Of all the issues that should ignite a sense of urgency, finding new sources of energy deserves a place at the top of the list. And yet, as U.S. foreign policy continues to be distorted by our addiction to fossil fuels, the federal bureaucracy is delaying feasibility tests for a generator using one of the largest potential energy sources on the planet.
Energetech is an Australian firm that hopes to run a pilot project off Point Judith deriving energy from ocean waves. Initially, the firm plans to generate about $200,000 worth of electricity – enough to supply 300 homes for a year.
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But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which last year asserted its authority to oversee the project, has invoked rules that would make the test impossible.
Under FERC regulations, Energetech couldn’t sell the power it produces into the energy grid. But even if it supplies electricity for free to demonstrate its technology, it would have to compensate existing power plants for the electricity they didn’t sell because of the free supply.
Whatever logic led to the promulgation of such rules clearly does not apply in this case. In fact, logic and the public good both lose out here.
The governor’s office has voiced its unhappiness, but it’s our congressional delegation that must take the lead to resolve this problem. They need to push hard in Washington to expedite the testing process and help the country move forward on clean, renewable energy sources.
