If approved, the project would be the first tidal power plant in the US licensed to transmit energy onto the national grid, Verdant says.

The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project has been Verdant Power’s signature effort to commercialize its Free Flow kinetic hydropower tidal system, which utilizes three-bladed turbines deployed in fast-moving tides and rivers.

The license application has been submitted under FERC’s Hydrokinetic Pilot Project Licensing Procedures, established to allow for the advancement of US hydrokinetic technologies (tidal, river, wave power), while maintaining FERC oversight and agency input.

Verdant Power conducted environmental monitoring of the Free Flow System during the 6-turbine demonstration at the RITE Project, developing significant environmental data on the technology that showed no evidence of increased fish injury or mortality in the demonstration area.