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Tidal Energy

Tidal energy harnesses the power of ocean tides to generate electricity. It is produced using tidal barrages, tidal fences, or tidal turbines. While still in its infancy, some countries like France and South Korea have commercial-sized tidal power stations. Sri Lanka has over 85 tidal inlets that could potentially support tidal energy generation due to its long coastline and semi-diurnal tides, but developing tidal power comes with high costs and potential environmental impacts that present challenges for Sri Lanka.

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58 views4 pages

Tidal Energy

Tidal energy harnesses the power of ocean tides to generate electricity. It is produced using tidal barrages, tidal fences, or tidal turbines. While still in its infancy, some countries like France and South Korea have commercial-sized tidal power stations. Sri Lanka has over 85 tidal inlets that could potentially support tidal energy generation due to its long coastline and semi-diurnal tides, but developing tidal power comes with high costs and potential environmental impacts that present challenges for Sri Lanka.

Uploaded by

upeksha erandi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tidal Energy

Introduction
Tidal energy is power produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides.
Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy.
During the 20th century, engineers developed ways to use tidal movement
to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal range—the difference in area
between high tide and low tide. The world's first tidal power station was constructed in 2007 at
Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.
Tidal energy production is still in its infancy. The amount of power produced so far has been
small.

Popular countries for tidal energy


There are very few commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world.

• The first was located in La Rance, France.


• The largest facility is the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea.
• China, France, England, Canada, and Russia have much more potential to use this type
of energy.

Technologies used to generate electricity


There are currently three different ways to get tidal energy

• Tidal barrages

Tidal energy generator uses a large dam called a barrage to get tidal energy.. With a barrage,
water can spill over the top or through turbines in the dam because the dam is
low. Barrages can be constructed across tidal rivers, bays, and estuaries.

Turbines inside the barrage harness the power of tides the same way a river dam harnesses the
power of a river. The barrage gates are open as the tide rises. At high tide, the barrage gates
close, creating a pool, or tidal lagoon. The water is then released through the barrage's turbines,
creating energy at a rate that can be controlled by engineers.
• Tidal fences

Tidal fences use the natural flow of tidal current without the use of a dam. A tidal fence has vertical axis
turbines mounted in a fence. All the water that passes is forced through the turbines. They can be used
in areas such as channels between two landmasses.

• Tidal turbines

Tidal turbines are similar to wind turbines in that they have blades that turn a rotor to power a
generator. They can be placed on the sea floor where there is strong tidal flow. Because water is
about 800 times denser than air, tidal turbines have to be much sturdier and heavier than wind
turbines.

Advantages of tidal energy

• Environment-friendly
• A highly predictable energy source
• High energy density
• Operational and maintenance costs are low
• An inexhaustible source of energy
Disadvantages of tidal energy

• High tidal power plant construction costs


• Negative influence on marine life forms
• Location limits
• The variable intensity of sea waves

Difference between tidal energy and wave energy

Tidal energy uses gravitational pull of Earth, moon and sun to produce energy where as a wave
energy uses kinetic forces of waves to generate electricity.

Opportunities in Sri Lanka to generate Tidal energy

Sri Lanka is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka has a 1,340 km long coastline, and
territorial waters cover an area of about 21,500 km2 . The contiguous zone extends up to 24 nautical
miles from the outer edge of the territorial zone. The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Sri Lanka
covers an area of about 510,000 km2 . As an island nation, Sri Lanka has much potential for tidal
energy. Sri Lanka is a country that experiences semi-diurnal tides . Two low and two high tides
diurnal occur every 12 hours and 25 minutes. Along the Sri Lankan coastline, a total of 85 tidal inlets
are identified. In the tidal inlet, sea waters meet ocean waters. The tidal range of the Sri Lankan
coastline varies between 0.45m to 0.65m. During the spring tidal, the total tidal energy potential of
all 85 tidal inlets is 52512967.08 MW . Figure shows Tidal inlets along the Sri Lankan coast.
Limitations in Sri lanka to generate Tidal energy

Both financial and human resources are typically very limited.

The cost of collection/ generation of data to assess the marine renewable energy
resource is significantly higher than for the wind or solar resource as both the
equipment and deployment of the required instrumentation are more costly.

income generated by the sale of electricity is typically only a small proportion of the total
project costs and so the price does not significantly affect the project economics

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