Pros And Cons Of Tidal Energy
What's Good and What’s Bad about Wave and Tidal Energy?
Wave and Tidal energy, sometimes called ocean or marine energy, are forms of water power in addition to methods previously discussed in a previous article about hydropower: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/teacherresources/whats-good-and-whats-bad-about-hydropower/ However unlike hydroelectric dams, which harvest power by installing an artificial obstruction in a flowing waterway, wave and tidal energy devices simply use the power of the ocean waves and/or rising and falling tides. It is another clean and sustainable source of energy that has barely been put to work to power the planet. Some energy experts consider ocean power to be where wind power was twenty years ago. It’s the “wave” of the future.
Waves are formed when wind blows over the water’s surface. In many parts of the world, the wind blows consistently enough to create non-stopping wave action along the shorelines. The energy contained in ocean waves comes from both the surface motion and the pressure fluctuations beneath the surface. Tides are also waves, but they are not created by the wind. They exist in all the oceans due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the earth, mostly the moon. …show more content…
Throughout history, people living in wave-rich areas of the world have been trying different ways to harness that free energy. Tide mills in Europe date back to the Middle Ages. Tide mills took advantage of the height of low and high tides. The people constructed a dam that spanned a tidal inlet. At high tide, water flowed through a channel, called a sluice, and into the dam reservoir via a one-way gate. When the tide began to fall, the gate automatically closed. The stored water was then released, and the energy of the flow turned a water wheel, which generated power. The first large-scale tidal power plant was built in France in
Wave and Tidal energy, sometimes called ocean or marine energy, are forms of water power in addition to methods previously discussed in a previous article about hydropower: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/teacherresources/whats-good-and-whats-bad-about-hydropower/ However unlike hydroelectric dams, which harvest power by installing an artificial obstruction in a flowing waterway, wave and tidal energy devices simply use the power of the ocean waves and/or rising and falling tides. It is another clean and sustainable source of energy that has barely been put to work to power the planet. Some energy experts consider ocean power to be where wind power was twenty years ago. It’s the “wave” of the future.
Waves are formed when wind blows over the water’s surface. In many parts of the world, the wind blows consistently enough to create non-stopping wave action along the shorelines. The energy contained in ocean waves comes from both the surface motion and the pressure fluctuations beneath the surface. Tides are also waves, but they are not created by the wind. They exist in all the oceans due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the earth, mostly the moon. …show more content…
Throughout history, people living in wave-rich areas of the world have been trying different ways to harness that free energy. Tide mills in Europe date back to the Middle Ages. Tide mills took advantage of the height of low and high tides. The people constructed a dam that spanned a tidal inlet. At high tide, water flowed through a channel, called a sluice, and into the dam reservoir via a one-way gate. When the tide began to fall, the gate automatically closed. The stored water was then released, and the energy of the flow turned a water wheel, which generated power. The first large-scale tidal power plant was built in France in