How do you harness the electricity from Tidal energy, explain how it works?

Question

I really need a simple explanation on how the barrage, the turbines and how all that stuff works to generate electricity

Answer 1

Tidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power.

Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Historically, tide mills have been used, both in Europe and on the Atlantic coast of the USA, the earliest occurrences dating from the Middle Ages, or even from Roman times.

Answer 2

The working systems I am aware of use an inlet where there is a naturally high tidal difference between high and low tides, several metres. A dam or barrage is built across the inlet forming a lake. Sometimes this may be sub divided into several smaller ponds.

At low tide much of the water in the ponds is allowed out so that they have a low water level. Then at high tide, water is allowed to flow into some of the ponds through turbines which deliver the energy to generate electricity. Then as the tide recedes, the now high level in the ponds is alloed to floe into other ponds generating more electricity until all the water is leveled out. Meanwhile it is low tide again and the water inside the barrage is allowed to flow out to sea again, through the turbines generating more electricity.

Up side, it is predictable, regular and simple in concept.

Down side, there are few places where the tidal difference is large, and you need to dam off a large area to make it worth while, making it very expensive to build. The amount of energy available is dependent on the tidal difference and the amount of water flowing into and out of the ponds.

potential energy of water flowing from high to low levels drives turbines which turn generators. By using several ponds the flows are evened out so continuous power can be generated rather than just at peak and lowest points of tides.

Answer 3

A simple way is to imagine a wind turbine which turns by the wind passing over the blades.

The tide is constantly moving, as the water passes over the blades it causes them to rotate, which in turn rotates the turbine to produce electricity.

There are several ways to achieve it, but in each case the movement of the tide is the power source

Answer 4

One can put floating tubes in water witch move up and down with the tides. That motion can be converted into electricity.