TIDAL POWER

Moving tides have great power.  To convert the power to renewable electricity, a wide variety of generator systems have been designed and a few - very few - are in use. 

Presentations and Resource Documents

• Marine Renewable Energy - Excellent overview of the various technologies - animated! - with links.
• Overview of tidal power generator types :  Simple intro from the UK government
• Wave and Tidal Power - What's Happening 2005 : Slide show with good global overview
• World Tidal Energy Update : Background, potential sites, country notes
• EPRI Ocean Energy Program : Slide show about the largest program of its kind in USA
• Lunar Energy - Harnessing Tidal Power :  Slide show from a UK tidal power company
• Marine Renewable (Wave and Tidal) Opportunity Review : Easy reading introduction
• Future Marine Energy: Cost competitiveness and growth : Broad-scale brief review
• Energy from Waves and Tidal Currents : Technical review and status report
• EPRI Tidal Resources and Performance : Slide show with basic physics

The Electric Power Research Institute has done extensive technical investigation in North America:

• Economic Assessment Methodology for Tidal In-Stream Power Plants
• Guidelines for Preliminary Estimation of Power Production by Tidal In-Stream Power Plants
• Final Survey and Characterization: Tidal In-Stream Power Plants
• Methodology for Conceptual Level Design of Tidal In-Stream Power Plants

Quick Links To Tidal Power Projects Around the World

Read this USA Ocean Energy Report for 2005

Ocean Renewable is a new trade association for USA ocean energy companies and interested organizations and individuals.  It has lots of current news and good links.

Tidal Power News has regular updates.

The Ocean Renewable Energy Group of Canada has an excellent bi-weekly newsletter of latest developments.

The Ocean Energy Council is a US group representing many active organizations.

The International Energy Agency Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement is a framework for international collaboration in ocean energy technology R&D, demonstration and information exchange.   The site has many presentations, publications and resources such as a calendar of ocean energy events.

PureEnergySystems has an interesting page of tidal power links and other renewable energy technologies.

The Marine Technology Society is a great general resource with a Puget Sound chapter.

Government tidal power programs

• USA - The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) leads a North America wave and tidal program
• Europe - The Coordination Action on Ocean Energy Projects represents many developers and programs.
• UK - Orkney Islands - wave and tidal power testing
• Canada - the Ocean Renewable Energy Group is a public- private collaborative
• The World Bank - papers on promoting renewable energy sources in developing countries

Tidal Technology Developers (partial list)

• UK - TidalStream - proposed novel deployment system, site has good explanation of the costs of large projects
• UK - Marine Current Turbines Ltd - large propeller arrays
• UK - Tidal Electric - impound high tides and release
• UK - Lunar Energy - ducted seabed turbines
• UK - The Engineering Business - Stingray hydrofoil generator
• UK - Wave Blanket - thin film power membranes moved by waves.
• Scotland - Hydroventuri Ltd. - unique in-stream generator design
• Scotland - Ocean Power Delivery Ltd - offshore horizontal wave power
• Scotland - GreenHeating - claims to create thermal storage systems from tidal power
• Canada - Blue Energy Canada Inc. - vertical axis design
• Canada - Constant Current - trying to put a ducted propeller near Victoria BC at Race Rocks
• Netherlands - Teamwork Technology - offshore vertical wave power
• USA - Underwater Electric Kite Inc. - "flying" tethered ducted turbine
• USA - GCK Technologies - Gorlov helical turbine
• USA - Verdant Power - Variety of turbines tried in several sites
• USA - Aqua Energy - wave power buoys
• USA - Ocean Power Technologies - wave power buoys
• USA - Dial Discoveries - Tesla turbine technology with tidal power applications
• Norway - Hammerfest Strom - large propellers
• Norway - Fred Olson - Open Water Wave Power Testing Facility
• New Zealand - Crest Energy ducted turbines
• Japan - OTEC
• China - Wave Power and Darius Turbines
• Korea - Gorlov Turbine Barrages
• Denmark - Wave Dragon - shoreline wave power
• Denmark - WavePlane - offshore horizontal wave power

Wave Power:  Oregon State University is engaged in the nation’s only university research program in ocean wave energy extraction funded from federal resources.

Almost all of these are in pilot or test stage. 

Copyright 2006-2009 Puget Sound Tidal Power LLC™  All rights reserved.