TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Assignment | Current Technology and Policy in Energy Application

MEME 121-MEME12S1

Name of the Student : Roberto R. Cabrera

Program/Year Level : T.I.P. QC Graduate School/1st Year

TIDAL ENERGY
Tidal energy is a form of power produced by the natural rise and fall of tides caused by the gravitational
interaction between Earth, the sun, and the moon. Tidal currents with sufficient energy for harvesting
occur when water passes through a constriction, causing the water to move faster. Using specially
engineered generators in suitable locations, tidal energy can be converted into useful forms of power,
including electricity. Other forms of energy can also be generated from the ocean, including waves,
persistent ocean currents, and the differences in temperature and salinity in seawater.
Suitable locations for capturing tidal energy include those with large differences in tidal range, which is
the difference between high tide and low tides, and where tidal channels and waterways become smaller
and tidal currents become stronger.
As worldwide demand for clean electricity, renewable fuels, and critical materials for energy and
industrial processes grows, it is crucial to identify and secure sustainable energy resources beyond what is
currently available. Researchers recognize the vast potential of the ocean to produce reliable, renewable
energy for a variety of uses. The Water Power Technologies Office of the Department of Energy (DOE)
estimates that energy from waves, tides, and ocean currents have the combined potential to generate
enough electricity to power millions of homes.
Because water is denser than air, tidal energy is more powerful than wind energy, producing exponentially
more power at the same turbine diameter and rotor speed. Tidal power is also more predictable and
consistent than wind or solar energy, both of which are intermittent and less predictable. This makes tidal
energy an intriguing renewable energy source to pursue. The challenge is in making it commercially
feasible to capture and convert the energy into usable power at scale, as well as finding uses of tidal
energy where costs are less sensitive than national grid electricity.
To fully harness tidal energy as a significant and ongoing source of clean energy, it is critical that
researchers explore ways to assist in developing technologies and methods that increase its viability for
broad commercial application. The industry is largely just emerging, with complex barriers to overcome
before it can sustainably grow and thrive.
Tidal energy is best captured at sites with large tidal ranges and strong currents. (Image courtesy of
Zhaoqing Yang | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

A history of tidal energy

People in Europe first used tidal energy to operate grain mills more than 1,000 years ago. Incoming
tidewater was retained in storage ponds and the outgoing tidal movement was used to turn waterwheels to
mill grain. This process of using falling water and spinning turbines to create electricity was introduced in
the 19th century.
Early attempts at tidal power plants incorporated a dam-like barrage approach. However, this has not
ultimately remained the focus of industry.
Four early feasibility studies for large-scale tidal power plants were conducted in the United States and
Canada between 1924 and 1977 by the U.S. Power Commission, Nova Scotia Light and Power, and the
U.S. and Canadian governments, respectively. All were focused on specific geographic locations around
border areas between Maine and Canada. While conclusions varied regarding economic feasibility, they
did not yield significant progress.
A large tidal barrage was built in La Rance, France in 1966 and still operates today with 240 megawatts
(MW) of electricity generation capacity, the largest in the world until 2011, when an array with 254 MW
capacity opened in South Korea.
In the past two decades, the industry has turned toward in-stream tidal energy generation, where a single
device or groups (or arrays) of devices are placed within the tidal stream. The European Marine Energy
Centre, established in 2003, is the world’s largest facility for testing and demonstrating wave and tidal
technologies in real sea conditions. The facility, which has grid-connected test sites for larger prototypes
and scale test sites for smaller devices, has facilitated testing of more tidal energy devices than any other
site in the world.

Tidal energy importance and applications

Tidal energy represents a significant opportunity to increase the world’s renewable power generation
capacity. As countries continue to develop, and the global population and its reliance on energy grows, so
does the demand on power systems to provide additional clean energy resources. Tidal energy could
potentially supply a significant percentage of future electricity needs if barriers, including robustness of
devices, environmental challenges, and the cost-effectiveness of its commercial application, can be
successfully navigated.
Tidal energy is best captured in areas with high tidal ranges and strong currents. There are several ways to
harness it.
Tidal turbines can be installed in places with strong tidal activity, either floating or on the sea floor,
individually or in arrays. They look and operate much like wind turbines, using blades to turn a rotor that
powers a generator, but must be significantly more robust given their operating environment and, as tidal
turbines are much smaller than large wind turbines, more turbines are required to produce the same
amount of energy. Multiple tidal demonstration projects are under way in the United States.
Turbines placed in tidal streams capture energy from the current, and underwater cables transmit it to the
grid. Tidal stream systems can capture energy at sites with high tidal velocities created by land
constrictions, such as in straits or inlets. When fully operational, the MeyGen project in Scotland will be
the largest tidal stream generating station in the world, with up to 398 MW generation capacity.
Tidal barrages are like dams built across tidal rivers, bays, and estuaries to form a tidal basin. Turbines
inside the barrage enable the basin to fill during incoming tides and release through the system during
outgoing tides, generating electricity in both directions. It operates much like a river dam in capturing the
power in surrounding water. Two of the world’s largest tidal power stations are barrages in South Korea
and France, with 254 MW and 240 MW electricity generation capacity, respectively. The next largest in
Canada has much lower generation capacity at 20 MW.
Tidal lagoons are like barrages in using man-made retaining walls to partially contain a large volume of
incoming tidal water, with embedded turbines to capture its energy. They also rely on a large tidal range
to generate power. Unlike barrages, tidal lagoons could be placed along natural coastline for continuous
power generation as the tide changes and designed to minimize their environmental footprint. Though the
energy output from tidal lagoons is unproven, with no current examples in operation, a few are under
development in China, North Korea, and the United Kingdom. Due to the environmental challenges they
pose, tidal barrages and lagoons are not the focus of tidal energy development efforts in most areas of the
world.
The predominant application for tidal energy has been the generation of electricity for use on shore via
the national power grid. There is also potential value in tidal energy to serve the needs of other existing or
emerging ocean industries (e.g., aquaculture, ocean mineral mining, oceanographic research, or military
missions), as captured in DOE’s Powering the Blue Economy Initiative. The “blue economy” is defined
as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs, while
preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.

