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Facts about Tidal Energy
As the world looks for alternative fuel sources,
tidal energy is starting to attract attention
again. Following is an overview of facts about
tidal energy.
Facts about Tidal Energy
If you have ever lived near the ocean, you know
about tides. Like clockwork, the tide rolls in
and out moving massive amounts of water from
here to there and back again. This massive
movement of water also happens to contain a huge
amount of energy. If the power of the tides
could be converted to usable energy, many think
tidal energy would be the answer to many of the
energy problems in the world.
There are two basic theories on how to convert
tides into power. The first involves converting
the power of the horizontal movement of the
water into electricity. The second involves
producing energy from the rise and drop of water
levels. With our vast knowledge of
hydroelectricity production with dams,
converting moving water is currently the favored
technology.
With
hydropower, energy is produced by passing moving water through turbines
which spin and create electricity. While this may seem an obvious way to go
after tidal power, there are some inherent problems. First, tidal water
moves much slower. Second, the energy in tides are spread across great
areas, to wit, the energy in the amount of water that would pass through
even a large |
