Ocean Waves and Tidal Power Jeannie Jacullo

What Is It? Tidal Power is a process that harnesses the energy of tides while Wave power harnesses the energy of Ocean Waves. There is a Distinct Difference Between Tidal Power and Wave Power. Tides are a result of the bulging of the water on Earth. This Rotates with the gravitational pull of the moon. Waves are created by wind blowing over the surface of water.

How Does Tidal Power Work? There are many ways of harnessing tidal energy. One way is with Tidal Barrages. A Tidal Barrage is a huge dam that is build across an estuary. There are tunnels in the dam that water flows through as the tide goes in and out. The flow of tides through the dam turn a turbine which in turn generates energy.

Advantages and Disadvantages Once the dam is built, Tidal power is cheap. There are no greenhouse gases or other wastes produced by it. Tidal Power facilities produce a predictable amount of energy. Major Power Dam building projects are very expensive. In order for a project to be successful, there must be a high tidal range. Maintenance of a tidal power facility can be difficult.

Impact on the Environment By changing the flows of tides with dams there can be negative impacts on aquatic and shoreline ecosystems. The impacts depend greatly on location. In some places, tidal energy dams only slightly change the natural flow of tides. In other areas though the change can be much more significant.

Where is Tidal Energy Used Currently there are three tidal wave projects in development in Wales where tidal ranges are high. These projects are at Swansea Bay, Fifoots Point, and North Wales. In Wales, renewable source power is a priority of the public. Tidal Wave has a competitive edge as it is fairly inexpensive once sites are established. Over all, the best sights for a Tidal Energy Dam are places where a bay has a narrow opening.

How Does Wave Energy Work? One popular way of generating electricity from wave energy is the Pelamis Machine Wave Energy Converter. This is a device that floats along the surface of the water and is anchored down on one end. The rolling motion of the waves is used to generate electricity. A hydraulic motor converts the wave motion to electricity by powering electrical generators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-9P2VflRWU

Advantages and Disadvantages The energy created by ocean waves is essentially free beyond the the cost of the device. Maintenance of Wave Energy Devices is relatively inexpensive. If waves get too large, equipment can be severely damaged. Initial Costs for the equipment is quite high compared to some other energy sources.

Impact on the Environment While Ocean Power devices to not give off harmful emissions, there are still environmental concerns. If Wave Energy devices are not anchored and operated properly they can have negative impacts on marine life. Because of this possibility, placement of devices is extremely important.

Where is Ocean Energy Produced? Pelamis wave power is the first wave energy company to deliver wave power to the National Grid. The company has partnered with industry leading utility partners such as Vattenfall, and Scottish Power Renewables. Current Projects are being worked on off the coast of Scotland and Portugal. Wave Power can really be put to good use all over the world– All you need is the waves of the Ocean.

What can these Products Replace? Wind and Solar Power seem to be on the rise as alternative energy sources in the United States. But Tidal Power offers some great advantages. Overall, Tide and Wave patterns are generally more predictable. Predictability of power makes these two forms of energy highly desirable. There is great potential for these energy forms Ocean Renewable Power Co. claims that within a decade tidal energy could become a billion dollar industry in Maine Alone. The World Energy Council has estimated the market for potential wave energy to be more than 500 billion.

Works Cited http://www.envirocitizen.org/article/how-does-tidal-energy-work/1087.html   http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/tidal.htm#how http://renewableenergyindex.com/hydro/how-does-wave-power-work http://www.pelamiswave.com/ http://biofuelscongress.org/tidal-power-–-the-advantages-and-disadvantages http://renewableenergyindex.com/hydro/wave-energy-technology http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com/index.php/Tidal-Energy/Tidal-Energy.html http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=testing-the-waters-with-tidal-energy