Tidal power or tidal energy is harnessed by converting energy from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity using various methods.

Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has the potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than the wind and the sun. Among sources of renewable energy, tidal energy has traditionally suffered from relatively high cost and limited availability of sites with sufficiently high tidal ranges or flow velocities, thus constricting its total availability. However many recent technological developments and improvements, both in design (e.g. dynamic tidal power, tidal lagoons) and turbine technology (e.g. new axial turbines, cross flow turbines), indicate that the total availability of tidal power may be much higher than previously assumed and that economic and environmental costs may be brought down to competitive levels.

Historically, tide mills have been used both in Europe and on the Atlantic coast of North America. Incoming water was contained in large storage ponds, and as the tide goes out, it turns waterwheels that use the mechanical power to mill grain.^[1] The earliest occurrences date from the Middle Ages, or even from Roman times.^[2][3] The process of using falling water and spinning turbines to create electricity was introduced in the U.S. and Europe in the 19th century.^[4]

Electricity generation from marine technologies increased an estimated 16% in 2018, and an estimated 13% in 2019.^[5] Policies promoting R&D are needed to achieve further cost reductions and large-scale development. The world's first large-scale tidal power plant was France's Rance Tidal Power Station, which became operational in 1966. It was the largest tidal power station in terms of output until Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station opened in South Korea in August 2011. The Sihwa station uses sea wall defense barriers complete with 10 turbines generating 254 MW.^[6]

Tidal energy is taken from the Earth's oceanic tides. Tidal forces result from periodic variations in gravitational attraction exerted by celestial bodies. These forces create corresponding motions or currents in the world's oceans. This results in periodic changes in sea levels, varying as the Earth rotates. These changes are highly regular and predictable, due to the consistent pattern of the Earth's rotation and the Moon's orbit around the Earth.^[7] The magnitude and variations of this motion reflect the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth, the effects of Earth's rotation, and local geography of the seafloor and coastlines.

Tidal power is the only technology that draws on energy inherent in the orbital characteristics of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser extent in the Earth–Sun system. Other natural energies exploited by human technology originate directly or indirectly from the Sun, including fossil fuel, conventional hydroelectric, wind, biofuel, wave and solar energy. Nuclear energy makes use of Earth's mineral deposits of fissionable elements, while geothermal power utilizes the Earth's internal heat, which comes from a combination of residual heat from planetary accretion (about 20%) and heat produced through radioactive decay (80%).^[8]

A tidal generator converts the energy of tidal flows into electricity. Greater tidal variation and higher tidal current velocities can dramatically increase the potential of a site for tidal electricity generation. On the other hand, tidal energy has high reliability, excellent energy density, and high durability.^[9]

Because the Earth's tides are ultimately due to gravitational interaction with the Moon and Sun and the Earth's rotation, tidal power is practically inexhaustible, and is thus classified as a renewable energy resource. Movement of tides causes a loss of mechanical energy in the Earth-Moon system: this results from pumping of water through natural restrictions around coastlines and consequent viscous dissipation at the seabed and in turbulence. This loss of energy has caused the rotation of the Earth to slow in the 4.5 billion years since its formation. During the last 620 million years the period of rotation of the Earth (length of a day) has increased from 21.9 hours to 24 hours;^[10] in this period the Earth-Moon system has lost 17% of its rotational energy. While tidal power will take additional energy from the system, the effect is negligible and would not be noticeable in the foreseeable future.

Tidal power can be classified into four generating methods:

Dynamic tidal power

Main article: Dynamic tidal power

Dynamic tidal power (or DTP) is a theoretical technology that would exploit an interaction between potential and kinetic energies in tidal flows. It proposes that very long dams (for example: 30–50 km length) be built from coasts straight out into the sea or ocean, without enclosing an area. Tidal phase differences are introduced across the dam, leading to a significant water-level differential in shallow coastal seas – featuring strong coast-parallel oscillating tidal currents such as found in the UK, China, and Korea.

