BORDENTOWN – New Jersey has a chance to be a world leader in an area such as tidal power, just as it has been in solar energy.
That is according to Roger Bason, president of Natural Currents, which develops equipment to produce energy from tides.
Speaking at today’s Energy Master Plan hearing at the Rutgers Eco-Complex here, he said that his company has permits for 15 sites, including 10 in New Jersey, four of which are in the four southern counties.
These 10-megawatt demonstration projects in southern N.J. are ready for installation, he said, but they must deal with time-consuming and expensive obstacles such as $100,000 baseline fish studies per site.
“The world community laughs at the U.S.” over such barriers, he told the Board of Public Utilities. “These are not show-stoppers” elsewhere, he said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, he testified, requires five years of ongoing monitoring, which he said is an obstacle.
He said tidal power has been proven environmentally friendly and the least disruptive to eco-systems.
When it comes to solar power – the current concern over the price crash of renewable energy certificates notwithstanding – New Jersey is considered a global leader and example of what can be accomplished, Bason said.
The state could take a world leadership position in tidal power, as well, he said, but the regulatory obstacles – many of which originate at the federal level – must be addressed, he said.
“Other areas of the world will take this incentive,’’ he said. “I hope New Jersey can be aggressive and follow suit in an area where it has been successful in the past.’’
Earlier story:
Local control impedes pursuit of energy efficiency, BPU told
