What is tidal power?

Tidal energy is the result of the sun and the moon’s gravitational pull on the tides.
When the earth rotates, the tides move – ebbing and flowing. The change in the water level between high tide and low tide creates tidal currents in coastal areas, which can be forceful enough to drive a turbine.

Tidal power is believed to be the next generation renewable power, and is considered to be competitive with wind power in the furure.

The high density of water – it is nearly 1,000 times as dense as air – means that there is a lot of energy to harvest from marine currents even if they are moving at a low velocity. It is expected that it will be possible to produce energy at velocities as low as around 0.5 m/s.

Tidal currents are governed by the movement of the earth, moon and sun, and are therefore cyclical and completely predictable, which is particularly favourable for production and maintenance planning.

Statkraft is in the process of developing and testing a tidal power plant based on a floating, anchored steel structure which will generate electricity via four large turbines driven by marine currents. The turbines and generators will be placed under the water line and can be easily brought to the surface for maintenance. Because it is a floating power plant, there will be no large-scale permanent disturbance to the sea floor, and the project will have minor environmental impact. The entire plant, complete with anchor, can be easily moved or removed.