There is another important disadvantage to take note of–the effect on the marine environment. Its total availability has suffered for these reasons. For energy collection to be effective, tides must have a range of at least 10 feet. Tidal energy is relatively expensive in comparison to other clean energy sources and there are fewer truly good high tide sites to collect the energy. Unfortunately, tidal power does have some downsides which are mainly responsible for the fact that it has yet to truly take over in any meaningful way. Yale Environment cites the Ocean Renewable Power Company and their site in the Kvichak watershed in Alaska, where a tidal system is already helping remote communities. Remote communities and larger cities could benefit from it. They add that another advantage of the technology is that it could be altered to fit the size and cost point. When used economically and effectively, some estimates, such as that produced by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, suggest that up to 1/3rd of the United States’ power could be taken from the oceans. Another more specific advantage is that tides are more predictable than either the wind or the sun. This transition, whether entirely to tidal, solar, or wind power, or some combination of these and others, is crucial to persevering the world as we know it for future generations. It is a natural source of energy that could, in theory, help to replace the world’s dependence on coal and oil. Unfortunately, there are no plants in the United States, in part due to a lack of investment in the area but also because there are fewer sites capable of creating the energy needed to make such a plant economically successful.įirst and foremost, tidal power is clean. The Canadian plant, in Nova Scotia, is the third-largest barrage of its kind and can generate only 20 megawatts of energy. Right now, several tidal power barrages are in operation there is one in South Korea, France, Canada, Russia, and China. Scientists and researchers believe that it has great potential but has yet to be harnessed in any significant amount. Tidal power is used today but not as widely as other alternative energy forms. Water passes through them and creates electricity. The EIA describes the tidal fence as a power system that is mounted on the sea bed. They are sturdy devices that are very expensive to create. Next, the tidal turbine, sits on the sea floor in an area where the tides are strong. Theses are the most common tidal power systems in the world today. The two-way tidal power system creates electricity from the tides coming out and going in. These barrages are placed across lintels of oceans or lagoons and sluice gates control the water and flow rates. The first of these is a larger structure that looks similar to a dam. Some of the most common tidal power systems are the tidal fence, tidal turbine, and tidal barrage. These watermills usually located on grain farms. Water flowed into large ponds and then flowed out, turning waterwheels to create mechanical power. Historically, tidal power has been used in the form of tide mills in Europe and North America for 1,000 years. The power and size of tides vary around the world. Tides are created due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun in tandem with the rotation of the earth. One of the reasons that tidal power is so interesting is that it is dependable. Tidal power, quite simply, is the energy that’s harnessed from the tides, especially to create electricity.
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