Wave Power and Tidal Barrages

• Wave Power


  Lots of small wave-powered turbines located around the coast, connected to generators
• Wave Power


  • No pollution
  • Disturbing seabed and marine habitats
  • Spoiling the view
  • Hazard to boats
  • Fairly unreliable
• Wave Power


  Initial costs are high, but no fuel costs and minimal running costs
• Wave power is never likely to provide energy on a large scale, but it can be very useful on small islands
• Tidal Barrages


  Big dams built across river estuaries, with turbines that allow water to flow through as the tide comes in and goes out
• Tidal Barrages


  • No pollution
  • Preventing free access by boats
  • Spoiling the view
  • Altering the habitat of wildlife
• Tides


  Produced by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon
• Tidal Barrages


  • Tides are pretty reliable, happening twice a day without fail
  • Tide height is variable, with lower (neap) tides providing significantly less energy than bigger (spring) tides
  • Don't work when the water level is the same either side of the barrage, which happens four times a day
• Tidal Barrages


  Initial costs are moderately high, but no fuel costs and minimal running costs
• Even though it can only be used in some of the most suitable estuaries, tidal power has the potential for generating a significant amount of energy