All it takes is a steam generator, tidal turbine or the more innovative dynamic tidal power DTP technology to turn kinetic energy into electricity. Here are some tidal energy advantages and disadvantages that must not be overlooked. Advantages of tidal energy: clean and compact Tidal power is a known green energy source, at least in terms of emitting zero greenhouse gases.
The project, established in , was easily added to a Compare this to some of the largest wind farms, such as the Roscoe wind farm in Texas, US, which takes up km 2 of farmland, or the Even solar farms are usually bigger, such as the Tengger Desert Solar Park in China that covers an area of 43km 2 and the Bhadla Industrial Solar Park that is spread across 45km 2 of land in Rajasthan, India. In this respect, even small countries with a long enough stretch of coastline can utilise tidal power in ways that they could not otherwise compete with land-rich countries like the US, China, and India on solar and wind.
Advantages : continuous, predictable energy Another benefit of tidal power is that it is predictable. The gravitational forces of celestial bodies are not going to stop anytime soon.
Furthermore, as high and low tide is cyclical, it is far easier for engineers to design efficient systems, than say, predicting when the wind will blow or when the sun will shine.
In June , Bloomberg reported that the UK went nine days without generating almost any wind power. In contrast, scientists already know the volume of water and the level of power the tidal equipment will likely generate before construction.
Tidal power is also relatively prosperous at low speeds, in contrast to wind power. Moreover, technological advances in the industry will only drive cheaper and more sustainable tidal power solutions. One of our assets, CorPower, is challenging how the industry thinks about wave energy by using principles of the human heart. Through its wave energy converter, the company is able to deliver five times higher wave energy absorption than other technologies.
Tidal barrages are long concrete structures usually built across river estuaries. Identifying and implementing wide—scale, alternative-energy sources may be the greatest global imperative of our time.
Alternative energy sources also give us the potential to free ourselves from dependence on other countries for oil and the associated foreign policies that come with these relationships.
Moreover, it gives us the potential to reduce our reliance on nuclear energy, thereby reducing the risk of safety breaches and waste byproduct problems inherent with this energy source. In past editions of our Sustainability newsletter, I have discussed alternative energy generation systems, such as solar photovoltaics PV and other solar technologies , that help reduce the energy demand on our power grid. My colleague Paul Greenwalt has written blog posts about geothermal energy and heat pump systems.
Wind turbines represent another technology gaining traction. However, an often-overlooked source of clean, renewable energy comes not from solar, wind, or geothermal sources but from the tides. In this article, we will delve into the details of tidal energy, which has been growing since around the early s and offers great promise for being a clean, renewable, alternative energy source in coastal areas.
Tidal energy or tidal power is a form of hydropower, using water to create energy. Tidal energy converts the energy obtained from tidal movement into electric power using tidal generators. Tidal power was first conceived in the s, during the oil crisis , when there was an initial emphasis on developing alternative energy sources to distance the U. The cycle of tidal energy from tidal currents converted to electricity and distributed through the grid to power buildings.
Image: Adobe Stock. There are multiple power-generating methods. Tidal stream generators or tidal energy converters TEC are the most common, most cost effective, and the least ecologically damaging. Tidal stream generators use the kinetic energy of moving tidal water to power turbines, like wind powering wind turbines.
Another less common and more costly method, called tidal barrage, uses the potential energy of temporarily stored tidal water to power turbines, like water flowing over a dam. Tidal stream generators are like underwater wind turbines. Currently there is no standard tidal stream generator design, but a large variety of designs installed without extended periods of operation to help gauge performance and rate of return on investment. There are several ways to harness it.
Tidal turbines can be installed in places with strong tidal activity, either floating or on the sea floor, individually or in arrays. They look and operate much like wind turbines, using blades to turn a rotor that powers a generator, but must be significantly more robust given their operating environment and, as tidal turbines are much smaller than large wind turbines, more turbines are required to produce the same amount of energy.
Multiple tidal demonstration projects are under way in the United States. Turbines placed in tidal streams capture energy from the current, and underwater cables transmit it to the grid. Tidal stream systems can capture energy at sites with high tidal velocities created by land constrictions, such as in straits or inlets. When fully operational, the MeyGen project in Scotland will be the largest tidal stream generating station in the world, with up to MW generation capacity.
Tidal barrages are like dams built across tidal rivers, bays, and estuaries to form a tidal basin. Turbines inside the barrage enable the basin to fill during incoming tides and release through the system during outgoing tides, generating electricity in both directions.
It operates much like a river dam in capturing the power in surrounding water. The next largest in Canada has much lower generation capacity at 20 MW. Tidal lagoons are like barrages in using man-made retaining walls to partially contain a large volume of incoming tidal water, with embedded turbines to capture its energy. They also rely on a large tidal range to generate power.
Unlike barrages, tidal lagoons could be placed along natural coastline for continuous power generation as the tide changes and designed to minimize their environmental footprint. Though the energy output from tidal lagoons is unproven, with no current examples in operation, a few are under development in China, North Korea, and the United Kingdom.
Due to the environmental challenges they pose, tidal barrages and lagoons are not the focus of tidal energy development efforts in most areas of the world. The predominant application for tidal energy has been the generation of electricity for use on shore via the national power grid.
There is also potential value in tidal energy to serve the needs of other existing or emerging ocean industries e. Tidal energy is a clean, renewable, sustainable resource that is underutilized and represents significant opportunity to meet growing global energy needs, both now and in the future.
Water is hundreds of times denser than air, which makes tidal energy more powerful than wind. It is more efficient than wind or solar energy due to its relative density and produces no greenhouse gases or other waste, making it an attractive renewable energy source to pursue.
Also beneficial is the relative predictability and reliability of continuous tides, especially compared to other renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which are affected by the variability and uncertainty of atmospheric forcing.
Low tide and high tide cycles are easy to predict and rarely experience unexpected changes. To realize the benefits of tidal energy on a commercial scale, it will be important for researchers to identify new technologies and methods that significantly lower installation and maintenance costs, reduce environmental effects, and increase the suitability of more locations.
There are a few tidal projects in operation; however, the industry is growing slowly due to barriers to entry and lack of supply chain. Tidal energy as an industry remains limited by a few significant barriers, cost being its most challenging. Developing tidal arrays and connecting them to the power grid requires extensive and costly engineering and manufacturing work. While there are numerous tidal technologies being tested that may improve affordability, none have emerged as a market leader that could help establish supply chains and begin reducing installation and maintenance costs.
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