PSU Magazine Fall 2005

number-meaning that if he did noth– ing he would likely be shipped off to Vietnam-Taylor dropped out of Teacher Corps, returned to Portland, enlisted in the Oregon National Guard, and then the former social activist zagged into a sales job with Procter & Gamble. After four years with P&G, Taylor got into advertising, joining agencies first in Portland, then in Detroit, as an account supervisor and marketing strategist. After a few years , he became director of communications with the D. C.-based Edison Electric Institute, the trade group for investor-owned electric companies. There he helped create the Mclaughlin Group, an issues television program that airs nationally on public television stations. About seven years ago , Taylor had a sudden insight based on lessons learned along his journey. In the mid- l 990s, the electric indus– try was partially deregulated. One unintended result was that utilities no longer built power plants-despite the fact that demand for electricity was exploding. At the same time, coal and natural gas were losing favor in the face of global warming. Taylor looked at the lay of the land-and the horizon. 22 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 2005 "I thought, 'Voila,"' says Taylor, "it's time for another industry to be created here. " In 1998, Taylor and a handful of like-minded individuals began researching renewable energy. They quickly found that "wind and solar power are the darlings," says Taylor, but they have one glaring problem. If theres no sun or no wind, theres no power. Tidal, wave, and current power are virtually perpetual. Taylor-geologist, activist, teacher, salesman, and marketing strategist– had found his niche. Now, just a few years later, things in the small-hydro waters are moving-if not at flood pace, at least swiftly. Although the technology is still in beta stage, house-size underwater turbines are already generating small amounts of electricity off the coasts of Britain and Norway. China, Scotland, and Canada are expressing interest in small hydro power. And in the U.S., compa– nies with different turbine designs are pursuing projects in California, Massa– chusetts, and Delaware. Where does that leave the future of water power-and Verdant? Like many alternative energy enthu– siasts, Taylor sees enormous potential. The 16-foot arms of the underwater turbines spin at the speed of a revolving door. Just consider California, he says. The state's energy crisis still looms large, and there are over 11,000 miles of man-made waterways just waiting for innovative thinkers. California's aque– duct system, says Taylor, "is like one huge battery. " Consider the possibilities if those miles of open canals were filled with hydro powered turbines and covered with a roof of solar collectors. That would be, says Taylor, "a double whammy." C loser to home, a mile down river from the Bonneville Dam, Taylor's geologist side comes into play. There, a massive basalt outcrop gives an extra oomph to the river current as the water is mashed into a smaller space . How about installing a field of turbines there? The Willamette Falls in Oregon City and the mouth of the Columbia River also have prime potential , says Taylor. For now, the cost of electricity gen– erated by small hydro turbines is higher than coal and gas generation, but as fuel prices increase and economies of scale come into play for hydro turbines, prices will drop sig– nificantly, Taylor believes. The project in New York should go a long way toward demonstrating the feasibility of small hydro. And, to paraphrase a song, if Verdant Power can make small hydro work in New York, the company should be able to make it work anywhere. D