Hydroelectric and tidal power plants are currently quite promising energy facilities. This material will consider the energy of the tides: the pros and cons of tidal power plants, the principle of operation, existing PES and planned facilities for construction.
Alternative Energy Sources: A Brief Overview
Today, promising sources of energy occupy the minds of not only ecologists and scientists, but also businessmen, engineers and investors. Alternative sources of energy (ebbs and flows, sun, wind) are of interest due to the profitability and relatively low threat to environmental safety. In 2010, non-traditional sources of energy supply accounted for about 5% of the total consumed by mankind. Almost 2% (of the global value) was generated precisely by tidal power plants.
How tidal power plants work
The energy of the tides is of interest to mankind primarily for its inexhaustibility. The first attempts to use it for the benefit have been undertaken since the tenth century, when they began to create small dams with water tanks, and later grain mills. Similar prototypes of modern tidal power plants are still used in the national economy.
With the discovery of electricity, mechanical "power plants" were replaced by more familiar to modern man. Today, the energy of the tides rotates the blades of huge turbines, being converted into electrical energy. Thus, the same principle is used as several centuries ago, only slightly modified for modern conditions and increased needs.
The problems of tidal energy use
The construction of tidal power plants is a very costly undertaking. In addition, from a financial point of view, the construction of large TECs is beneficial, which is completely inappropriate for remote or sparsely populated regions. Other problems include the following:
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fluctuations in the power of the tidal power plant, which is associated with a change in the height of the tides (the tidal energy also changes) every two weeks;
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mismatch of the usual period of sunny days with the time of occurrence of tides;
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the shift between the optimal time of energy generation and consumption;
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in some cases, additional energy sources are needed in the vicinity of the tidal power station.
There is also an opinion that the active operation of tidal power plants will lead to environmental problems previously unknown to mankind - inhibition of the Earth's rotation. The latter is not confirmed by authoritative sources in the scientific community. The work of a large number of PES will increase the duration of the day by an amount nine times less than the energy of the tides (natural tidal inhibition).
The benefits of building tidal power plants
Against the backdrop of catastrophes and accidents that rarely occur at nuclear power plants, but leave a long memory, alternative energy sources look like a safe alternative. And although there are enough difficulties in the construction of tidal power plants, there are also many advantages:
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Environmental friendliness. In the case of PES, the likelihood of a man-made disaster with subsequent infection of vast territories is reduced to almost zero. There are no harmful emissions into the atmosphere from fuel combustion.
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Reliability. Tidal power plants operate stably both in standard mode and at peak loads.
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Low cost of energy. Compared to other types of power plants, PES is characterized by low cost of energy, which is confirmed by the actual results of operation.
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High efficiency. The efficiency of converting natural energy into usable energy reaches 80%, while wind power plants provide up to 30% efficiency, and solar energy - on average 5-15%, but in some cases 35% efficiency was recorded.
La Rance: the first tidal power station
The reporting point for the spread of tidal power plants was 1967, when La-Rance, the first power plant located in France, in the historical region of Brittany, was commissioned. The use of tidal energy here was due to significant tides reaching thirteen and a half meters at a usual height of eight meters.
The power of La-Rance PES is 240 MW, and the cost of one unit of energy (kW \ h) is one and a half times lower than usual for French power plants. The dam of the power plant performs not only the functions of ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the energy facility, but also serves as a bridge over the road connecting the cities of Dinard and St. Malo. In addition, La Rance is a popular tourist attraction that attracts up to two hundred thousand travelers to France.
PES in South Korea: the most powerful power plant
Sikhvinskaya PES is another outstanding alternative energy facility located on the northwest coast of South Korea in an artificial bay. The power plant was commissioned in 2011 and quickly pushed the first power plant in the world to the second position in terms of power.
Directly the construction of the power plant was preceded by the need to create a reservoir of fresh water. Later, water quality began to deteriorate, and in 1997 (after confirming the guesses and developing solutions by the marine research institute), it was decided to make a hole in the dam. This made it possible to use the energy of the tides. The construction of the TPP was started in 2003, and the launch was planned in 2009. Due to delays during construction, the power plant was launched in 2011.
Tidal power plants in other countries of the world
Countries that use the energy of the tides are not limited to progressive France and technological South Korea. Tidal power plants are operated in:
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Great Britain;
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Norway
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Canada
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China
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India
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United States of America.
Some other states are planning the construction of such structures.
Tidal power plants in Russia
In Russia, tidal energy has been used since 1968 as part of the operation of the experimental TPS on Kislaya Guba in the Barents Sea (pictured). In Soviet times, projects were developed to build three more tidal power plants (one in the White Sea and two in the Okhotsk). Nothing is known about the current status of both facilities, while the Mezenskaya TPP, which is being designed in the Arkhangelsk region, has a chance to become the most powerful tidal power station in the world. Also at the design stage is Northern PES on the Kola Peninsula.
