Harnessing the Power of Tides: The Potential of Tidal Energy

Abstract

Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Potential Energy Source Still in Development: Tidal Energy Tidal energy is one of the potential sources of energy that is still in development and could have a significant impact on energy production in the future. It a type of ocean energy that uses the rise and fall of tides to move turbines and generate electricity for a wide range of uses. As a renewable source of energy with minimal environmental impacts, tidal energy has created interest among researchers on how to increase efficiency in production. Since tides are highly predictable, tidal energy ensures a high level of control on the amount of energy that a plant produces depending on changes in demand. Energy is derived from this source by collecting water in a barrage during high tide and releasing it through the turbines at controlled rates. The barrage acts as a normal river dam and ensures that there is control on how the water is released back to the ocean. Tidal energy amounts to about 1.6% of total energy production around the world and 4.6% of the total renewable energy. While it offers numerous advantages such as low costs, reliability, and minimal impact on the environment, it is currently at the development stage. There is likely to be a growing interest in tidal energy in the future leading to an increase in capital investments to facilitate its development. Image: Tidal energy Source: National Geographic, 2025 The current applications of tidal energy can be traced from the last half of the 20th century. Both research and development in the 1960s made significant contributions on the ocean energy and its use across the world. Concerns on the impact of nonrenewable energy sources on the...