The Effect Of Tidal Power On The Environment

In recent years there has been great concern over the growing demand for energy, and the lack of non-renewable energy resources to meet the demand in the future. In addition, the question of “sustainability”—the ability to balance social, economic, and environmental needs in energy production to meet both current and long-term requirements—has come to the fore. It is clear that America must expand energy production quickly, and that we must develop renewable, sustainable energy sources to meet long-term demand and protect our future. There are many proposed solutions, such as wind and solar power. But the technology for these resources is not yet fully developed, making them, at best, low-output alternatives. Because renewable sources are

The way the wind turbine works is when the wind blows, the blades on the wind mill (or turbine) are spun to run the motor that is attached to the back of the turbine. The motor transfers its energy through wires to a substation where the energy is transferred into electricity that can be useful for residential and commercial areas. The energy is then delivered through wires across the country.

Water turbines are near the oldest ways to run power without using fossil fuels. The new age had turned these into hydro turbines that generally reside in dams. These machines take similar shape to wind turbines. Hidden in the base of a dam, there is a very large turbine that, in a simple explanation, when water runs through it spins. With the energy used by the spinning turbo it is turned into different power sources that are stored into power cells. Way back in time, this idea was used in power mills. Those old spinning wheels on the side of houses that rotate with water pressure. The first power plant was constructed in 1879 at Niagara Falls, Canada. In the United States the first plant was in 1882 in Wisconsin. These extravagant machines seemed marvelous, but that is no longer the outcome. The current age hydroelectricity dams are currently being shut down for harmful aspects triggered from the giant production. Causing an environmental failure to marine life and habitats all around. The possible outcomes are: changing the oxygen levels in the water that cause organisms to perish; fluctuating water levels that cause different

It has recently come to light that Glasgow and the West of Scotland have been using a great deal of our earth’s precious finite resources. To combat this we must take advantage of our valuable surroundings and look for long term replacements such as solar, wind and tidal power as well as geothermal and hydroelectric sources. In the interest of our planets wellbeing and our country’s economy, the engineers at SECC have created the following report. Our aim is to help you realise the potential of these alternative sources and push for them to replace the power plants burning through our finite resources.

One of the effects with the most impact from the use of fossil fuels is the pollution created. The United States, per the study conducted by WorldBank, is recorded as being the 10th largest contributor of carbon dioxide in the world per capita. In one year producing 17.6 metric tons, another unfathomable amount (Table). In order to dramatically cut this amount of pollutants down, another source of energy must be utilized. Today, there are many potential options available. Three of the most promising are wind, solar, and tidal energy. Solar is energy obtained from the sun, wind is energy generated by spinning

Estuarine environments are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Not only do they provide measureable environmental benefits, but social and economic benefits. Salt marshes provide habitat and serve as food resources for various wildlife such as shellfish, fish, and birds. They also act as nurseries for commercially and recreationally important shell and fin fisheries. Nearby land and waterbodies are protected from flooding, storm surges, shoreline stabilization, nutrient absorption, and water quality improvement. Wetlands and marshes not only provide the environmental aspects just mentioned, they also serve as an educational and recreational opportunity for the community. For healthy survival, salt marsh plant species require proper tidal fluctuation.

“Tidal power generates energy from the tides moving in and out…wave power generates energy from the rise and fall of waves.” (Cunningham.) Capturing the ocean’s movement is a great form of renewable energy with waves never running out and that they are available in many areas of the world. There will be no byproducts that will be harmful or will pollute the environment, and to receive the energy there can be many different gathering techniques. In retrospect towards marine growth, submerged wave energy converters will make “safe havens” because they will become artificial reefs with a closed off surface areas. “They insist that if all 28,000 miles of U. S. roadways are covered in these solar cells, it would generate three times more power…” (Cunningham). The hexagonal solar panels would be able to make more productive areas such as a solar parking lot, additionally paying for themselves and power other homes or businesses. In order to improve the safety of every community, there would be heating elements to keep roads snow/ice free, and LEDs to make road lines. There is little maintenance to ensure that the solar panels are in working order, and they are a silent producer of energy. When compared to burning fossil fuels in power stations, solar energy stands out by the fact that it saves money and gives energy security in households. “Human waste is taken to a treatment plant…methanogens go to work…methane is produced as a byproduct.” (Cunningham). Currently, over 200 millions tons of human waste go untreated, and once they get into the clean water, many die from diseases in contact with the fecal matter. When methane is burned as electricity, there would be a decrease in treating water and disposing

