Subject:- Renewable Energy Sources

Topic:- Geothermal Energy

Difficulty:- Medium

• Tidal energy is renewable source of hydro energy which is available due to rise and fall of tides which occurs twice a day.
• The tides are caused due to the gravitational attraction of moon and sun upon the rotating earth.
• The higgest level of tidal water is known as flood tide or high tide and the lowest level of tidal water is known as ebb tide or low tide. The level difference between high and low tide is called tidal range.
• The tidal range varies from time to time, season to season and its location. The maximum tidal range occurs at the time of new and full moon called spring tides. The total tidal energy of the world is estimated to be 3x106MW.
• In case of power generation by tides , the water during high tide is first trapped in an artificial basin and then it is allowed to escape during the period of low tide. The water while escaping is utilised to run a hydraulic turbine coupled to a generator.

• The three main components of a tidal power plant are :-

  a) The power house

  b) The dam to form basin

  c) Sluice ways from the basin to the sea & vice versa .