Oct 3, 2008 8:40 pm US/Pacific
SF Bay Tidal Power Not Cost-Effective, Study Finds
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
A consulting company representative advised the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission on Thursday that using an area of water under the Golden Gate Bridge for commercial tidal energy is not a wise economic decision.
URS Corp. previously presented the consultation for the San Francisco Public Utility Commission earlier this year after San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. expressed interest in using the energy from the tide as a sustainable energy source.
On Thursday URS Corp. Vice President Ian Austin told the development commission, which has the power to grant or deny permits to any pilot programs in the bay, that there is less usable energy in the bay than anticipated and pursuing it would not be cost efficient.
He told the commission it would cost millions of dollars to put tidal energy generators in the bay. Austin said in order for them to be cost-competitive, kilowatt pricing for tidal power -- 80 cents to $1.40 per kilowatt—would have to compare to the price of voltaic solar kilowatts—25 cents to 30 cents.
Executive Director Will Travis of the development commission said he felt the commission needed to be more informed for propositions for future pilot programs.
PG&E has a partnership with the city to produce another study with a demonstration within a few months and a spokesman said it might be more promising.
"We're looking at a wide range of sites in the bay with a wide variety of technology," PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said.
Molica said the company is committed to working with the city, is funding the second study and is still evaluating how to get equipment for commercial energy in the water within the next two years.
Austin and Molica implied that other areas in the bay with wave power, a different type of generation, is more feasible.
Molica also said the cost effect is usually much higher with newer technology and the idea is to invest in the long run.
"It makes sense to do a pilot project to push the project. Solar energy was considerably more expensive than it is today. Growth has caused the prices to come down. That will happen with tidal power," he said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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