It’s such a simple concept I wonder why it’s not a “popular” idea for alternative energy.
Exploit the difference in potential energy between high tide and low tide. Dig a ditch or basin into a beach or cliff and then make a dam with flood gates and put some turbines where they will be turned by releasing the trapped water.
The main advantages of this kind of tidal power vs the more popular idea of turbines trapping underwater currents are environmental. When we look at the design of these windmills under the sea, they are very similar to food processors in that any wildlife coming close will be chopped into slurry. Not to mention the fact that they would only capture a small fraction of the tidal power compared to a tidal barrage.
It is important to distinguish between tidal barrages created on rivers or estuaries and totally man made barrages. The former types of barrages have the same kind of environmental problems because they interfere with extablished marine ecosystems. Creating a new inlet would allow for a screen-like divider that would exclude animals that could be harmed by the turbines or other mechanisms.
The potential is almost unlimited for countries like the united states due to our extremely large coastlines. The construction of these barrages would also creates lots of jobs a la the Obama plan for saving the economy.
In the coming years we will have to make important decisions about which technologies we chose to implement for a sustainable future. If we choose without full disclosure as to the dangers and benefits of each technology, the results could be disastrous. If we were to make huge investments into bio-fuels instead of more truly sustainable technologies, at some point we will have food and water supply problems. I understand the appeal of bio-fuels because they use already existing technologies and thus can be immediately implemented. I also understand the desire for a quick fix but long term thinking is the only way we will survive peacefully into the next century, after oil has run out.
Radiation from the sun, Gravitational pull from the moon (ocean Power), Geothermal from plate tectonics and volcanic activity, and wind power are the areas we should be putting massive investment into. Other technologies may serve as a fine transition between fossil fuels and true sustainability but we must plan for the long term using inexhaustible sources of energy.
Filed under: Tidal Power | Tagged: alternative energy, Bio-Fuels, ebb generation, Green Jobs, Oceans, Tidal Power | 14 Comments »
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