Tidal Energy Advantages and Disadvantages
As people look to alternative energy sources, tidal energy is getting some play. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of tidal energy? Let’s take a closer look.
We should probably start with the basics. Tidal energy is pretty much what it sounds like. The oceans of the earth are impacted by the gravitational pull of the moon. The moon rotates at a different speed than the earth, which means its gravity pulls the oceans to and fro. The tides actually change throughout the year as the earth tilts on its axis during each season.
The idea behind tidal power is to somehow catch the energy in this mass of moving water. The energy levels are insanely high, but so is the mass of water involved. How to specifically go about converting that energy into something we can use is the current conundrum that has a lot of people resting their hands on their chins and staring blankly out into space. The basic approach now is to use the same approach as we see in hydropower. Essentially, a tube with blades that rotate is placed in an area where the tide will be moving. As it passes by, a certain amount of water will rush through the tube and turn the blades. The blades then turn an axle which turns a generator and electricity is produced.
The advantages of tidal energy are many. The biggest are we can predict tides down to the hour. In contrast, we can’t tell when their will necessarily be wind for wind turbines. In the case of solar, we have storms and such to deal with. With tidal energy, we know when the tides are moving each day, how much they’ll flow and how to harness them. Further, this is a very clean form of energy as there are no polluting gases or things of that sort.
The disadvantages of tidal energy, unfortunately, are also many. The first is we are early in the process, which means mistakes are made and a lot of money is needed to make systems work. Second, the systems we now have are not very efficient at converting tidal energy to electricity. Third, the systems are only appropriate for the coasts of large bodies of water, which limits their applications. Third, the nature of sea water is such that the salt content makes them very corrosive, causing constant maintenance and repair to be needed for the tidal devices.
So, is tidal energy just a pipe dream? Not at all. It has a part in the future energy production pie. It is not a solution to our energy problem, but will prove to be a valuable partial solution, particularly along the coastlines of the world.
