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Tidal Power

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Over the last few years the world population has been increasing exponentially, and our earth sources have been depleting sharply. For this reason, scientists have been trying to find new kinds of resources that can protect earth sources and serve for long term. These renewable resources are important for our plant and our life as humans. There are different kinds of renewable resources that used to generate electric power such as solar and wind power. Recently, scientists created a new kind of renewable power which is tidal power. Tidal power is “the generation of electricity from the hydraulic energy that is produced by tidal currents of the ocean”(Culture&Morris,2006,p.449). This power depends on the gravitational tug from the moon which can produce a swift tide (Roach, 2003), and it basically works as an underwater windmills. There are many projects in different countries such as Norway, Scotland, United Kingdom, and United States. Most of these projects are under development, and still not ready for commercial uses. However, this power can be enormous, but we should think about the effects of this power in the marine environment, the costs, and the possibility to make it work.
There are many projects in different countries. In United States, there are two companies which are trying to develop this power. The first one, Verdant Power, which made three experiments in New York City’s East River, found the success in providing a power enough to light a supermarket. The second company, Ocean Power, has several projects in California and Massachusetts, but the tidal power situation is still weak in United States because of a lack in government support. In Europe, things are slightly more advanced. France has the only utility-scale tidal power system in the world. Also, Norway has hosted a 300-kilowatt experimental tidal project for several years. Furthermore, Ireland is developing a $20 million commercial-scale project (Walsh, 2009). Recently, Scotland presents a new prize that equals $15 million for the winning team who can provide efficient tidal power in Scotland for two-year period. The goal of this prize is to support the projects that use tidal power to generate electric power. Scotland is going to be Saudi Arabia of marine energy (Owen 2008).
Tidal power can be enormous as William Taylor says. This power seems to be the best for the future compared with other kinds of renewable resource. In addition, tidal power is more efficient than solar power because tide can produce electricity all day, but the sun only shines half of the day. Solar power is not always as predictable due to cloud coverage and weather (Sandstorm, 2009). Also, tidal power is better than wind power even if both of them share the same basic mechanics. However, Wind power can only generate electricity if there is sufficient wind, but tidal power is always ready. Furthermore, “water is 1000 times denser than air, which means that the potential for generating each unit of energy per meter is much greater than wind power can ever be”(Sandstorm, 2008). Moreover, as with solar and wind power tidal power would not emit carbon, radioactive plume, or nuclear waste.
With all these benefits and projects we need to discover the other argument of this alternative power resource. The idea looks like the ultimate solution, and the benefits are clear, but what about the impacts on the environment. This power is still under development, and not ready for commercial use, but the scientists compare this power with other kinds of marine power, and they infer some effects. The installation of this power can affect the seabed which can cause displacement or change the ecosystem that in the installation zone. This depends on different factors such as the size of the area, the installation method, and the number and size of the vessels requiring anchorage. Moreover, noises and vibrations might make biological changes in the project area because of the effects of the installation on organisms’ food (Devine Tarbell Associates, 2006). In addition, installation can affect water quality, because installation can release oils and other kinds of pollution. However, environmentalists and fisheries groups explain that a project in one site located in Ranch, France, damaged habitats and altered water circulation patterns as far as 300 miles from the power plant (Roach, 2003).
The cost to operate this power is not expensive, but the installation or startup costs are very expensive because "the turbines are practically handmade and that won't change until the market grows and developers can harness economies of scale" (Walsh, 2009). Many companies spent a lot of money to develop this power. For instance, Verdant Power had to spend more $2 million on its site in New York, and with three experiments the company just generated a power only enough for a supermarket. Many companies are looking for government support, because they cannot cover the high cost of this power.
The installation takes long time until the project is ready to use. Some of the tidal power’s proponents say that tidal power is better than others renewable power such as wind power and solar power, because we cannot get wind and sunlight all the day, but we can get tidal power all of the day. This is not true, because tides can only provide power for around 10 hours each day when the tides is actually moving in or out and tides can only generate electricity when there is a tidal surge not every time. Also, this power can generate power in special regions around the world, and that makes it insufficient in different countries.
Tidal power is a new kind of renewable resource which depends on the tides to generate electric power. There are several projects around the world in different sites such as the USA and Europe. Many people believe that this power seems to be the future for renewable recourses, but for many reasons it might not. This power has a bad effect in the environment such as the effects on aquatic life and water quality. Moreover, this power has an expensive cost especially for the installation process.
References:
Culture, J., & Morris, C. (Eds.). (2006). Dictionary of energy London : Elsevier Ltd.

Devine Tarbell& Associates ,INC. (2006). Instream tidal power in North America environmental and permitting issues. Portland, Maine: Author.

Owen, J. (2008, December 2). $15-Million marine energy prize launched in Scotland. National Geographic News, Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/99664955.html

Roach, J. (2009, October 9). Underwater windmill helps power Arctic village. National geographic news. Retrieved November 16, 2009, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1009_031009_moonpower.html
Sandstorm, M. (2009). Power of the tides. The Hudson valley green times, Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/pdf/tides08.pdf
Walsh, B. (2009, January 15). Catching the currents. Time Magazine. Retrieved November 12,
2009,from http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1872110_1872133_1872147,00.html

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