Energy From The Tidal Wave

 

The movement of tidal waves and seas is used to generate tidal energy, which is a sort of kinetic energy that is characterized by the intensity of the water that results from the rise and fall of the tides. Tidal power is closely related to gravitational hydropower, which derives its ability to create energy from the rotation of a turbine from the flow of water. The turbines are comparable to wind turbines; the only difference is that they are submerged in water. Tides are produced in the seas as a result of the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun, in conjunction with the rotation of the planet. The tides may cause the water level along the beach to rise and fall by as much as 40 feet in some locations. More than a thousand years ago, people in Europe discovered a way to harness the flow of water and use it to power grain mills. There are now operational systems that can produce power using tidal energy. To generate tidal energy cost-effectively, there must be a tidal range of at least 10 feet.

A barrage is a structure that is used in some types of tidal energy systems. This construction is quite similar to a dam. A tidal reservoir is created by installing the blockade across the entrance of an oceanic bay that already exists. The water levels and discharge pressure are controlled by sluice gates on the barrier, which allows the tidal reservoir to fill with water during the high tides that are coming in and to empty via an energy turbine system during the low tides that are going out. Tidal power systems that produce energy from both the incoming and departing tides are referred to as two-way systems.

One of the possible drawbacks of tidal power is the impact that a tidal station might have on the flora and fauna that live in the estuaries that are part of the tidal basin. Tide barrages have the potential to alter the basin's tidal level and raise the level of turbidity (the amount of matter in suspension in the water). Navigation and recreational activities are also susceptible to their influence.

In the same way, as wind turbines have blades that spin a rotor to power a generator, tidal turbines have blades that turn a rotor to power a generator. They can be positioned on the sea bottom in areas with strong currents or tides. Tidal turbines need to be far more robust and heavier than wind turbines because water has a density that is about 800 times that of air. Although they are more costly to construct than wind turbines, tidal turbines can harvest more energy despite having blades of the same size.

A tidal fence is a specific kind of tidal power plant that, like tidal turbines, consists of vertical axis turbines installed in a fence or row on the sea bottom. Tidal fences are also known as tidal generators. The turbines are what create the power when the water goes past them. At the end of the year 2020, the United States did not have any active tidal barrier construction projects.

There are several tidal power barrages in operation throughout the globe. At 254 megawatts, the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea is the power plant in the world with the highest capacity to generate energy (MW). La Rance, located in France, is home to both the world's oldest and second-largest operational tidal power plant, which has the potential to generate 240 megawatts (MW) of energy. With a capacity of 20 megawatts (MW), the tidal power plant at Annapolis Royal, which is located in Nova Scotia, Canada, is the second-biggest facility of its kind. Tidal power facilities of a lower scale may be found in China, Russia, and South Korea [1].

References:

[1] Tidal power - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)", Eia.gov, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydropower/tidal-power.php.