Final Research

TIDAL Energy

The earth and the moon continuously produce centrifugal forces on one another. This gravitational effect creates a bulge in the oceans facing to the side of the moon. A second bulge is produced by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the earth on the opposite side of it. Those two sides of the earth are the two areas where high tides are produced.

The use of tidal energy started in the 12th century for grain milling purposes in England and France though it has been hardly used due to the slow pace of technology developments and other cheap energy source competitors such as fossil fuels (coal and oil). There wasnot much research and development in the technology and it did not get enough attention until recent years. Nevertheless, those tidal mills are the base for the development of modern tidal energy technologies.

Global climate change has become a catalyst for the social and political demand for sustainable energy sources. When combined with the high costs of extending electricity grids to rural areas and the decreasing prices of stand-alone power systems, this is a significant incentive to the rise of locally-generated energy. Blue Energy's technology enables communities, large and small, to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases of any kind or impacting on the local marine environment. Unlike conventional barrage systems, the Blue Energy Ocean Turbine relies on ocean currents rather than tidal amplitude to generate electricity. The array of slow moving turbines allows water and fish to flow freely and safely through the structure. Larger marine mammals will be prevented from contact with the rotary foils by a protective fence, and further protected by a backup auto-breaking system controlled by sonar sensors.

As the world's population continues to rise at exponential rates, so do the demands for energy and ecological conservation. People demand electricity, and they also demand clean air, clean water, and productive land. Governments must look to economical and sustainable energy solutions to solve these demands. Electricity consumption is predicted to nearly double within the next twenty years, from twelve trillion kwh in 1997 to twenty two trillion kwh in 2020. Growth is expected to be strongest in the developing countries of Asia, followed by those of Central and South America. It has been estimated that there are two billion people who still lack electricity today, causing energy demand in developing countries to double every eight years. The share of total world energy demand bydeveloping nations is projected to increase from 33 percent to 44 percent by 2025, with two-thirds of this growth occurring in newly industrializing economies. Most of that growth will be concentrated in the developing countries of Asia, where half of the world's population resides. With capabilities of supplying both small and large-scale electricity to virtually every ocean bordering nation, the time has come to realize the wide range of social benefits of ocean-generated energy.

Advantages

The Tidal Energy has considerable advantages because of its predictability compared to other alternative sources and it is completely renewable and there are no emissions so thatmeans reduced carbon dioxide, so reducing the global warming

·     No need of fuel

·     No waste and greenhouse gas production

·     There is no water and air pollution

·     Reliable production of electricity

·     Predictable and renewable

Disadvantages

Tidal Energy has many disadvantages because of its upfront costs in capital or later maintenance beside some bad environmental impact on some systems like the turbines and barrages systems.  One tidal power station produces only ten hours a day of electricity

·      Expensive for barrage building

·      There is a shortage of tidal barrage sites

Policy makers and companies are reluctant to spend time and money in research and development for a wider implementation of tidal barrage technologies because of their high civil infrastructure costs and environmental issues. Instead, they are focusing on new technologies such as tidal current turbines which can minimize the cost of dam constructions due to their simplicity in working principle and suitability for deployment in different areas of oceans.

The future of Tidal Energy

Only some countries now use it like Canada ,France and South Korea, but in the future,as some sustainability specialists think, the price offered by the traditional electric companies, now high, in the future will come down because of scientists working on new underwater turbines.

Conclusion

Tidal energy is an innovative and environmentally safe form of hydropower that harnesses the energy that comes from ocean tides and converts it into electricity. Tidal energy is a kind of renewable energy with large potential. It has many advantages over solar and wind energy. For example, the availability of tidal energy is highly predictable and not subject to the impact of weather conditions. The energy density of tides is also higher than solar and wind energy. However, the high demand in technology and capital investment has hindered the development of tidal energy so that the tidal energy projects are much less than those of solar and wind energy. With the development of innovative tidal turbine systems and coastal infrastructure, the popularization of tidal energy worldwide can be expected. I think if there is some idea to protect the aquatic ecosystem from the tidal energy it will be the best system we have. I think they can make a cage around it to reduce the harm.