Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tidal Energy: The sources of energy that we use today are mostly from non-renewable sources. This implies that as they are being used up for producing energy, there is no replenishment. A major part of non-renewable sources of energy is fossil fuels which are quickly depleting. So, it is important to find some alternate sources from which energy can be produced. This non-conventional form of energy can be obtained from the sunlight, wind, water, etc., and can be converted into another form that can be used for various purposes. These are renewable sources of energy as they continue to exist but are not exhausted. One of these renewable sources of energy is tidal energy that is obtained from the rise and fall of tides in water bodies on earth. This movement of water is used to move the turbines and results in the generation of electricity.
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What is Tidal Energy? Advantages and Disadvantages of Tidal Energy 2022
Tides are a natural phenomenon that occurs periodically and the waves that generate in this process can be a good source of energy. Tides have a great potential for energy creation so provisions can be made to use them for producing energy as per requirement. The focus on renewable deployments shows the way towards leveraging tidal energy as a replacement of non-renewable energy resources.
The rise is called high tide and fall is called low tide. This movement of waves happens periodically and causes enormous forces due to the flow of water. These powerful movements thus caused are utilized as tidal energy forms and can be harnessed as a great source of energy in some of the coastal areas of the world. Tidal dams and barrages are built near shores for this purpose along with power generation equipment. The water flows into the dam during high tide and during low tide, water is released to flow out with high pressure that results in turning the turbine and generating electricity.
- Advantages of Tidal Energy
- Disadvantages of Tidal Energy
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Tidal Energy
- FAQ’s on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tidal Energy
Advantages of Tidal Energy
- Renewable Source of Energy: The tides on water bodies will always appear at regular time intervals. This is a source of energy that is going to remain and it can be used repeatedly without any need for replenishment. We can endlessly use this source of renewable energy to generate energy according to our needs.
- Environment-friendly: The process of tidal energy production is environmentally friendly. There is no release of harmful materials or pollution which makes it a clean form of energy.
- Tides are predictable: The generation of tides is natural activity depending on the position of the sun and the moon. So tidal currents are predictable and systems can be created that work efficiently giving the highest energy yields.
- Generates energy at low speed: The tidal waves have a higher force than air so they can produce energy even at a slower speed. This makes it highly effective when compared to wind energy.
- Durable Equipment: In contrast to solar or wind farms, tidal power plants have more durability. The tidal barrages and other concrete structures are very robust and have a considerably longer lifespan.
- Saves fossil fuels: The generation of electricity from tidal energy does not require the burning of any fossil fuels, thereby helping in the conservation of exhaustible fossil fuels that are already being used in various applications.
Disadvantages of Tidal Energy
- Impact on marine life: Tidal barrages control the flow of water that may have an impact on natural marine lives. The movement of the turbines and the force with which the water is released can disrupt marine life. In the longer run, it also leads to silt deposition that affects marine plants and creatures.
- Maintenance and Corrosion: The constant contact and exposure to saline water can result in corrosion of machinery. So the systems need to be designed using corrosion-resistant materials that incur high costs. As tidal energy systems are costly, the aim is to make them as reliable and trouble-free as possible. Therefore, maintenance remains a regular requirement.
- Locational requirements: The tidal energy systems have to be located close to land to get the advantage of the strongest water currents. Again, there can be restrictions due to shipping lanes that use the tidal waves. Sometimes the locations are too far from the grid and involve a high cost to transport energy.
- Costly Technology: Tidal energy is still under development and not utilized on a large scale as in other forms of energy. It is still costlier than wind and solar energy and involves high costs for installation and maintenance. A lot of technological advancements are required to make it cost-effective. The location restriction of power plants also makes it difficult and expensive to transport energy to areas far away from the area of generation.
- Depends on nature: The energy generation depends on the intensity of tides that may be low or weak at times. The energy generation may be interrupted due to various other factors like straight shorelines, frozen seas, and irregular flow of water.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Tidal Energy
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Tidal energy is an inexhaustible source of energy since water is available in most parts of the earth in large water bodies that can be utilized. | There is high-cost involvement in the construction of tidal power plants due to corrosion-free machinery. |
| Tidal energy is environment-friendly energy since it doesn’t produce any harmful gases to cause pollution. | There are certain limitations for the construction of tidal energy power plants because they require setup in coastal regions only. |
| The occurrence of tides as a regular natural phenomenon makes tidal energy a reliable source of energy on large scale. | The intensity of sea waves may vary so there can be an interruption in the power generation process. |
| The rise and fall of tides can be predictable and systems are built to use it effectively. | The process of tidal energy generation may Influences aquatic life to adversely die to control of water flow and large driving forces involved. |
| Tidal Energy doesn’t require any kind of fossil fuel to run thereby contributing to fuel conservation. | This technology used for utilization of tidal energy is still not very cost effective. |
| The life span of tidal energy power plants is quite high. | The locations for the generation of tidal energy are generally far away from the places where it is required. So, there is major cost involvement and other difficulties in the transportation of energy. |
FAQ’s on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tidal Energy
Question 1.
How tides are generated?
Answer:
Tides are the waves formed in water bodies on earth due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun causing the rise and fall of water levels.
Question 2.
Why are tidal energy plants located nearby land areas or coastal areas?
Answer:
The intensity of tides is higher near land or coastlines so it is preferable to set up tidal energy plants in those locations.
Question 3.
What is the future of tidal energy as compared to other renewable sources?
Answer:
Tidal Energy will be a popular source of energy as it is clean energy production and doesn’t require many land or other resources as compared to other sources of energy.