CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County Board of County Commissioners is expected to consider a resolution Oct. 13 to establish a partnership with Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation to study whether tidal currents at county-owned inlet bridges can provide reliable emergency backup power for barrier-island communities.
The proposed partnership would assess tidal energy potential at Townsend’s Inlet Bridge, which connects Avalon and Sea Isle City, and at Middle Thorofare Bridge, which links Lower Township and the Wildwoods.
The purpose is to determine whether the strong, predictable tidal flow through the channels can support a locally generated source of renewable energy when the regional electricity grid is compromised by coastal storms, hurricanes, nor’easters or other extreme weather.
The county’s barrier islands are highly vulnerable to prolonged power outages. During storm events, transmission and distribution infrastructure in low-lying coastal areas can be damaged or isolated for days.
While the initiative does not envision large-scale commercial generation at this time, the research and data produced may assist Rutgers University and the energy production industry in improving technologies to better harness tidal flow for energy production.
In the short term, it is also a feasibility study to learn whether tidal energy and current technologies for tidal energy generation can be implemented as a component in county bridge reconstruction projects, for the purpose of supporting essential public services such as emergency lighting on an evacuation route.
Commissioner Patrick Rosenello, a former member of the Cape May County Bridge Commission, said the effort is about preparedness.
“Our barrier islands sit at the edge of some of the strongest tidal exchanges on the Jersey Shore,” Rosenello said. “Townsend’s Inlet and Middle Thorofare already carry enormous volumes of water with every tide. Before we talk about turbines or backup power, we need measured data.
“This partnership with Rutgers University gives the county a practical, low-cost way to find out whether that flow can help keep lights on for emergency services when a storm takes the grid down. Public safety comes first. If the science says the resource is there, we will know how to move forward. If the study shows there is enough tidal energy to make it worthwhile, we’ll know how to move forward. If not, we’ll have a clear answer at a modest cost, and the data will help Rutgers and the energy industry advance tidal energy technology.”
Work would begin with a resource-assessment phase: measuring current velocities throughout the water column, surveying channel geometry, estimating tidal discharge and calculating theoretical and extractable energy.
If those findings justify further study, a later phase could test a pilot-scale device under local conditions. Findings would also position the county to pursue state and federal resilience and energy grants.
