Whats up with tidal power?
Several columns ago, I started to write about energy from the ocean and it has become a far more involved topic than I originally envisioned, and also one that has generated considerable feedback. But, we’re not finished with ocean energy quite yet. Although not widely used, tidal power has the potential for significant future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than the wind and solar radiation, but there is a periodicity to the tides, which limits how many hours each day they can be utilized. Interestingly, using tidal energy isn’t a new concept at all. As far back as the 12th century, water wheels driven by the tides were used to power gristmills and sawmills. Because the ocean’s tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on the Earth’s oceans, tidal power is essentially inexhaustible. A tidal energy turbine or generator could use the daily or twice daily flow of water into and out of an enclosed bay or estuary, or anywhere else tidal currents are
