News

NEW YORK, NY December 31, 2006 —Tidal energy from the East River is being used for electric power for the first time. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

REPORTER: The energy is being generated by a turbine anchored to the bottom of the river on the eastern side of Roosevelt Island. It's got three blades about sixteen feet in diameter, like an underwater windmill.

The demonstration project was created by Verdant Power. The company has a tiny control room by the river where analyst Hannah Abend is excited about this new form of clean energy.

ABEND: This is sort of like the quietest electric plant ever or power plant ever because you'll never see them, and if everything is working well you'll just get power from the current.

The first turbine started running this month and it's supplying about 10 percent of the power for the island's Gristedes supermarket. Verdant plans to install five more turbines in this first phase with a grant from the state. The company has to prove its technology won't have any impact on local fish but says testing so far shows no dangers.

For WNYC I'm Beth Fertig.