Almost every day it seems like we are hearing about a new type of renewable energy resource. In the wake of an environment disaster such as the recent Gulf Oil Spill, truly ‘conservative’, renewable energies like wind, solar and even tidal power are starting to gain some much delayed, serious attention.

Every renewable energy source, in its own right, is probably worth researching and tapping into, but let’s take a look at tidal energy for a moment. Tides are the regular rising and falling of surface water levels in oceans, gulfs, bays, harbors, etc. Tides are actually the result of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the Earth as it rotates.

Here is a video that gives a simple explanation of what causes ocean tides:

Although it isn’t a “new” energy, one of the main reasons tidal power is being looked at as an effective renewable energy resource is that tides never stop…the water is continuously moving back and forth, thus allowing energy to be generated in a constant and predictable manner.

Currently there are very few locations around the world where tidal power is being generated. The Rance Tidal Power Station was the world’s first tidal power station and in 2006, they celebrated 40 years of actively turning tides into energy. As of right now, they are also the world’s largest.

Nova Scotia Power’s Annapolis Tidal Generating Station is the only North American tidal generating station. It is situated on the Annapolis River where it can take advantage of the highest tides in the world found at the Bay of Fundy.

It is said that, “The force created by these mighty waters is equal to 8000 locomotives or 25 million horses...“. That’s quite a bit of potential tidal power. Check out the power of the tides close to the Annapolis Tidal Power Station:

The Jiangxia Tidal Power Station in China is listed as the world’s third largest tidal power station; however South Korea is currently in various stages of construction on numerous tidal power stations that will each generate more than double the energy capacity of any existing tidal power station.

So, when it comes to tidal energy, there is no shortage of resources. As long as the Earth keeps spinning and there is water in the oceans, we will have tides. The question then becomes, can we tap into this resource with minimal environment disruption? F.D.R. thought it was worth checking out back in 1936, maybe we should start taking a more serious look at it today. What do you think...will our energy of the future rise and fall with the tides?

Image by Horizon2035