The Motion Of The Ocean

tidal%20power.pngOver at NexGen, this week's question asks about the likelihood of embracing tidal power: a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity. Basically, we're talking wind turbines located where there's strong tidal flow. Sounds clean, and heck, I sure do like the ocean... but uh, I just don't see this becoming a major contender in our alternative energy future.

My full post is now up outlining many reasons why...

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Hi. One application of tidal/wave power that seems very sensible is having buoys with (Gorlov?) flow turbines at the mouth of bays, which convert the energy to pushing accumulated estuarine silts out to the ocean so they don't choke boat harbors, rather than using huge dredge barges to scrape out the channels and destroying the local marine ecosystem.