New Granddaughter and Sea Turbines

On Tuesday February 5, my wife Yvonne and I became grandparents for the 2nd time.

Our youngest, Sara and her husband Tom, became the proud parents of a beautiful and healthy baby girl.- Gianna Leigh (21inches long, 8lb-1oz) Sara's labor went well and everyone is doing fine.

Needless to say, this week has been and will continue to be a whirlwind, all revolving around the newest member to our family. Matter-of-fact, not much else is being accomplished by any of us that doesn't directly revolve around baby Gianna.

But, fortunately I have managed to find some time scattered here and there this week to piece together this Tip of the Week for you, my subscribers. But, before I get to more serious stuff, I've got a funny story to share with you.

When my daughter Sara and her husband Tom showed up at the hospital to check in Tuesday the admissions nurse began taking their information and the story goes something like this:

Nurse: What's your Name?

Sara: Sara XXXXXX

Nurse: Oh, Sara XXXXXX -- that's a pretty name! XXXXXX, where does that last name come from? Sara: My husband Tom.

Nurse: "Oh!, the nurse exclaimed, "you're married! You never know these days! "

Sara: "Yeeeessssss, and next week is our 2 year Anniversary! "

Nurse: "Oh, you were married for a while before you became pregnant."

Sara: "Yeeeesssssss, and do you want to know something else? -- She was even planned!"

Nurse: "OH MY GOODNESS!"

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions from that one.

I'd be willing top bet that, by now, those of you who read my tips all know that I am keenly interested in alternative energy and completely dedicated to spreading the word on the latest technological developments in this growing field

Did you know?

………..that of all the United States coastlines, Singer Island, Florida (near Palm Beach) is the closest land mass in the United States in proximity to the fast running deep-blue waters of the Gulf Stream. And I can personally attest to that fact.

Our family vacationed on Singer Island (On Florida's East Coast, just north of Palm Beach) years ago. During that vacation, I brought along my 22' open fisherman boat and we all spent the week fishing the Atlantic waters just offshore. And, when I say "just offshore" I mean that literally. During our stay, each morning I would load the family on our boat and head east into the Atlantic from the Lake Worth Inlet (this inlet separates Singer Island from Palm Beach.)

On our first day of fishing, I exited the Lake Worth Inlet and immediately turned my boat north and begin trolling the waters parallel to Singer Island's beach. Here we were deep-sea fishing within earshot of Singer Island beachgoers. And, when I looked down to check my depth finder, I was shocked to discover that it indicated the water under us was 500 feet deep.

Furthermore, upon exiting the Lake Worth Inlet, if you continue boating east into the Atlantic Ocean, after about a mile you'll find yourself in 1,000 feet of water. And I now understand why a salesperson at the local tackle shop told me to make sure I always trolled south in the Gulf Stream when I was purchasing tackle for my blue-water trolling adventure.

This concerned salesperson explained to me that many novice fishermen make the mistake of trolling North in the Gulf Stream , not realizing the water under them is also flowing north at 15 knots. So, if the captain is trolling north at 15 knots and the Gulf Stream is flowing north at 15 knots, the vessel and its passengers are actually moving north at a combined speed of 30 knots.

And that's why the USCG has had to rescue many a visiting fishermen because they motored too far north, only to discover the hard way that they didn't have enough gas to make the return trip home.

One day during our vacation, I began trolling south at 15 knots and continued trolling for 3 hours in the Gulf Stream. I was shocked to discover that during all that time, my boat remained parallel with the same group of condos on the shoreline. The water simply ran north under my boat neutralizing our forward progress.

My reason for sharing that story is to segue to SeaTech, Florida Atlantic University's Institute of Ocean and Systems Engineering.

http://www.oe.fau.edu/oegeneral/seatech.html

SeaTech occupies eight acres of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intra Coastal waterway in Dania Beach, Florida, and the renewable energy research they are currently doing could very well solve Florida's energy needs.

Researchers at SeaTech are exploring the potential of the the very Gulf Stream I just described, also be a major source of clean energy for the state of Florida.

"This is the closest location on the planet of a major ocean current to a significant urban center of electrical demand," said Rick Driscoll, Sea Tech's director. "Its potential is immeasurable."

Driscoll envisages a vast field of thousands of underwater propeller turbines tethered to the ocean floor - imagine a wind farm hundreds of feet under the sea - slowly spinning in the current.

Some scientists say the Gulf Stream's vast energy content could provide up to one-third of Florida's electricity needs, equivalent to six nuclear power stations. Realistically, that potential remains something of a dream right now. Of all the emerging alternative technologies, ocean energy is perhaps the least advanced. But it may be starting to catch on.

"Ocean energy is where wind was 20 years ago," Driscoll said. "There are a lot of concepts and designs."

The power of the Gulf Stream is not a new revelation. Scientists have been studying this ocean current for centuries. However, what is new is the current interest in finding a way to harvest this vast renewable energy source as a renewable way to generate electrical power.

Sea Tech's ocean energy research is suddenly attracting intense interest. It got a major boost in 2006 with a $5-million grant from the state. It has also formed an alliance with Florida Power & Light Co. Just recently, Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist proposed a $10-million grant in his new budget, and he made a second visit to Sea Tech to show his commitment.

But the bubble of interest in and research into renewable energy in this country is in danger of being burst.

While wind, solar and other developing technologies like underwater turbines, have been seeing steady increases in investment dollars, research, and production, Federal tax breaks set to expire at the end of the year and an anticipated shortage of skilled workers could stall future growth, experts say.

"Already companies that have invested millions of dollars in this industry are getting nervous," said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association.

And an energy bill President Bush signed last year left out tax breaks for clean energy industries. The White House said it needs to focus on programs that expire this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2008. However, that bill does authorize $125 million for green-collar job training programs, an amount the industry says still isn't enough.

The tax credits also are not part of a House passed economic stimulus package endorsed by the White House, although the Senate has included the extensions in its version of the bill expected to come up for a vote in the very near future.

Without prompt action, renewable industry experts say next year's market growth (2009) likely won't look so good. According to the wind association, when previous tax credits expired in 2004, the amount of wind capacity installed fell by 77%.

The federal government must not only extend the tax credits, but also provide more money for training workers, said George Sterzinger, executive director of the Washington-based Renewable Energy Policy Project.

If not, manufacturing will go overseas and the jobs will be lost, he said. It makes no sense, he added, to wean America off its dependence on foreign oil only to become dependent on other countries for products in sustainable energy production.

"You look at a wind (or water) turbine. It's got a whole bunch of parts. Somebody makes the blades, somebody makes the tower, somebody makes the gear boxes, the electronic controls," Sterzinger said. "Those parts can come from China, India -- or from Buffalo."

· Sustainalbe jobs · Green growth industry · Global Warming benefits

I believe that research and development along with implementation of Alternative Energy in this country is the economic engine that will power this country into the 21st Century and we all need to work hard and do our part to ensure this happens.

So, here's my tip for this week. "Speak up and take positive action!"

It's up to each and every one of us to make sure that our elected officials know that America needs to make alternative energy its priority. So renew and enlarge tax credits and invest all the money it takes to get these technologies up to speed and powering our future.