Natural Currents Energy Services, LLC is a developer and installer of
hydro-electric systems. They produce scalable underwater
turbines
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
designed to capture energy from the tides of rivers and oceans. They hold
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...
(FERC) energy development permits at ten sites in the US, roughly 25% of the total tidal zone permits granted by FERC. The company has designed two models of turbine, the Red Hawk Tidal Power Generator and the Sea Dragon Tidal Turbine.
Natural Currents has partnered with the
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
to assess sites with potential for tidal power development. The 18-month study is funded by grants from the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...
and the University Transportation Research Center.
On March 5, 2012, Natural Currents released results from a study of tidal currents off the coast of New Jersey for 2008 to 2009. The findings indicate a conservative estimate of 417 MW of potential tidal power in New Jersey, compared to the 357 MW measured by a Georgia Tech Report in 2011.
Further reading
* United States of America Before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, ''Hydroelectric Infrastructure Technical Conference'' Docket No. AD06-13-000]
Long Island Tidal and Wave Energy Study:An Assessment of the Resource, January 2007 Prepared for: Long Island Power Authority
Green Energy Newsletter, January-February, 2007, Issue 07-01Global Network for Forecasting EarthquakesLong Island Tidal and Wave Energy Study
References
Sources & External Links
Company website
Technology companies of the United States
Renewable energy technology companies
Tidal power
Hydroelectricity in the United States
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