non-stick utensils. It is again made out of clay and has a Teflon coating, which seeps into the pores of the clay so that it cannot flake off during cooking. Unlike other non-stick cookware available in the Indian market, this one is priced affordably at Rs 50 (USD 1).

And of course simple clay is the very essence of sustainable materials.

China Outpaces the US & EU Combined in Renewable Energy Investments

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, China is leading both the US and EU combined in Alternative Energy investment. Caulk it down to governmental certainty in policy matters.

Starting in 2010 China installed a law that requires its utilities to buy renewable power or face stiff penalties. That certainty has caused investors to bet heavily on China.

In the second quarter of 2010 foreign investment in Chinese of wind turbines, solar panels and low-carbon technology increased 72% to $11.5 billion. Investment in China’s Alternative Energy sector totaled $33.9 billion, inclusive of securities transactions, venture capital, private equity and finance, accounted for 33% of total global investments in this sector.

In 2009 China installed 14 GW of wind power alone, far outpacing any other country. This expansion has been fueled primarily with stimulus spending. US stimulus funds, if actually spent, are targeted to add 16 GW of all forms of renewable energy to the US grid. However, energy legislation has stalled in congress, adding to regulatory uncertainties investors have in considering such projects.

The Chinese law is interesting in that it allows citizens to produce and sell power into the national grid. Finland passed similar legislation decades ago with the result that its paper mills now provide 30% of the electricity on its national grid, by tapping into their produced heat on-site to generate electricity.

The lesson here is that stimulus spending alone will not work. Regulatory certainty combined with incentives for private producers are required to pull through Alternative Energy power into the national grid. If a government will loan you money to produce alternative energy, but will not require its power grid to buy it, why would you invest?

Richard Wottrich

Football Field-Wide Wind Power Blades

Norway & Sweden Order Giant GE Wind Power Turbines

Imagine a US football field. Now imagine it slowly spinning in the air over a fiord in Norway. That's about the size of the diameter of new GE wind turbines recently ordered. On Tuesday, GE announced that four 4-megawatt wind turbines will be installed in Rogaland County, on the southwest coast of Norway, in conjunction with the Norwegian energy companies Statoil and Lyse. Assuming that environmental impact studies and funding agreements are successful, GE predicts the turbines will be up and running in 2012.


GE's 4-megawatt wind turbine has a 110-meter rotor diameter. A NFL-regulation football field, including the end zones, is about 109.73 meters.

As with GE's 2.5-megawatt wind turbines, the giant 4-megawatt turbines have direct drive trains that require no gearboxes.

Richard Wottrich