From Austin Groener (March 8, 06)
|
Renewable Energy Resources - Tidal Generators. |
|
|
|
ADVANTAGES |
|
Once you've built it, tidal power is free. |
|
It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste. |
|
It needs no fuel. |
|
It produces electricity reliably. |
|
Not expensive to maintain. |
|
Tides are totally predictable. |
|
Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to build |
|
and do not have a large environmental impact. |
|
|
|
DISADVANTAGES |
|
A barrage across an estuary is very expensive to build, and affects a very wide area - |
|
the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds |
|
rely on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. There are few suitable |
|
sites for tidal barrages. |
|
|
|
Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or out. |
|
FUTURE SCEHEMES BEING CONSIDERED |
||||
|
Country |
Place |
Mean tidal range (m) |
Area of basin (km2) |
Installed capacity (MW) |
|
5.9 |
- |
6800 |
||
|
Secure Bay |
10.9 |
- |
? |
|
|
12.4 |
240 |
5338 |
||
|
10.9 |
90 |
1400 |
||
|
10 |
115 |
1800 |
||
|
5.3 |
170 |
900 |
||
|
6.8 |
1970 |
7000 |
||
|
4.7 |
100 |
480 |
||
|
4.5 |
- |
- |
||
|
7-Jun |
- |
? |
||
|
- |
- |
? |
||
|
7 |
520 |
8640 |
||
|
6.5 |
61 |
700 |
||
|
6 |
5.8 |
47 |
||
|
5.2 |
5.5 |
33 |
||
|
5.5 |
- |
? |
||
|
7.5 |
- |
2900 |
||
|
7.5 |
- |
6500 |
||
|
9.1 |
2300 |
15000 |
||
|
- |
- |
10000 or 7000 |
||
|
6 |
- |
50000 |
||