Bioenergy: Refueling the Future

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Green Energy News:

Tidal Power

Tidal power is similar to hydroelectric power in that they both use the movement of water to generate electricity through turbines. However, tidal power is specific to the use of tides whereas hydroelectric power can refer to rivers or lakes.

Tides are created by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon and also by the rotation of the earth. [12.1]

How does it work?

There are thee methods.

1) Tidal Barrages

[12.2]

Water flows over the barrage and fill the tidal basin during high tides.
The sluice gates will open and let the water flow out to the ocean during low tides.
The flowing water moves the turbines and creates electricity.

[12.2]

2) Tidal Stream Generator

How does it work?

Currents move through the turbine.
Turbine powers the generator and create electricity.

Tidal stream generators, or tidal energy converters, do not require a dam like tidal barrages. Instead, they are an independent generator out in the ocean. This does not conflict with marine wildlife as a dam would.

A majority of tidal stream generators function look and function like underwater wind turbines. Just like wind turbines they have to be strategically placed in areas with currents moving fast enough to move the blades to.

[12.3]

3) Dynamic Tidal Power (DTP)

[12.4]

DTP is a theoretical method that has not been tested yet. It involves a T-shaped dam starting from the coast line and extending out into the ocean. The T-shaped dam interferes with the original direction tides flow. Instead each side of the dam would have it's own flow. The tides would flow parallel to the shore line.

When the tide is low on one side, water will flow through the dam from the side with high tide to the side with low tide. For example, let the red side represent high tide and the blue represent low tide. The water from the red side will flow through the barrier to the blue side. As the water flows through the dam, it will turn the turbines inside of it and generate electricity.

However, tides are not constant. Once a side goes through high tide, it will then experience low tide and vice versa. This means the flow of water through the dam will change in direction with the change of the tides.

[12.4]