underwater windmills supply environmentally- friendly power to NYC

Wednesday, 24 May 2006
Experimental underwater windmills will be installed in New York City's East River during the next weeks to begin generating power utilizing the non-stop action of the tides. Enthusiasts of the new environmentally friendly hydropower say the machines generate electricity without the problems associated with wind power. The scenery is not dotted with tubines and engineers say the low-rpm movement from the blades does not harm marine life. Unlike hydro-electric dams which dramatically alter spawning populations of fish, this instream technology allows fish and mammels to "easily swim around" the turbines.