Two buoys with sensors to monitor tides and ocean currents have been placed in the waters of Argentina’s southern province of Santa Cruz, the first step in a government project to gauge tidal energy potential along the southern Patagonian coast. The project, which involves the collaboration of scientists from various institutions and the state-owned oil company, YPF, reflects growing consensus here that Argentina needs to do more to develop alternative energy sources. The country currently gets 66% of its electricity from fossil-fuel-fired plants, 29% from hydroelectric stations, 4% from nuclear-energy plants and roughly 1% from alternatives sources such as wind, solar and small-scale hydroelectric, according to government figures. National legislation passed in 2006 calls for alternative sources to contribute 8... [Log in to read more]