The Earth’s tide as a power source

A planned tidal farm off the coast of South Korea could provide enough power to support 200,000 homes. We have all heard of wave farms converting the power of ocean waves into useable power but what sets this endeavor apart is that the turbines will sit on the sea bed and use the oceans tidal force to generate electricity.

This idea is not new, but the fact that it has not passed out of fashion shows the continued commitment to harness the power of nature to our benefit. And in my opinion, it is an evolved method of using the ocean as a power source over wave power units.

Tidal power is more dependable than wind due to its predictable nature providing a power source available 24 hours a day, in four 6-hour periods. The environmental impact of these units is less also, due to their smaller size and since the blades turn at a much slower pace they are not a danger to marine life.

Some of these massive units sit unobtrusively out of sight on the oceans floor. Pictured here are the 2,500 ton units that British tidal power company, Lunar Energy will deploy in the South Korean Wando Hoenggan waterway. Lunar Energy has been contracted to work with Korean Midland Power Company to install 300 of these one megawatt turbines.

Pictured here is Marine Current Turbine’s concept of a small tidal stream farm. A maintenance vessel is inspecting a raised turbine unit. Marine Current Turbine was the first company in Europe to employ an off-shore tidal marine turbine. This photo represents phase three based on their original concept.

Here’s an interesting concept called a tidal fence. This structure allows a roadway to be built that would be used to connect the shoreline near the City of Richmond, California to the nearby East Brothers Island in the San Francisco Bay area. This 1,000 foot long causeway will produce between 70-100 MW of electricity. This project will be built by Blue Energy Canada and Ocean Energy Inc.