While the clean and green renewable wind energy sources, but a high degree of dependence on the weather, thereby limiting its development. The use of ocean tides to generate electricity dependence on the weather, we should much smaller power, tidal power has therefore become the field of renewable energy sources in recent years, a hot new term. Recently, in the UK the world’s first tidal energy generators put into commercial operation.
This was named “SeaGen” tidal generator is located in Northern Ireland, Strangford Bay estuary, which is about 37 meters, 47 meters high, with a total weight of more than 300 tons. The principle is the use of tidal power tidal fluctuation of water level difference to wind generate electricity, the generator is equipped with two tidal energy turbines, is like an “underwater windmill“, its principles and wind power generation is also similar, except the wind push changed to promote the tides and currents, resulting in more environmentally friendly power. The system since May 2008 began trial operation, the current generating capacity of up to 12 megawatts, about 1,000 households to meet the average electricity demand, the highest in the world’s first tidal energy system capacity. However, tidal power because it is a new technology, its cost of wind power generation is also high, about the cost of other new energy generating four to five times, but with improved technology and extension, which is expected to reduce the cost of the future. Tidal power generation is also being subjected to wave the size of the wind turbines impact and possible impact on marine life concerns, although “Se aGen” generating units have been commercially available, but its follow-up there are still many problems waiting to be resolved.
