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Tidal power has been used since Roman times to grind grain, but modern tidal power generators are larger and more reliable. Tidal energy is harnessed by tidal stream systems and weirs, with tidal lagoons being a low-impact variation. Tidal current generators are the most viable and have a promising future.
Tidal power harnesses the power of the tides to spin a rotor or generate electricity. Mankind has harnessed this power since at least Roman times, when tidal mills were built to grind grain. Tide mills work by being installed next to a small dam near a small tidal inlet or estuary. When the tide rises, the dam is left open and water rises through it, pooling on the other side. Then, when the tide reaches its maximum extent, the gate of the dam is lowered and the water is trapped. The tide goes out, and when it reaches a suitable level, a small channel opens in the dam and the water flows out, via a water wheel, which can then be used to grind grain.
Modern tidal power devices operate on a much larger scale, although they have so far found limited use in electricity generation. However, tidal power is much more reliable than wind and solar power, and more recently there have been several new tidal power generator design and deployment initiatives.
Tidal energy gets its energy from the Moon’s gravitational influence on the Earth’s oceans. As the Moon orbits the Earth, it gently pulls the oceans towards it, leading to tides ranging from a few meters (~10 feet) to 16 meters (53 feet) in extreme cases, such as the Bay of Fundy on the east coast of Canada . This energy can be harnessed by tidal power generators in several ways.
There are two main types of tidal power generators: tidal stream systems, which harness the kinetic energy of the tides, using water to power turbines similar to windmills which use air to power turbines . The other main type are weirs, which work on a similar principle to tide mills, operating like a wide dam across an inlet or estuary. Dams suffer from high costs, environmental problems, and a worldwide limit of viable sites, while tidal flow systems avoid these problems. A low-impact variation on the dam is a tidal lagoon, which covers only part of an inlet. Another benefit is that tidal lagoons can be configured to generate power continuously while weirs cannot.
Tidal current generators, the technology with the lowest cost of entry and the most viable for tidal power, has only recently been developed, so it makes sense to say that this new method of power generation has only just started to be exploited and could have a nice future ahead of it.
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