Federal and State Governments Should Support Tidal Power
Written by Larry Eisenstat
Published in 2010
5/14/2012
URL: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010723212&mode=view
Picture: This picture gives a basic overview on how tidal power works. The motion of waves and tides power small turbines. Within a short amount of time these turbines can potentially produce a sizable amount of electricity.
Summary: Currently our country is facing a potential energy crisis. Our heavy reliance on oil and coal will prove to be disasterous unless we start shifting to alternate energy sources. One of the most reasonable options of alternative energy is tidal power. Hydrokinetic power uses the motion of waves to power small turbines and create electricity. The tides are consistant and predictable making hydrokinetic power very practical. Creating power stations along the coast would create despirately needed jobs as well. Hydrokinetic power is not just a hopefull idea or theory, the United Kingdom has been experimanting with since May 2008. Great Britain uses tidal power for 20% of its electricity needs. Tidal power is extremely promising, and not beyond our grasp. We should take advantage of the tides now in order to establish a secure energy future.
Opinion/Reflection: I think tidal power is a fantastic idea to solve the looming energy problem we face in the near future. Tidal energy is extremely predictable and sustainable. The waves will never cease, creating energy day and night. I personally love to visit the beach, and often find myself marveling at the sheer power the tides are capable of. We would find plenty of opportunity in tidal power to create a superior energy future. With plenty of coastal area around the country, shifting into smarter and healthier energy options couldn't be easier.
Questions:
1. What are your thoughts on tidal power? Does it seem useful to you? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe we could potentially look towards tidal power as a major source of energy for our country? Explain your reasoning.
3. What are the problems with tidal power, if any? How could these problems be fixed?
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteEugene is completely right. Tidal power is a very practical source of alternative energy that could be used in the years to come. Since tides are almost always moving, running out of energy would not be an issue. As Eugene said, visiting the beach really shows the potential of tides to produce energy. If tides are strong enough to pull you out to sea if you're not careful, imagine how much they can move turbines. Also, the fact that greenhouse gases and toxic waste would not come from the process of tidal power makes it an even better source of energy.
Answering a question:
2. In our country, I don't think it would be a good idea to use. Since our country is so wide, and tidal power is basically only available on the coastlines, we could only supply energy to the people who live near the coasts, which would leave most of the country looking for a different source of energy to use.
Opinion/Reflection: If tidal power were to be the next big thing it would be replacing coal. With that there are many positives such as, not as much air pollution, particulates, and mercury, which cause acid rain. Tidal power is very predictable and produces neither fuel nor waste. Tides can create a lot of energy due to their extreme force as Eugene stated, we witness every time we visit the beach. With the prices of oil and coal sky-rocketing an alternative energy resource would be extremely useful, tidal power could be it.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question:
3.) There are a few problems associated with relying on tidal power. First, the equipment necessary to produce the electricity is very expensive to initially set up. Also, although the tides are predictable they are only available for ten hours of the day and the rest of the time we have to use backup energy. Finally, there are limited suitable sites where this type of energy can be created. As Brandon said previously, the United Sates is a very wide country and this machinery could only be effective on parts of the coastlines which may not create enough energy for the whole country to run on. Possible solutions to help resolve some of these problems are for government to place additional taxes on the traditional forms of energy (coal, gas and oil) to raise the money necessary for this alternative energy and to develop an efficient storage and distribution system to alleviate the problem of limited availability of this energy.