14 DAY TRIAL // The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the United States has recently given the thumbs up to plans to install two underwater turbines in the waters near the city of Seattle in Washington.
Information made available to the public says that, provided that final approvals are obtained, the turbines will be set in place in the Admiralty Inlet strait.
According to Think Progress, the underwater turbines are to be anchored to the sea floor as part of a tidal-energy pilot project, and will be provided by OpenHydro.
Just for the record, it must be said that this company is in the business of designing, manufacturing, and installing tidal energy systems.
The same source informs that both turbines will sit at a depth of about 200 feet (about 61 meters), and will be fitted onto triangular bases intended to ensure that they remain fixed to the sea floor.
By the looks of it, the turbines will each stand about 20 feet (about 6.1 meters) tall. Thanks to their design, they will be able to harvest energy from a fairly wide range of water flow velocities.
Interestingly enough, it would appear that the turbines will be able to harvest tidal energy and roll out clean power regardless of the direction of the tide.
The folks behind this project explain that the overall power generation capacity of this fairly small-scale tidal energy installation will be one of 600 megawatts, with each turbine having a capacity of 300 megawatts.
They further detail that whatever clean energy the underwater turbines will produce is to be transported to shore and used to power households and businesses by means of cables.
It is estimated that two cables, each measuring 7,000 feet (almost 2,134 meters) in length, will suffice to bring the energy produced by the turbines to shore.
“The Admiralty Inlet Project is an innovative attempt to harness previously untapped energy resources,” Cheryl LaFleur, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's acting chairman, said in a statement.
“I look forward to the results of the experimental project and congratulate Snohomish [County] for undertaking it,” Cheryl LaFleur went on to add.
In case anyone was wondering, the Admiralty Inlet was chosen to serve as the scene for the implementation of this tidal-energy pilot project due to the fact that, thanks to its being fairly narrow, it forces the water moving through it to speed up.
Because of this, specialists say that the region is very well suited for harvesting tidal power by means of underwater turbines.