Catching the Currents: Tidal Power

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:12 PM EST

Article Source: TIME

Tidal power doesn't get the attention — or the venture capital — that higher-profile renewable energy sources such as solar or biofuels do, but there's a lot of energy waiting to be tapped in the motion of the ocean. Unlike the breeze or the sun, tidal currents are utterly predictable — sailors have charted them for centuries — which means engineers know exactly how much energy they'll get, and when they'll get it. The mechanics are physics 101 — at their most basic, tidal turbines act as underwater windmills, transforming sea currents into electrical current. And there is no shortage of potential sites around the world.

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The chief obstacle these days is finance, not science, says Wright. Tidal projects have high initial construction costs — turbines are practically handmade — and that won't change until the market grows and developers can harness economies of scale. That requires subsidies. "This technology needs to be scaled up quickly," says Wright. "The government needs to believe this can happen." It might also require a streamlining of environmental regulations, according to Verdant's Taylor. Rules have already slowed several projects. Verdant had to spend $2 million on its New York operation just to ensure its turbines weren't making sashimi out of the local sea life. (They weren't.)

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3 votes

#1 - Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:15 PM EST

{"commentId":4828903,"authorDomain":"eriqalan"}

eriq samson

Actually it is bigger than that; these things are a huge environmental problem and don't really make that much power for the area they consume. But like all these technologies, they are in their infancy - a second generation device has come out that does NOT need to be ground (sea bottom) based (i.e. it can float and be only tethered / anchored to the ground so small crawling things can get by) and generates more power per area it consumes (it does shade/ cool that area a bit).

It will be interesting to see this techmology mature

{"commentId":4828903,"threadId":"471380","contentId":"2315397","authorDomain":"eriqalan"}

2 votes

#2 - Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:58 PM EST

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Catching the Currents: Tidal Power

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