Video of the bottom of Admiralty Inlet is providing more information to the Snohomish County Public Utility District for its tidal power project.
The PUD recently hired Global Diving and Salvage of Seattle to operate an underwater vehicle to take video of the bottom of the inlet between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island. The work was done in August, September and early this month.
The utility hopes to place two large turbines on the floor of Admiralty Inlet and have them up and running by 2012. The two turbines are expected to generate 1 megawatt of power during peak times and an average 100 kilowatts, enough to power nearly 700 homes.
The PUD already had obtained information about the bottom through soundwave technology, said Craig Collar, senior manager for energy resource development for the PUD. The data showed that the bottom was mostly flat and free of obstructions, necessary for the turbines to operate effectively.
The video confirmed that finding and revealed more about the sea life in the area, Collar said. So far, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of habitat that would be disrupted by the turbines, he said. The primary fish species present are ratfish and sculpin.
“A picture’s worth a thousand words,” Collar said.
The PUD recently received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its pilot tidal energy project in Admiralty Inlet. The PUD is matching the grant with $10.1 million of its own.
The utility paid between $80,000 and $90,000 to Global Diving and Salvage and to Sound &Sea Technology of Lynnwood for the video work, Collar said.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
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