ONE problem with renewable energy is that neither the wind nor the sun is reliable. That cannot, however, be said of the tides.
The Newtonian clockwork of sun and Moon can always be relied on. The problem with exploiting tidal power has, rather, been finding places to do it efficiently: bays or estuaries with a suitable tidal reach and a topography that permits a barrage to be constructed. Only then, with established designs, can turbines be installed through which the tide can ebb and flow.
That would change, though, if turbines could simply be attached to the sea floor. And several firms are trying to make it so. Some, such as Andritz Hydro Hammerfest, in Norway, and Marine Current Turbines from Bristol, in Britain, take the relatively simple approach of sticking what are little more than strengthened wind turbines onto the seabed.
In the case of such turbines, though, bigger is better. And, since a turbine is not much use if its blades stick above the surface, that means they need to be located in reasonably deep water. Which is a shame, because a lot of otherwise-suitable sites are too shallow.
Not all wind turbines work this way, though. Some smaller ones are skeletal cylindrical structures whose axes of rotation are at right-angles to the direction of the wind, rather than aligned with it. And that, with the important modification that this axis is horizontal rather than vertical, is the basis for several novel designs for tidal-power generators which can operate in shallow water too.
Engineers at Ocean Renewable Power Company, in Portland, Maine, and Kepler Energy, in London, both use this approach. And Ocean Renewable is starting to commercialise it. In September 2012 its TidGen generator was deployed in the Gulf of Maine. It thus became the first plant to deliver offshore-generated power of any kind (wind, wave or tidal) to an American electricity grid.
Kepler is a little behind, but is hoping to try out a full-scale version of its Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine in the Bristol Channel soon. Its engineers’ calculations suggest this device will generate 50% more power from a given tidal stream that a conventional turbine can manage.
The Latest Bing News on:
Tidal power
- Vietnam Wave and Tidal Energy Market Riding the Tides Future-Proofing Your Business for Successon March 28, 2024 at 12:53 am
focusing specifically on wave and tidal energy sources. With the global emphasis on sustainable development and reducing carbon footprints, Vietnam is increasingly turning to alternative energy ...
- Tidal’s Hi-Res Streaming Gets Cheaper!on March 27, 2024 at 4:52 pm
Tidal charges a hefty premium for high-res music. Starting on April 10th, 2024, Tidal will be discontinuing its tiered offerings and consolidating everything into a single service at $10.99/month!
- World's largest tidal scheme on River Mersey inches closer to reality as formal planning process beginson March 26, 2024 at 9:25 am
A flythrough video has unveiled the ambitious vision for the world's largest tidal scheme on the River Mersey in the UK. The reveal comes in the wake of a significant decision by Mayor Steve Rotheram ...
- Video: Tidal energy kite powers the Faroe Islandson March 18, 2024 at 6:04 am
A utility-scale tidal power plant is now delivering electricity to the national grid in the Faroe Islands. The tidal energy kite, rated at 1.2 MW, was successfully commissioned by tidal energy ...
- Tidal energy plans 'must have nature in mind'on March 17, 2024 at 11:09 pm
New plans to harness energy from the Severn Estuary must be "nature positive", the RSPB has warned. The message comes after a commission was launched - backed by the UK and Welsh governments. The ...
- Severn Estuary tidal power plans must be 'nature positive' says RSPBon March 17, 2024 at 11:09 pm
The Severn Estuary Commission will spend a year studying how a new energy scheme could convert the estuary's huge tidal range into power. But a bird expert who has been studying the area for 50 years ...
- Claim that ``tidal energy has the potential to slow down the Earth's rotation and is not renewable energy''on March 17, 2024 at 10:00 pm
renewable energies such as solar power generation, wind power generation, and tidal power generation have been growing in order to combat the depletion of underground resources and global warming.
- Technological Breakthroughs Fuel Bright Future for Tidal Poweron March 17, 2024 at 10:00 am
To date, tidal energy is in its infancy, with only a fraction of the world’s potential tidal power being used to generate clean electricity. Yet, tidal energy can be produced anywhere that the ...
- Technological Breakthroughs Fuel Bright Future for Tidal Poweron March 17, 2024 at 10:00 am
Environmental concerns and technological challenges have historically hindered the rapid development of tidal energy projects, despite its advantages in predictable and renewable power generation.
- Technological Breakthroughs Fuel Bright Future for Tidal Poweron March 17, 2024 at 12:01 am
To date, tidal energy is in its infancy, with only a fraction of the world’s potential tidal power being used to generate clean electricity. Yet, tidal energy can be produced anywhere that the tides ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Tidal power
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Tidal power” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Tidal-power generators
- Vietnam Wave and Tidal Energy Market Riding the Tides Future-Proofing Your Business for Successon March 28, 2024 at 12:53 am
focusing specifically on wave and tidal energy sources. With the global emphasis on sustainable development and reducing carbon footprints, Vietnam is increasingly turning to alternative energy ...
- Tidal’s Hi-Res Streaming Gets Cheaper!on March 27, 2024 at 4:52 pm
Tidal charges a hefty premium for high-res music. Starting on April 10th, 2024, Tidal will be discontinuing its tiered offerings and consolidating everything into a single service at $10.99/month!
- Tidal energyon March 27, 2024 at 3:51 am
For tidal power to work, you need a really strong flow ... the tide is used to turn the blades of the turbines. This powers generators that convert the kinetic energy into electrical energy ...
- Video: Tidal energy kite powers the Faroe Islandson March 18, 2024 at 6:04 am
A utility-scale tidal power plant is now delivering electricity to the national grid in the Faroe Islands. The tidal energy kite, rated at 1.2 MW, was successfully commissioned by tidal energy ...
- Claim that ``tidal energy has the potential to slow down the Earth's rotation and is not renewable energy''on March 17, 2024 at 10:00 pm
renewable energies such as solar power generation, wind power generation, and tidal power generation have been growing in order to combat the depletion of underground resources and global warming.
- Technological Breakthroughs Fuel Bright Future for Tidal Poweron March 17, 2024 at 10:00 am
Environmental concerns and technological challenges have historically hindered the rapid development of tidal energy projects, despite its advantages in predictable and renewable power generation.
- Technological Breakthroughs Fuel Bright Future for Tidal Poweron March 17, 2024 at 12:01 am
As tides are predictable, it makes the generation of electricity safe and reliable. To date, tidal energy is in its infancy, with only a fraction of the world’s potential tidal power being used ...
- World’s most powerful tidal turbine eyes US debut with Orbital Marineon March 15, 2024 at 4:07 am
Orbital Marine, a renewable energy business specializing in deploying advanced floating tidal turbines, has been selected as the technical partner for Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) at their ...
- Liverpool is Building the World’s Largest Tidal Power Project to Power a Million Homeson March 14, 2024 at 8:00 am
They estimate that the capacity of a River Mersey Tidal station could power 1 million homes—essentially the whole of Liverpool—for 120 years.
- Liverpool unveils plans to build the world’s largest tidal power projecton March 11, 2024 at 10:23 am
The City of Liverpool, England, has unveiled advanced proposals to build the world’s largest tidal power generator on the River Mersey.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Tidal-power generators
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