Coast Guard to use tidal power at Maine station

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http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090422/NEWS0104/904229908

Coast Guard to use tidal power at Maine station

By CLARKE CANFIELD
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard hopes to have a tidal power generator in the water by the end of the summer to provide electricity to its station in Eastport.

The agency wants to tap into the power of Eastport's 20-foot tides and 6-knot currents to provide a secondary power source for its facilities in the far eastern Maine city, said Capt. Jim McPherson, commander of the Coast Guard's northern New England sector.

When the generator is installed, it would be the Coast Guard's first foray into tidal power, possibly making the station the first federal government building anywhere to utilize tidal power, he said. It could serve as a model for projects at Coast Guard stations in Alaska and Washington state, he said.

"We want to make Eastport a leader in tidal power," McPherson said.

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