Power companies are investigating an ambitious project to place underwater turbines in Cook Strait as an answer to New Zealand's electricity shortage.
Scientists behind the idea say harnessing the tidal currents could meet the entire country's electricity needs.
State-owned power companies Meridian Energy and Transpower are also included in the project's development.
In what would be a multibillion-dollar scheme, up to 7000 turbines would be anchored to the sea floor and float about 40 metres below the surface. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3710325a11,00.htmlThis would, if built, allow all of NZ's power to be generated emmision free...
:)
Fingers crossed
As a point of interest, the tech' company has said they would want to recruit trawler owner/operators as maintenace guys: so they lose a fishing ground in return for being guardians of renewable energy
Now that's an interesting interesting angle - think Cape Wind