Department of Economic Development

The generation of tidal power electricity has a long utilization history around the coastal areas of Great Britain and France, dating back to the 17th century. We can find historic relics of ocean hydro power implements and electricity generation in the previously mentioned areas. The major device of tidal electricity generation was simply a waterwheel at that time. Then, the electricity generation system gradually evolved to tidal electricity power plants on the basis of industrialization. The first tidal power station in France became operational in 1967; however tidal power stations are still few and uncommon nowadays because of their high establishment cost. Until now, in Canada, China and Russia, some tidal electricity power generation projects continue, but they are rarely put into practice. In today’s modern society, we suffer from serious energy shortages, which urge us to utilize all the new energy sources to meet the increasing demand. Consequently, we can expect more technology developments and investments in tidal power plants with more efficient equipment, and under budget.
In regard to the establishment conditions for tidal generators, the tidal head, i.e. the level difference between high and low tides, must be considered. Sites with lucrative tidal heads exist in river mouths or specific bay areas. Generally speaking, more than 5 meter tidal head is a minimum requirement for tidal power generator. Then, a dam will be established to form a tidal lagoon to store sea water, which is similar to a reservoir, and used to separate this water body from rivers, lakes or sea near the coastal area. Another intriguing feature of a tidal power plant is the use of a bidirectional turbine generator distinct from the traditional one direction turbine. The bidirectional turbine can generate electricity from the flood/ebb and avoid wasting tidal power. At present the diameter of some tidal turbines can reach as large as 10 meters which is proportional to various tidal power plant scales.