Tidal Energy: An Overview Tides are caused through a combination of forces created by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon and the rotation of the earth. Energy naturally present in water bodies – or in their movement – can be used for generation of electricity, through tidal, wave and thermal energy. Energy […]

Renewable Energy is one of the most read about and discussed topics in the world however various misconceptions remain about the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy.Note Renewable Energy is a a very large topic and encompasses many different alternative energy forms which have their own distinct pros and cons.A Better Way to understand and explain Renewable Energy would be to look at each different forms of Clean Energy like Solar,Wind,Nuclear,Hydro,Tidal,Biomass and Geothermal Energy.Renewable Energy itself compared to Fossil Fuel forms of Non-Renewable Energy has substantial advantages and some disadvantages as well the biggest of which is Cost.Also note Fossil Fuel Energy has got a massive established base,industry and lobby.

The Biggest Disadvantage of Renewable Energy is the relatively higher cost of most forms of alternative energy compared to fossil fuel sources of energy.This has prevented the higher penetration of clean energy as compared to the non-renewable sources of energy.Also the massive old energy lobbies have successfully used their massive influence and power to inhibit the growth of renewable sources of energy.The recent lobbying by oil and gas firms like the Koch Brothers and Valero is quite pertinent.Note the oil and gas lobbies receive almost 10 times the subsidy received by clean energy sources like wind and solar despite their massive established bases.

The importance of Clean and Renewable Energy is growing driven by the twin factors of increasing fossil fuel prices and Global Warming.Other factors contributing to the importance and growing use of Alternative Energy is national energy security as geopolitical tensions in major oil and gas countries grows by the day.Also renewable sources of energy like solar energy promote the democratization of energy production which is centralized by power utilities today.There are a number of alternative sources of energy such as solar,wind,geothermal,tidal,hydro and nuclear energy.Some people may not consider nuclear and hydro energy to be green but it is a fact that these 2 energy sources do not produce GHG emissions and cannot be classified as fossil fuels sources.Each clean energy source has its own advantages and many of the pros overlap with each other as well.However each Green Energy source has its unique benefits which define and separate it from the other clean sources.While Renewable Energy advantages over Non-Renewable can be easily be understood as

Tidal Renewable Energy is a niche form of Alternative Energy with less than 500 MW of Electricity Capacity worldwide.Tidal Renewable Energy generates less than .001% of the worldwide electricity generation as the Technology of this Alternative Energy is still quite immature.Tidal Renewable Energy is still an immature technology with most of the plants built around the world being pilot/demonstration ones.The older ones based on Tidal Barrages are also very few in number with the Tidal Power Plant in Le Rance in France the only major operating Tidal Power Plant in the World.Tidal Barrages however are facing major headwinds due to high capital costs and long gestation periods.The newer Tidal Renewable Energy Technologies like Pelamis and Seagen hold big potential though still a decade away from reaching large commercial scale just like Algae based Biofuel and other forms of Green Technology.

Tidal Wave Energy is still in its baby phase with the technology not developed far enough to make it a real alternative to fossil fuel energy.However like solar and wind power 20-30 years ago,Tidal Wave Energy can still develop to become a major form of alternative energy.

A Tidal Barrage is a Dam built across an Estuary or Bay to generate Electricity from the Flow of Tides.It works using the same principles that is used in production of the mainstream hydro powered electricity.In this form of Tidal Power,a Barrage is built near the coast where water is collected during the periods of […]