Tidal Power!?

Question

1.is the energy from tidal power used reguraly?
2.what do we use tidal power for?

Answer 1

There have been a few dams built to capture tidal energy for conversion to electricity. The Usine marémotrice de la Rance is the most famous.

There have long been proposals to do build such a barrrage on the Bay of Fundy, and perhaps even on Ungava Bay, which has equally specular tidal surges.

Wikipedia articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Fundy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_power

There is a proposal dating from the 80s to build a low dam on the East River of New York, in order to improve water quality in Long Island Sound (the combined tidal effects on both the East River and the oceanic outlet at the eastern end of Long Island presently do not allow the greatest flushing action). Such a dam would produce a modest but genuinely significant amount of tidally generated electricity.

Answer 2

Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy from moving water. The energy from tidal energy is the same thing as any other energy resource, such as solar energy, hydro energy, or the burning of coal. Tidal energy's moving water turns turbines, which make electricity. Electricity is the basis of all 'energy' today. We use everything we depend electricity on, from tidal energy, though only a small fraction of the world has the appropriate environment to create tidal energy.

Once again, energy from tidal power is like any other energy resource, because they all convert into electricity.

Answer 3

energy from tides is used in a few spots. The way this is done is with dams, water flows through some big holes, make turbines turn, generate electricity.

the downside is that this requires to block often pretty areas with those dams, which can have adverse effects not only on aesthetics / tourism, but also on marine life (all those shells living right around see level)

the upside is that where tides have such high amplitude as to be very bothersome / dangerous, the dam will dampen things.

in terms of scale (size, budget, effect to ecosystem) these dams are largely comparable to hydroelectric dams

hope this helps

Answer 4

right now we use it mostly for research purposes, they are studying if it could be useful to generate power, there are several companies that have prototypes out, i dont think that there is any large scale commercial use yet.

Answer 5

1. yes
2. digging for clams

(I think)


Fight for oil!