Slashdot Mirror
First Commercial Sub-Sea Tidal Power Station
daksis writes "New Scientist is reporting that the first commercial sub-sea tidal power station has gone online in Hammerfest Norway. 'The power station, which resembles an underwater windmill, began generating electricity for the town of Hammerfest. Although still largely a prototype, the generator is the first in the world to harness the power of the sea and be connected to an electricity grid.' If they can make the technology commercially viable, then we'll have yet another weapon in the arsenal for producing cleaner energy."
Okey, why was there no mention of how many fish are going to get killed by this device?
Windmills kill birds, wavemills will kill fish!
Somebody think of the fish!
</sarcasm>
Sounds cool. I am all for multiple sources of energy, but one thing many folks forget is that there is a certain amount of environmental impact through all energy sources. These will probably affect the coast lines in some fashion I would guess. I wonder if we'll hear about the different problems these will cause, and have greenpeace or something yelling how they are evil? I guess we'll see.
Norris/Palin 2012
Fact: We deserve leaders who can kick your ass and field dress your carcass.
The Annapolis Tidal Power station at the mouth of the Annapolis river in Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy has been running (and providing power to Nova Scotia Power's grid) since the mid '80s. (this PDF of a magazine article provides more info.)
While considered a "pilot" operation, it does generate 20 MW of power, supplying the electrical needs for 4500 customers.
Work for Change & GET PAID!
The device harnesses the tidal energy of the sea in the same way windmills tap into the power of air currents. The generator consists of ten metre diameter blades which rotate as water passes over them. These in turn drive a generator to produce electricity. The whole mechanism is held aloft by a 20 metre steel column anchored to the seabed.
Have any studies been done on how these windmills might affect marine life living in that area? The unfortunate thing is that no source of electricity that I have seen is purely "clean". All of them can have an ecological footprint. I am, however, glad to see that these new forms of energy supply are being explored, as there is no question in my mind that fuel-based (both fossil and nuclear) energy sources have a larger and more disruptive ecological footprint.
Karma: Chevy Kavalierma.
I guess if the USA ever adopts tidal farms, future generations can look forward to a president (massively funded by the tide industry, of course) attempting to derail any action over Global Slowing...
>>the generator is the first in the world to harness the power of the sea and be connected to an electricity grid
That's plain untrue. Tidal barrages -- which use the tidally-driven flow seawater in and out of a river mouth or basin -- have been used to generate electricity for decades. A barrage across the Rance, in northern France, opened in 1967 and has been generating enough power to supply 200 000 homes ever since.
The author of this post asserts his moral rights.
10 meter blades that they have are spinning quite slowly - I'm sure the fish could easily swim out of the way. I'm sure they also wanted to avoid seaweed and have some sort of filter/fence to prevent stuff from clogging up the blade.
..........FULL STOP.
People thought that hydroelectric power was pollution free, but animal rights activists have sued and protested over a dam's ability to chop fish into tiny pieces.
How do we know for certain that tidalectric power won't meet the same resistance? I mean, I can see one of these in Florida chopping up manatee. That would be enough grounds for the activists to sue and otherwise hamstring another means of obtaining power.
What those who want activist courts fear is rule by the people.
-Derek
The tidal mill produces 300-kilowatts of electricity - enough to power 30 Norwegian houses or 60-80 British homes
Or half of a slashdotters basement
You write:
While considered a "pilot" operation, it does generate 20 MW of power, supplying the electrical needs for 4500 customers.
Where on earth do you arrive at that 20MW figure?
Remember that "Watts" are not the same as "Watt-hours". (The first is power, the second is energy.)
From the Annapolis site you referenced:
It employs the largest straight-flow turbine in the world to generate more than 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough for 4500 homes.
30 gigaWatt-hours / hours-per-year = 3.4 megaWatts average continuous. Divide that by 4500 homes, and you allow about 760 Watts per home. I guess that's a fair average -- but of course peak demand is much higher. (A single hair dryer draws 1500 Watts)
But compare to your larger-size power plant, operating at upwards of 1000MW, which would power well over a million homes!
On to the deep-sea generators, the New Scientist artical says:
The European Commission estimates the currents around the UK, for example, could produce 48-terrawatt hours of electricity per year.
48e12 Wh / hours-per-year = about 5500MW, about the same as 6 large power plants, providing power for 7 million homes. That is a lot of power!
BUT, it's spread out around the whole of the UK. And if each tidal mill only generates 300kW, you'd need about 18 million of them to harness it all, assuming it's all actually harnessable.
Who can afford to build 18 million of these things? And all the cabling infrastructure?
And what's the ecological impact of all those running under water?
I don't think the economics work out. For us to actually make progress, we need to find cheaper energy, not more expensive.
- Peter
INsigNIFICANT
It would be nice to use all these nice, clean, efficient methods of generating electricity but I can't help having a little skepticism. It's amazing what a little political involvement, some lobbying, and big bucks can do. It's really sad that we can't truly preserve the planet because of the deep pockets of some major oil companies.
"Oops, our tanker just leaked some crude and it somehow sank down and ruined your generators. sorry"
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
All of these "tidal energy" stations have ir-reversibly changed the ocean currents. Ocean currents are a major factor in weather patterns. Changing weather patterns are causing general alarm. Fear mongers use the alarm to blame new weather patterns on fossil fuel use. Mis-guided governments are increasing the use of tidal energy stations. But more tidal energy stations are causing more ocean current stagnation. Which in turn increases more different weather patterns.
- High Tech workers, please say NO to Union Carpenters, their Union sees fit to control our compensation.
I'm afraid that you're too late. Pumped-storage hydropower stations have already been cited for fish kills. I can only find indirect references; link, another link.
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
I can't believe that the Norwegians are so irresponsible - don't they realise that by harnessing tidal power they are going to make the moon recede from us even faster than it is already!
... Don't cry Dad please, you're embarrasing me"
For every year that passes the moon recedes (on average) by half an inch a year. This can only make things worse!
Don't blame me if your kid asks you one day "What's this moon thing you keep talking about?
=#= Man, you are such a loser! Why can't you be an individual, like the rest of us?
The energy comes from there but the moon is not the actor, it's the impetus. A few years ago when a semi smashed my car and then drove off, I didn't tell the cop that the giant dent was caused by gasoline!
Hey!!! the parentheses are good for something
The UK has 80% of the best tidal sites within the EU..
"You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"