According to WorldChanging, Portugal is home to the world’s first hydrokinetic plant:
OPD announces the signing of an order with a Portuguese consortium, led by Enersis, to build the first phase of the world’s first commercial wave-farm.
The initial phase will consist of three Pelamis P-750 machines located 5km off the Portuguese coast, near Póvoa de Varim. The 8m euro project will have an installed capacity of 2.25MW, and is expected to meet the average electricity demand of more than 1,500 Portuguese households.
Subject to the satisfactory performance of the first stage, an order for a further 30 Pelamis machines (20MW) is anticipated.
There are artist’s renderings of what it will look like on the Ocean Power site.
This is really cool, and I’m a dedicated environmentalist, but sooner or later, we’re going to have to cast our eyes back to that ugly sister of the energy industry–nuclear power. The future, I’m afraid, is in fission.
DarrenBarefoot.com 