ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Tidal Power - Is it an Option?

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Tidal Power - Why It's Different Than Any Other Energy Source by J Reynolds

You can't spend any amount of time by an ocean without noting the power of the coming and going of the tides. But what is the source of this tidal power? Where does the energy to move all that water come from?

Tidal Power is unique because gravitational force, not radiant energy from the sun is its source. The only other energy sources currently available that don't ultimately originate from the sun are battery power and nuclear power.

If you consider it for a moment you'll realize that's true.

Plants require sunlight to grow. Sunlight drives photosynthesis. Our growth and development and the energy our bodies require comes from our food, all of which depends on sunlight (we either eat the plants directly or indirectly when we eat the animal that ate the plants).

Wood was probably the earliest fuel, and that clearly derives from the sun. But coal and oil are also vegetative matter, just transformed by time and pressure into their current form.

The connection of wind energy and hydro-energy to the sun is less obvious but just as strong.

The sun warming areas of the planet unevenly causes air masses to move as wind. And it's the sun's energy that evaporates the water that eventually falls as rain that fill the rivers and streams from which we harness hydropower.

Tidal power originates from an entirely different source. The pull of gravity causes tides. The earth continually turns on its axis. As it does, different areas of the globe are closest to the moon. The area closest feels a stronger gravitational pull, and over the oceans this difference is strong enough to pull the water slightly closer to the moon. About 1 meter closer.

As the earth's rotation continues, this bump of water moves across the ocean more or less like a single large wave. When it reaches the shoreline, it causes the increase in water level that we recognize as a rising tide. The conditions close to shore determine how much of a change in water level we see on any particular shoreline.

All of that water in motion represents a tremendous amount of energy. The idea of harnessing this energy has always been tantalizing, and is even more intriguing in this era of decreasing oil reserves and increasing concerns about the environment.

A good place to find out more about tidal power is Sources Tidal Power.

And if you want to know more about alternative energy in general, check out Alternative Energy Primer.

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