Converting tides into electricity requires water, and something influencing the gravitational potential energy. The earth’s surface is approximately seventy percent water, and the moon still affects earth, so that indicates that tidal energy has efficiency in the long term. Ocean currents are approximately eight hundred times denser than air currents, which means that tidal turbines generate more energy and produce more electricity than air turbines due to the greater force applied to the

This is why tidal energy generation would be much more efficient than hydroelectricity energy generation in Nova Scotia because there are not many strong flowing rivers. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) located in California stated that the Bay of Fundy had potential to be the best site in North America for tidal energy generation. I believe that Nova Scotia should take advantage of these tides and use them as an important resource for our province. After the costs of the infrastructure and maintenance, tidal energy generation would be essentially free, as the tides move on their own. A lot of energy can be created through tides, as tidal power is very sensitive to speed. The amount of energy formed is the cube of the speed of the water. For example, if the speed of the flowing water doubles, the energy output is eight times greater. This energy can be formed from both the change in the height of tides, which is potential energy, and the flow of the water, which is kinetic energy.. As of now, the main technologies used are in-stream devices, barrages, and tidal lagoons. I think the best solution for Nova Scotia right now would be to build a tidal lagoon in the bay of Fundy. A tidal lagoon is like a barrage (which is essentially a dam built across the whole estuary) but it can be built as a self contained structure. This makes the cost much lower and they can also continuously generate, unlike a

Tides affect and influence the native world and human environment. Tides carry nutrients, average temperatures, and influence conditions in many ecosystems. The relationship between environment and tides is obvious as coastal cities built to resist prescribed levels of tidal surge are now being affected by record breaking tidal surges, and the building of solid coastal structures do not allow waves to dissolve energy on land but divert their energy to other coastal areas along the shore.

Throughout the Tidal theory you notice the creators use of water, oceans, and voyage as metaphors to help define the processes of life and experiences of mental illness (Brooks, Murata & Tansey, 2008). As previously discussed in the introduction to Barker, about his passion for the Eastern philosophies, you begin to notice he is drawn particularly close to the chaos theory when he describes the human state as being of a more fluid nature form of experience, and that change is both unpredictable and endless. One interesting fact is that the title of this theory the “Tidal” model was chosen to represent the fluidity and dynamics of the ever-changing nature of human experiences, while capturing the spirit between those individuals

Even though the pros are very convincing to me in many different ways, there are also some cons and disadvantages about it. One of them is that power farms on shore that are visible from land may cause conflicts with tourism and local acceptance. It is also very expensive and costly to build them, after all they are underwater. And if something happens and it breaks, it will cost even more money. These are the cons of ocean wind farms.

With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.

Due to the dying ability of traditional fossil fuels to power the earth’s power requirements, alternative energy sources – such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower are beginning to supply the rapidly growing demand. Offshore wind farms, a clean energy source, are being introduced given their consistent and relatively higher power output.

Bilen et al., (2008:1531) predicted that global energy consumption will account for around 85% of the increase in world primary demand over 2002– 2030. The increasing of global energy demand happens the global stock of fossil fuel resources may be adequate for short term period, thus requiring the development of renewable energy sources, which would not decrease the stock of fossil fuel resources available for future generation. There is an increasing interest in the development of renewable energies such as biofuel and wind power, which have a great potential energy to produce enough power for the world’s population demand.