The first study of large scale tidal power plants was by the US Federal Power Commission in 1924. If built, power plants would have been located in the northern border area of the US state of Maine and the southeastern border area of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, with various dams, powerhouses, and ship locks enclosing the Bay of Fundy and Passamaquoddy Bay (note: see map in reference). Nothing came of the study, and it is unknown whether Canada had been approached about the study by the US Federal Power Commission.^[17]

In 1956, utility Nova Scotia Light and Power of Halifax commissioned a pair of studies into commercial tidal power development feasibility on the Nova Scotia side of the Bay of Fundy. The two studies, by Stone & Webster of Boston and by Montreal Engineering Company of Montreal, independently concluded that millions of horsepower (i.e. gigawatts) could be harnessed from Fundy but that development costs would be commercially prohibitive.^[18]

There was also a report on the international commission in April 1961 entitled "Investigation of the International Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project" produced by both the US and Canadian Federal Governments. According to benefit to costs ratios, the project was beneficial to the US but not to Canada.

A study was commissioned by the Canadian & Nova Scotian and New Brunswick governments (Reassessment of Fundy Tidal Power) to determine the potential for tidal barrages at Chignecto Bay and Minas Basin – at the end of the Fundy Bay estuary. There were three sites determined to be financially feasible: Shepody Bay (1550 MW), Cumberland Basin (1085 MW), and Cobequid Bay (3800 MW). These were never built despite their apparent feasibility in 1977.^[19]

The Snohomish PUD, a public utility district located primarily in Snohomish County, Washington State, began a tidal energy project in 2007.^[20] In April 2009 the PUD selected OpenHydro,^[21] a company based in Ireland, to develop turbines and equipment for eventual installation. The project as initially designed was to place generation equipment in areas of high tidal flow and operate that equipment for four to five years. After the trial period the equipment would be removed. The project was initially budgeted at a total cost of $10 million, with half of that funding provided by the PUD out of utility reserve funds, and half from grants, primarily from the US federal government. The PUD paid for part of this project from reserves and received a $900,000 grant in 2009 and a $3.5 million grant in 2010 in addition to using reserves to pay an estimated $4 million of costs. In 2010 the budget estimate was increased to $20 million, half to be paid by the utility, half by the federal government. The utility was unable to control costs on this project, and by October 2014, the costs had ballooned to an estimated $38 million and were projected to continue to increase. The PUD proposed that the federal government provide an additional $10 million towards this increased cost, citing a gentlemen's agreement.^[22] When the federal government refused to pay this, the PUD cancelled the project after spending nearly $10 million from reserves and grants. The PUD abandoned all tidal energy exploration after this project was cancelled and does not own or operate any tidal energy sources.

In 1966, Électricité de France opened the Rance Tidal Power Station, located on the estuary of the Rance River in Brittany. It was the world's first^[23] tidal power station. The plant was for 45 years the largest tidal power station in the world by installed capacity: Its 24 turbines reach peak output at 240 megawatts (MW) and average 57 MW, a capacity factor of approximately 24%.

The world's first marine energy test facility was established in 2003 to start the development of the wave and tidal energy industry in the UK. Based in Orkney, Scotland, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has supported the deployment of more wave and tidal energy devices than at any other single site in the world. EMEC provides a variety of test sites in real sea conditions. Its grid connected tidal test site is located at the Fall of Warness, off the island of Eday, in a narrow channel which concentrates the tide as it flows between the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. This area has a very strong tidal current, which can travel up to 4 m/s (8.9 mph; 7.8 kn; 14 km/h) in spring tides. Tidal energy developers that have tested at the site include: Alstom (formerly Tidal Generation Ltd); ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest; Atlantis Resources Corporation; Nautricity; OpenHydro; Scotrenewables Tidal Power; Voith.^[24] The resource could be 4 TJ per year.^[25] Elsewhere in the UK, annual energy of 50 TWh can be extracted if 25 GW capacity is installed with pivotable blades.^[26][27][28]

