Energy: what about tidal power?

Self-tutoring about sources of green energy: the tutor looks into tidal power.

Nowadays, we hear much about energy from sun and wind. For decades we’ve heard about hydroelectric power, almost always from dams of rivers. Ocean tides also represent a tremendous output of energy, don’t they? However, it seems one seldom hears of energy from tidal power…why not?

A couple of reasons are at play, the first likely being ecological. Tidal zones are rich in life; a terrestrial project of tidal power generation that would leave said life untouched might prove difficult.

The second problem seems to be that a tidal power project requires a big commitment up-front. Solar panels and windmills are more encouraging to invest in, perhaps because one can put an increment in, get something back, and then scale up if all goes well. In contrast, it’s easy to imagine that a tidal power installation might require significant infrastructure before producing. Moreover, compared to a solar or wind farm, a tidal power installation would be much less portable.

Hydroelectric projects involving rivers have some similar problems. One might wonder why they have been embraced so much more than tidal ones. One possible reason is the difficulty posed by saltwater compared with freshwater.

Source:

climate.mit.edu