Tidal energy meaning (what it is, concept and definition)

What is Tidal Power:

Tidal energy is that generated from the rise and fall of the tides that derives from the gravitational action of the stars, taking advantage of the force of the maritime movement to transform it into electrical energy.

It is a type of renewable energy, since it does not waste the resource. This type of energy does not generate waste in itself, however, it still creates an impact on the environment due to the facilities it requires to obtain and distribute energy.

The basic system of tidal power plants is based on the storage of water in a system of dikes, whose doors are closed and opened in order to allow the exit and entry of the sea.

When the tide is at the highest point, the dock doors open for water to enter. After this, the doors close and wait for the tide to go down, until it reaches a minimum difference of 5 meters in height. The difference in height that is produced is used to pass the stored water through turbines that allow the transformation of kinetic energy into electrical energy.

Types of tidal power plants

Tidal energy is obtained through the following methods:

• The tidal dam, which is the basic model based on the dyke scheme; The tidal current generator that, like the wind power generators, works with a propeller system to take advantage of the movement of the waters; The energy dynamic tidal wave, which combines the two previous models.

See also:

• Energy Electric energy Kinetic energy