• The Rance tidal power plant built over a period of six years from 1960 to 1966 at La Rance, France.^[30] It has 240 MW installed capacity.
• 254 MW Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant in South Korea is the largest tidal power installation in the world. Construction was completed in 2011.^[31][32]
• The Jiangxia Tidal Power Station, south of Hangzhou in China has been operational since 1985, with current installed capacity of 3.2 MW. More tidal power is planned near the mouth of the Yalu River.^[33]
• The first in-stream tidal current generator in North America (Race Rocks Tidal Power Demonstration Project) was installed at Race Rocks on southern Vancouver Island in September 2006.^[34][35] The Race Rocks project was shut down after operating for five years (2006–2011) because high operating costs produced electricity at a rate that was not economically feasible.^[36] The next phase in the development of this tidal current generator will be in Nova Scotia (Bay of Fundy).^[37]
• A small project was built by the Soviet Union at Kislaya Guba on the Barents Sea. It has 0.4 MW installed capacity. In 2006 it was upgraded with a 1.2 MW experimental advanced orthogonal turbine.
• Jindo Uldolmok Tidal Power Plant in South Korea is a tidal stream generation scheme planned to be expanded progressively to 90 MW of capacity by 2013. The first 1 MW was installed in May 2009.^[38]
• A 1.2 MW SeaGen system became operational in late 2008 on Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.^[39] It was decommissioned and removed in 2016.^[40]
• The contract for an 812 MW tidal barrage near Ganghwa Island (South Korea) north-west of Incheon has been signed by Daewoo. Completion was planned for 2015^[31] but project was retracted in 2013.^[41]
• A 1,320 MW barrage was proposed by the South Korean government in 2009, to be built around islands west of Incheon. The project halted since 2012 due to environmental concerns.^[42]
• The Scottish Government has approved plans for a 10 MW ''Òran na Mara'' array of tidal stream generators near Islay, Scotland, costing 40 million pounds, and consisting of 10 turbines – enough to power over 5,000 homes. The first turbine was expected to be in operation by 2013^[43] and then once again announced in 2021,^[44] but as of 2023 none existed.
• The Indian state of Gujarat was planning to host South Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station. The company Atlantis Resources planned to install a 50 MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction planned to start 2012,^[45] later withdrawn due to high costs.^[46]
• Ocean Renewable Power Corporation was the first company to deliver tidal power to the US grid in September 2012 when its pilot TidGen system was successfully deployed in Cobscook Bay, near Eastport.^[47]
• In New York City, Verdant Power successfully deployed and operated three tidal turbines in the East River near Roosevelt Island, on a single triangular base system, called a TriFrame. The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project generated over 300MWh of electricity to the local grid, an American marine energy record. The system’s performance was independently confirmed by Scotland’s European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) under the new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) international standards. This is the first instance of a third-party verification of a tidal energy converter to an international standard.^[48]
• The largest tidal energy project entitled MeyGen (398 MW) is currently in construction in the Pentland Firth in northern Scotland with 6 MW operational since 2018.^[49][50]
• Construction of a 320 MW tidal lagoon power plant outside the city of Swansea in the UK was granted planning permission in June 2015, however it was later rejected by the UK government in 2018. If built it would have been the world's first tidal power plant based on a constructed lagoon.^[51]
• Mersey Tidal Power, a proposed tidal range barrage within the channel of the Mersey Estuary with a capacity of up to 1 GW is undergoing local consultation by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.^[52]
• Up to 240 MW of tidal stream generation is proposed at Morlais, Anglesey from multiple developers, with the first turbines expected to be installed in 2026. As of 2024^[update], a total of 38 MW of capacity has been awarded Contracts for Difference to supply power to the GB grid.^[53]

The high load factors resulting from the fact that water is around 800 times denser than air, and the predictable and reliable nature of tides compared with the wind, make tidal energy particularly attractive for electric power generation. Condition monitoring is the key for exploiting it cost-efficiently.^[70]

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