Tidal power

Tidal power is believed to have been used by the Anglo Saxons in about 1050. Tidal power is a remarkable source of hydroelectrical energy. The French Ranee River power plant in the Gulf of St. Malo in Brittany consists of 24 power units, each of 10 MW. A dam equipped with special reversible turbines allows the power to be generated by the tidal flow in both directions. 

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Tidal Power. Tidal power is caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and especially the moon, as they pull at the earth. Reacting to this pull, the ocean s waters rise, causing a high tide where the moon is closest. The difference between low and high tide can range from a few cm to several meters. Harnessing tidal power for electricity production by the use of dams requires a tidal difference of at least 4.5 m, a requirement met at few locations in the United States. Thus, the principal demonstration sites of tidal power are in Canada, China, and France. 

In Europe, the first internal cathodic protection installation was put into operation in 1965 for 24 water-powered Kaplan turbines with a propeller diameter of 7.6 m. These were in the tidal power station at La Ranee in France. The protected object consisted of plain carbon and high-alloy stainless steels. Each turbine was... 

Although the technology required to harness tidal energy is well established, because tidal power is expensive there is only one major tidal generating station in operation in the world today. This is a 240-megawatt power plant at the mouth of the La Ranee River estuary on the northern coast of France, generating power roughly equal to the annual consumption of the nearby town of Rennes, which has a population of 200,000. 

The Barrage de la Ranee was the iirst hydroelectric power plant to generate energy using tidal power. (Corbis-Eettmann)... 

Studies have been undertaken to examine the potential of several other tidal power sites worldwide. Scientists estimate that a barrage across the Severn River in western England could supply as much as 10 percent of the country s electricity needs (12 gigawatts). Similarly, several sites in the Bay of Fundy, in Cook Inlet, Alaska, and the White Sea in Russia have been found to have the potential to generate large amounts of electricity. 

Bernshtein, L. B. (1995). Tidal Power Development—a Realistic, Justifiable and Topical Problem of Today. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion 10 591—599. 

Binnie Black and Veatch (2001). The Commercial Prospects for Tidal Power. Report in Association with IT Power. United Kingdom DTI. 

Wave power, tidal power, municipal solid waste, gas from animal wastes (biogas), landfill, peat energy and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) are the other renewable energy sources (RES). Water energy sources are hydropower, tidal and wave technologies. 

Hydrogen production. Intensive R D is underway on the production of hydrogen from natural gas and biomass. Concerning biological hydrogen, a national co-operative platform has been formed with 11 institutes and universities. In addition, thermal (pyrolysis) and hydrothermal processes are being studied at multiple places. Other research areas include various thermal and hydrothermal processes (BTC, TNO, ECN), and hydrogen from electricity produce by renewables (solar, wind, and tidal power). 

Tidal power is normally obtained from the filling and emptying of a bay or an estuary, which may be closed in by a dam. When tidal waters flow through the dam (in either direction), they cause a paddle wheel or turbine to rotate, and this motion generates electricity. 

A disadvantage of tidal power is that electricity is generated only when tides are coming in or going out. How might a tidal electric power plant be outfitted so as to be able to provide a continuous supply of electricity ... 

The main benefit of tidal power, in comparison with other forms of renewable energy, is its predictability. The timing and force of tides can be predicted with great accuracy, and thus so can the power produced by a plant. The main drawback of this power source is its high initial equipment cost, which runs many times that of conventional power sources. 

Promising news for tidal power is coming from a radical design—a tidal mill that looks a lot like a land-based windmill. The tidal mill consists of three 30-foot long blades and weighs 180 tons. This design can offer several benefits, including minimal interference with sea life. Hammerfest Stroem, the electric company in Hammerfest, Norway, has... 

Power Plant Construction Wind Power Generation Hydro Power Generation Tidal Power Generation Wave Power Generation Solar Power Generation Thermoelectric Power Generation Biomass Power Generation... 

Hydropower Solar energy Wind energy Geothermal energy Biomass Tidal power Wave energy... 

Tidal power can use either conventional or new technology to extract energy from the tides. It is usually best deployed in areas where there is a high tidal range, which includes many areas of the United Kingdom as well as the United States, New Zealand, and parts of the west coast of India. 

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