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| Rance tidal barrage - France | SeaGen - commercial tidal generator UK |
Tidal Energy
Tidal power converts the kinetic energy within the mass of moving water into electricity. This includes underwater currents which tend to be tidal. This energy can be harnessed to generate electricity. Unlike electricity from wind power, tidal power is predictable and reliable.
Tidal streams passing through the tidal stream generators use the kinetic energy in the water to operate turbines which generate the electricity.
Tidal energy is the result of the moon's gravitational effect on the mass of the oceans. There are other factors affecting tidal movements but the effect of the moon is the major one.
The Rance Tidal Power plant, on the estuary of the Rance River in France, is the largest tidal power station in the world in terms of installed capacity. The plant produces an annual output of 600 GWh and supplies 0.012% of the power demand of France.
Rance Tidal barrier: Source Wikipedia - User: Dani_7C3
- GNU Free Documentation License 1.2
Seagen - commercial tidal generator
- User: Duffy -
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported
List of Tidal Power Stations
| Name | Country | Capacity (MW) |
| Rance Tidal Power Station | France | 240 MW |
| Annapolis Royal Generating Station | Canada | 18 MW |
| Jiangxia Tidal Power Station | China | 3.2 MW |
| Kislaya Guba Tidal Power Station | Russia | 1.7 MW |
| Strangford Lough | United Kingdom | 1.2 MW |
| Uldolmok Tidal Power Station | UK | 1.0 MW |
Source: Wikipedia - List of tidal barrages | ||
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