RE News
World’s Largest Tidal Stream
Turbine Completed
Marine Current Turbines Ltd. (MCT) completed work May 20 on SeaGen, the 1.2-
megawatt generator in Strangford Narrows,
Northern Ireland.
The 1,000-tonne system was positioned
on April 3, and fixed to bedrock. The superstructure was installed in mid-May and the
system was tied to the Northern Ireland grid.
After a period of testing, the company expects
to generate full power in late summer. The test
includes full-time monitoring of marine
mammal activity around the structure.
MARINE CURRENT TURBINES
SeaGen uses two 16-meter rotors that will
operate during tidal flow, 18 to 20 hours per
day. It will make four times the power of
any previous tidal stream generator.
Among other projects, MCT has entered a
joint venture to build a 10.5-megawatt project in North Wales, to operate by 2012. That
system will use a battery of SeaGen units.
DAN BIHN
Bikes Boom —
Including E-Bikes
Production of electric-powered bicycles
has doubled since 2004, reaching 21 million
units in 2007, according to a report by the
Earth Policy Institute.
A total of 130 million bikes were built
worldwide last year, compared to 52 million
cars. Bicycle production has quadrupled since
1970, while car production doubled over the
same period.
About 88 percent of all nonelectric bikes
were built in China, and another 5 percent
in Taiwan.
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Fax: (909) 434-3101
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