The Power of Water
In accordance with current consumption rates, the earth is projected to run out of coal in one hundred and ten years, natural gas in fifty-four years, and oil in a mere fifty-three years. Once this depletion of resources has occurred, humans will have no choice but to rely on alternative sources of energy in order to maintain a standard of living and to preserve order within society. Finding a reliable alternative to nonrenewable energy, therefore, has become of utmost importance, and tidal energy has been brought into question as a possible solution. Though tidal energy may be viable in its dependability and high energy yield, the lack of sizable research, negative environmental effects, and high cost associated with its …show more content…
Bagher also states that tidal energy is typically in places so far off shore that it is extremely difficult to transfer the energy produced to the shore where it can be added to the energy grid (Bagher Askari Mohammad, 3). Another professor, Abhishek Shah, also wrote that “The United States Department of Energy estimates that there are only about 40 locations in the world capable of supporting Tidal Barrages. This is because this Tidal Energy Technology requires sizable Tides for the Power Plant to be built.” (Abhishek Shah). One might think that you could simply set up tidal turbines anywhere in the ocean but to get maximum efficiency its necessary to consider many variables. Companies who build the turbines want the best conditions possible as a result of the outrageously high startup cost so the currents need to be powerful but they also have to away from any concertation of marine life and away from shipping lanes while still being close enough to shore to be able to even use the generated power. This problem is a large one. This problem is also a result of the negative impact to the environment and the poor reliability of the system to survive the unpredictable surf in shore. If the turbine was in shore it would be restricted from many things some of which being “frozen sea, low or weak tides, straight shorelines, low tidal rise in the water.” …show more content…
First of which is the very high potential energy of the tides. “Water is 832 times denser than air and consequently tidal turbine rotors can be much smaller than wind turbine rotors thus they can be deployed much closer together and still generate equivalent amounts of electricity.” (Askari Mohammad Bagher). Since water is so much denser then air it has a huge advantage over wind turbines which require powerful winds and huge rotors to catch the wind. The compact capabilities make it easier to fit more turbines in one place but the concentrated turbines might make enough noise to disrupt the migration patterns of many species. Tidal energy does not require any start fuel or fuel that has to be bought in general unlike nuclear power plants which need very expensive metals to produce energy. The Tide is also extremely dependable. Frank Neumann a doctor of mathematics elaborates on the predictability. “Tidal energy is predictable, as the energy production is not influenced by weather conditions but rather by the cycles of the moon, sun and earth, providing a predictable bi-week, biannual and annual cycle” (Frank Neumann). This predictability means that if the turbines themselves are well made and dependable that it is easy to plan on when power is being produced. While tidal turbines can still be affect by the weather the effect is not as dramatic as the effect on solar panels which can be rendered almost useless on
In accordance with current consumption rates, the earth is projected to run out of coal in one hundred and ten years, natural gas in fifty-four years, and oil in a mere fifty-three years. Once this depletion of resources has occurred, humans will have no choice but to rely on alternative sources of energy in order to maintain a standard of living and to preserve order within society. Finding a reliable alternative to nonrenewable energy, therefore, has become of utmost importance, and tidal energy has been brought into question as a possible solution. Though tidal energy may be viable in its dependability and high energy yield, the lack of sizable research, negative environmental effects, and high cost associated with its …show more content…
Bagher also states that tidal energy is typically in places so far off shore that it is extremely difficult to transfer the energy produced to the shore where it can be added to the energy grid (Bagher Askari Mohammad, 3). Another professor, Abhishek Shah, also wrote that “The United States Department of Energy estimates that there are only about 40 locations in the world capable of supporting Tidal Barrages. This is because this Tidal Energy Technology requires sizable Tides for the Power Plant to be built.” (Abhishek Shah). One might think that you could simply set up tidal turbines anywhere in the ocean but to get maximum efficiency its necessary to consider many variables. Companies who build the turbines want the best conditions possible as a result of the outrageously high startup cost so the currents need to be powerful but they also have to away from any concertation of marine life and away from shipping lanes while still being close enough to shore to be able to even use the generated power. This problem is a large one. This problem is also a result of the negative impact to the environment and the poor reliability of the system to survive the unpredictable surf in shore. If the turbine was in shore it would be restricted from many things some of which being “frozen sea, low or weak tides, straight shorelines, low tidal rise in the water.” …show more content…
First of which is the very high potential energy of the tides. “Water is 832 times denser than air and consequently tidal turbine rotors can be much smaller than wind turbine rotors thus they can be deployed much closer together and still generate equivalent amounts of electricity.” (Askari Mohammad Bagher). Since water is so much denser then air it has a huge advantage over wind turbines which require powerful winds and huge rotors to catch the wind. The compact capabilities make it easier to fit more turbines in one place but the concentrated turbines might make enough noise to disrupt the migration patterns of many species. Tidal energy does not require any start fuel or fuel that has to be bought in general unlike nuclear power plants which need very expensive metals to produce energy. The Tide is also extremely dependable. Frank Neumann a doctor of mathematics elaborates on the predictability. “Tidal energy is predictable, as the energy production is not influenced by weather conditions but rather by the cycles of the moon, sun and earth, providing a predictable bi-week, biannual and annual cycle” (Frank Neumann). This predictability means that if the turbines themselves are well made and dependable that it is easy to plan on when power is being produced. While tidal turbines can still be affect by the weather the effect is not as dramatic as the effect on solar panels which can be rendered almost useless on