Tidal energy is a growing renewable, clean, and environmentally friendly energy source that produces far fewer greenhouse gases than fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Moreover, its high predictability and elevated power output are also among the advantages of tidal energy. Contact online >>
Tidal energy is a growing renewable, clean, and environmentally friendly energy source that produces far fewer greenhouse gases than fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Moreover, its high predictability and elevated power output are also among the advantages of tidal energy.
Advantages of tidal power. Renewable and fossil fuel free. Unlike fossil fuels, tides are a nearly unlimited resource that we aren''t running out of. This type of energy does not generate greenhouse gases or cause pollution through oil spills or burning like fossil fuels do. Predictable and consistent power.
List of Advantages of Tidal Energy. 1. It is renewable. Tidal energy''s source is a result of the effects of the sun and moon''s gravitational fields, combined with our planet''s rotation around its axis, which result in low and high tides.
Riding the renewable wave: tidal energy advantages and disadvantages. Tidal power is one of the major renewable energy sources, but also one of the most infantile. What are some tidal energy advantages and disadvantages to consider when looking to invest in this relatively green energy source?
Advantages and disadvantages of tidal energy. Advantages. Unlike solar and wind energy, tidal movements are reliably constant. Every day there are two high tides and two low tides that can...
It is becoming clearer and clearer by the day that the world must break its addiction to fossil fuels. With humanity''s use of fossil fuels have come air, land, and water pollution, more greenhouse gases generated than the environment can handle, and political and armed conflicts, among many other issues [1,2]. It is clear that humanity must switch to sustainable energy sources to ensure the survival of both ourselves and of our precious environment upon which we all depend.
As there is no "one size fits all" energy solution for every location and condition, humanity''s energy future will likely consist of a variety of energy sources that are tailored to meet the unique needs and resources of each place. One of the options that may be explored as part of our future energy toolkit is tidal power, the capturing of the energy in the ocean''s tides to generate electricity. However, as with all energy sources, there are advantages and disadvantages to using this type of energy.
Unlike fossil fuels, tides are a nearly unlimited resource that we aren''t running out of. This type of energy does not generate greenhouse gases or cause pollution through oil spills or burning like fossil fuels do.
The tides occur every day at predicted times, and how much power the tides contain is relatively consistent. This consistent energy in tides allows for the construction of appropriate equipment that effectively collects the energy.
Since water is 1,000 times more dense than air, electricity can be generated from tides much more efficiently at slower speeds than wind turbines can.
The estimated lifespan of tidal energy plants is about 75-100 years, which is much longer than nuclear power plants. The world''s oldest tidal energy plant, La Rance, in France has continued to efficiently produce large amounts of electricity since 1966.
This lower cost of equipment and facility replacement can translate to lower energy costs for consumers who use the plant''s energy.
Although tidal energy plants are very expensive to construct, they are relatively inexpensive to run, and require few staff to run them.
The primary form of tidal power plant that exists today is the barrage, a dam built across estuaries. These barrages block the flow of the tides in estuaries in order to capture tidal energy.
Because estuaries act as nurseries and provide habitat for many species of marine life, building barrages in this habitat can have many negative impacts, including the disruption of fish migrations and the movement of large marine animals.
Estuaries also help to filter out the sediments and pollutants from rivers and other water bodies prior to the water reaching the ocean.If barrages are built in estuaries, these ecosystems can no longer efficiently provide such important ecosystem services.
Until further research is done, we don''t yet know all of the long-term environmental impacts of underwater tidal power turbines and barrages.
The construction of tidal energy plants requires very large initial capital investments.
Tidal energy plants require specific site characteristics. Thus far, only 40 of such appropriate sites have been identified globally, limiting the potential for development.
In many cases, the energy generated by the tides is a long distance from where the electricity will be consumed inland. This makes it difficult for tidal energy to provide electricity for any communities but those that are in close proximity to coastlines. Currently, there are no collection or storage systems that exist to transport tidal energy to inland areas.
Surging tides only occur during 10 hours out of every 24 hour period. This translates to limited energy collection that occurs during only about 40% of the year. To solve this issue, tidal energy storage capacity will need to be developed for transmission during the remaining 60% of the time.
To date, there are only a few tidal energy plants that have been constructed worldwide, and we don''t yet know all of the environmental impacts, nor ultimately whether the benefits of this technology will outweigh the costs.
Continued research is needed to determine the appropriateness of this technology compared with other sustainable energy sources.
The construction of a tidal energy plant alters the view along coastlines that are sought after for other uses such as economic activities, recreation, and tourism.
It takes a long time for planned tidal energy plants to be constructed and to get them running. Such a long gestation period, along with the high costs of construction, may not be considered worth the investment compared with other renewable energy projects such as wind and solar energy.
Bad weather and storm events such as hurricanes that occur along coastlines can damage tidal power equipment.
Rugged coastal environments in many areas may make it difficult for engineers to maintain and repair tidal energy equipment.
While tidal power may become a part of our energy toolkit in a carbon-constrained future, we must thoroughly study and consider the negative impacts of tidal power technology and strive to reduce them as much as possible.
References [1] [2] https://
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Tidal energy pertains to a form of power that particularly transforms the efficiency of the tides to beneficial forms of dynamism. Though it is not widely used, it serves as a significant investment when it comes to electricity generation.
Currently, tidal energy is still in the early development stages, not being able to compete with fossil fuels. However, the focus on renewable energy sources and the demand for clean energy are contributing to a rapid development of methodologies to harness this type of energy source. Tidal energy is already offering many advantages, but put in mind that it is also linked to some disadvantages. In order to completely understand its significance and effects, it would help to gain a clearer understanding of these opposing aspects.
1. It is renewable. Tidal energy''s source is a result of the effects of the sun and moon''s gravitational fields, combined with our planet''s rotation around its axis, which result in low and high tides. With this in mind, the power source of tidal energy is potentially renewable, whether we are talking about tidal barrages, stream generators or the more recent technology, dynamic tidal power (DTP). Compared to nuclear reserves and fossil fuels, the sun and moon''s gravitational fields, as well as the Earth''s rotation around its axis, will not cease to exist any time soon.
2. It is green. Aside from being renewable, tidal energy is also an environmentally friendly energy source because it does not take up a lot of space and does not emit any greenhouse gases. However, there are already some examples of tidal power plants and their effects on the environment. Important studies and assessments are being conducted on these things.
3. It is predictable. Sea currents are highly predictable, developing with well-known cycles, which makes it easier to construct tidal energy systems with the correct dimensions, since the kind of power the equipment will be exposed to is already known. This is why both the equipment''s installed capacity and physical size have entirely other limitations, though tidal turbines and stream generators that are being used are very similar to wind turbines.
4. It is effective at low speeds. Water is a thousand more dense than air, which makes it possible to produce electricity at low speeds. Based on calculations, power can be generated even at 1 minute per second, which is equivalent to a little over 3 feet per second.
5. It has a long lifespan. So far, there is no reason to believe that tidal energy plants are not long lived. This means an ultimate reduction of the money spent on selling the electricity, making this energy source a very cost-competitive one. As an example, the La Rance tidal barrage power plant was constructed in 1966 and is still generating large amounts of electricity up to this day.
6. It reduces foreign importation of fuel. By harnessing tidal energy on a large scale, we can help reduce foreign fuels importation and enhance energy security, as people would no longer have to rely much on foreign fuel import to satisfy the growing energy demand.
7. It serves as coastal protection. Small dams and barrages, which are used to harness tidal energy, could protect ship ports and coastal areas from the dangerous tides during storms and bad weather conditions.
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