Tidal Energy

Benefits and Challenges of Tidal Energy

BENEFITS Tidal energy offers significant benefits, which include: • Tides are more predictable than wind and sunlight. They have a consistent pattern. • Tidal energy is a sustainable energy source and continuously available. • Tidal energy is clean; it does not pollute the water or air.

CHALLENGES There are challenges to using tidal energy, which include: • Harnessing tidal energy can be expensive. Barrages are very expensive to construct. • Although tides are predictable, there is only a short period of time when they yield the highest power. • Installing and running a tidal power station can disrupt the balance of the local ecosystem. • Equipment used to collect tidal energy is in contact with water so maintenance is difficult due to corrosion. • Sometimes the best tidal currents are unavailable because they are located in shipping channels or they are too far from the grid. • In general, a tidal range of at least 6 meters is required to make tidal power generation practical or economical.