Verdant Power Company is a U.S. tidal energy developer with turbines in the East River of New York.
Pictured here is one of their tidal devices. (Photo: Tethys Engineering | Public Domain)
Benefits of tidal energy
Tidal energy is a clean, renewable, sustainable resource that is underutilized and represents significant
opportunity to meet growing global energy needs, both now and in the future. Water is hundreds of times
denser than air, which makes tidal energy more powerful than wind. It is more efficient than wind or solar
energy due to its relative density and produces no greenhouse gases or other waste, making it an attractive
renewable energy source to pursue.
Also beneficial is the relative predictability and reliability of continuous tides, especially compared to
other renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which are affected by the variability and uncertainty
of atmospheric forcing. Low tide and high tide cycles are easy to predict and rarely experience
unexpected changes.
To realize the benefits of tidal energy on a commercial scale, it will be important for researchers to
identify new technologies and methods that significantly lower installation and maintenance costs, reduce
environmental effects, and increase the suitability of more locations. There are a few tidal projects in
operation; however, the industry is growing slowly due to barriers to entry and lack of supply chain.

Limitations of tidal energy

Tidal energy as an industry remains limited by a few significant barriers, cost being its most challenging.
Developing tidal arrays and connecting them to the power grid requires extensive and costly engineering
and manufacturing work. While there are numerous tidal technologies being tested that may improve
affordability, none have emerged as a market leader that could help establish supply chains and begin
reducing installation and maintenance costs.
Tidal energy technologies have been slow to develop, and some industry participants have exited the
market. Suitable locations for tidal energy facilities are inherently limited, given that not all coastal bays
and tidal channels experience the conditions required for effective power generation. And among those
limited locations, some are not near the grid, requiring further investment to install lengthy undersea
cables for transmitting generated electricity.
In addition to cost and geographic limitations, there is also significant concern about environmental
effects. Constructing and operating tidal energy arrays based on massive underwater structures may
change the ambient flow field and water quality, as well as negatively affect sea life and their habitats,
potentially threatening collisions by marine animals and fish with rotating turbine blades and affecting
marine animal navigation and communication with underwater noise. This may cause some sensitive
species to shy away from electromagnetic fields from power cables or changes to their habitats.
Achieving cost reductions, developing devices that can endure ocean forces, and minimizing
environmental effects to improve tidal energy’s commercial viability is and must be the primary focus of
research investments in this area.

Sources: https://www.pnnl.gov/explainer-articles/tidal-
energy#:~:text=Tidal%20energy%20is%20a%20form,the%20water%20to%20move%20faster.
How Does It Work?
Tidal Energy converts the natural rising and falling patterns of ocean tides into electricity. As the
following video7 explains, Tidal Energy is created through a variety of ways.

URL: https://youtu.be/VkTRcTyDSyk

Tidal Barrages
As discussed in the video, tidal barrages are the main source of converting the tidal power into useable
energy in the form of electricity. This method uses a large dam structure, known as a barrage, that forces
the tide to flow in and out of tunnels within the dam structure.8 The force that this water flows with then
turns a turbine or forces air pressure through a pipe that in turn, moves the turbine. This process allows
for energy to be harnessed consistently with the movement of the tides.

Tidal Turbines
Tidal turbines are very similar to wind turbines; however, they are located under water. A tidal turbine
utilizes the tides under water to push against a generator, forcing it to move. This turbine is connected to
an electrical generator, allowing for electricity to be stored. Tidal turbines are individual turbines that are
often placed closely to each other to produce large amounts of energy.
Tidal Fences
Tidal fences are a hybrid between tidal barrages and tidal turbines. Tidal turbines act as a single unit with
multiple turbines along the vertical structure. These are connected with a single structure called a “fence”.
These fences are often grouped together in order to provide large amounts of power to generators in a
condensed area. As shown below9, tidal fences are connected to electrical generators, allowing for energy
to be converted into electricity.

Sources: https://u.osu.edu/engr2367publicdocument/currents-tides-2/how-does-it-
work/#:~:text=This%20method%20uses%20a%20large,tunnels%20within%20the%20dam%20structure.
&text=The%20force%20that%20this%20water,in%20turn%2C%20moves%20the%20turbine.