[antspice]

We can build dams and turn the tides into electrical current (and in the remote future cause the moon to break orbit) but yet we have not made a significant mention of it?
google -> tidal power produces lots of usefull links

[Caoimhan]

It's not a bad idea. There are problems with it, though.

Just off the top of my head...

1) Sea water is salty. Corrosion is a problem
2) These systems need to be built in ecologically sensitive zones (coastlines). Erosion, wildlife disruption, etc... are all factors.
3) They can cause a navigational hazard.

[SHiFTY]

4) NIMBY x 1000. You think you have problems building a windfarm, wait till you try and install one of these near anyone

5) Storms. The power of the sea is unbelieveable. Is anyone likely to insure these things?

6) No large scale working examples in operation. There are a few small ones, but none on the level where you would consider it over coal.

7) No power generation at maxima and minima...

When someone can actually build one of these things it would be great. However they face some fairly strong challenges. I feel massive hydroelectric schemes are much more likely to succeed, as well as wind, solar thermal (i.e. water heating for homes) and nuclear.

[Michael_Layden]

There have been a number of systems built the largest and best know which was built in the 60s is in the Rance estuary in northern France.

However these are big engineering projects and as such are huge capital investments. Unfortunately I think that the economic blow that Oil/ Natural gas will cause will cause massive demand destruction. This will depress energy prices and we will have very voltalile conditions during the period we should be building Tidal. Wind Nuclear etc etc. I think unfortunately the time to do these major capital intensive projects have passed.


Smaller scale once were widely used in the past to drive mills, these will be able to be constructed from local materials and some amount of imported heavy engineering so these will probably be important in costal areas.

Many of the tidal barrages being proposed were going to be partly funded by using them as new bridges/causeways for cars (opps !! there goes one funding source)

A more important reason is probably the environment. Tidal flats are among the most productive eco systems on the planet and do immense work cleaning up Sea water. They are also important nursery and feeding beds for many commercial fish species. With over 200 dead zones in the sea already this could cause immense problems.

From a practical point of view, the shear numbers of Wind turbines going into costal areas is exhausting the transmission grid and these projects would probably also have to carry the cost of a new transmission system.

Another problem could be the rising sea levels due to Climate change. The Width of any construction at sea increases greatly with any increase in height so a 1 metre increase in sea level on a 4 metre Tidal barrage would require almost as much material as the original Barrage. So just like the Nuclear industry is finding( now that they are the greatest supporter of doing something about Climate change) that the coastline is not the most practical place to build powerplant.

Nice but again probably 2 decades too late. I believe that the Rance estuary is also having silting problems

[Starvid]

For a much better kind of marine power.


http://www.el.angstrom.uu.se/meny/eng/index_E.html