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Tidal Power - Coggle Diagram
Tidal Power
Tidal barrages cause damage during construction and change the environment due to altered water flow.
extraction and processing of rock, concrete, metals and other construction materials
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Disadvantages
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Change to the marine environment, e.g. increased sedimentation and turbidity
Features
Tides are very predictable (2 high tides and 2 low tides a day), but this power has not been widely used
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When the moon and sun are aligned… The high tides are extra high, and the low tides are extra low.
This is called a spring tide
When the moon and sun are at right angles… The high tides are lower than usual, the low tides are higher than usual.
This is called a neap tide
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Location Restaints
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Suitable coastline shape to concentrate the tidal flow (funnelling effect) but with a fairly large bay.
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No unacceptable land use conflicts, e.g. migration of dolphins or Curlews in the Severn estuary.
New Technology
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Tidal Reefs have been suggested. These are a smaller version of tidal barrages, allowing fish to migrate whilst still producing more power then just in stream turbines.
Tidal Barrage
A barrier (dam) is placed across an estuary or bay. The difference in water levels either side can be used to force water past a turbine and generate electricity
In-stream Turbines
They are fixed to the seabed and absorb the kinetic energy of the natural tidal flow.
These harness much less energy than a barrage or lagoon, but the environmental impacts are very low as these turbines do not have any significant impact on the tidal flow.