It sounds pretty sci-fi, but as City Limits reports, our own New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is in final talks to put a one-of-a-kind power facility on Randall's Island: The plant's turbines will harvest wind, solar, and tidal energy at once (that's right: earth, wind, and fire). Not only will the newfangled contraption power pretty much the entire island — including the lighting for its ball fields — but it could be doing so as early as 2008. So let us quickly just say, Wow. Who knew the Parks Department was even in the alternative-energy business? Apparently, very few: The project has been so hush-hush that even the City Council member representing Randall's Island says she hadn't heard about it until now. The secrecy is almost enough to make us paranoid about other city agencies. If Parks sneaks underwater turbines into the city, who knows what Health and Mental Hygiene is up to?

Underwater Power Generator Could Be Wave of City's Future [City Limits]