By Lena Babaeva Coradini

The United States Coast Guard celebrates the launch in eastern Maine of the first federal facility anywhere to use tidal power located.  A 60-kilowatt tidal turbine was launched in March and is providing electricity to the station’s boats starting this week:

The project shows that tidal power can be harnessed for Coast Guard and other federal facilities, McPherson said. After the 60-day demonstration ends in October, the project will be evaluated in hopes of applying the technology in places such as Maine or Alaska, where extreme tides and fast currents that make tidal power appropriate, he said.

I particularly liked this quote in the article: "'It's just a demonstration project, and it's modest,' McPherson said. 'But I say Alexander Graham Bell just called Watson in the next room for the first phone call. You have to start somewhere.'"  So true.