Advantages of Tidal Energy – Many Pros but High Investment a Big Con

Tidal Energy is a niche form of Renewable Energy with less than 500 MW of Electricity Capacity worldwide.Tidal Energy generates less than .001% of the worldwide electricity generation as the Technology of this Alternative Energy is still quite immature.However numerous companies are researching ways to develop Tidal Energy as it offers almost unlimited potential at low costs and with no pollution.Tidal Wave Energy has not seen much commercial success except the almost 45 year old Tidal Wave Power Plant in France.South Korea is planning to build a number of Tidal Power Plants though the rest of the world has not given it much though.Here are the Top advantages of Tidal Energy.

1. Renewable,non-Polluting and Carbon Negative – Tidal Energy is completely renewable,does not lead to any pollution of the air and does not lead to any carbon emissions like Fossil Fuels
2. Predictable – Tidal Wave Energy is very predictable as the Tides rise with great uniformity.Other forms of Renewable Energy like Solar and Wind Energy are intermittent in nature.The electricity supply is much more uniform and reliable in case of Tidal Power
3. No Fuel – Tidal Power needs Water for Generation of Electricity in its catchment area.It does not need fuel like Thermal,Gas or Oil Powered Power Stations
4. Low Costs – Once a Tidal Energy Power Plant starts running,its costs are extremely low.The biggest Power Plant in France run by EDF works at 1.5c/Kwh which is lower than either nuclear or coal energy which are the cheapest forms of power
5. Long Life – A Tidal Barrage has a very long life of around 100 years which is much longer than that of even Nuclear Power Plants.The long life implies that the lifecycle cost of a Tidal Energy Power Plant becomes very low in the long term
6. High Energy Density – The Energy Density of Tidal Energy is much higher than that of other forms of Renwable Energy like Wind Power
7. High Load Factor – The Load Factor for Solar and Wind Energy ranges from 15-40% which is quite low compared to Fossil Fuel Energy.Tidal Energy has a load factor of almost 80% which is equal to that of Thermal Power.

Summary

Tidal Power is an extremely good source of Renewable Energy,however the practical limitations of location,high investment and lack of technology advancement has made Tidal Energy a negligible source of Power globally.While some countries like India and South Korea have Tidal Power Plants in the planning stage,UK has killed the Severn Tidal Power Station because of high capital investments.However great potential exists for the growth of Tidal Energy due to its many above advantages.