Tidal Turbines Could Provide 20% of Britain’s Electricity

Tidal Turbines Could Provide 20% of Britain’s Electricity

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UK tides could provide more of the UK’s electricity than previously thought. Until now, the Department for Energy and Climate Change estimated that tidal energy could help to provide up to 12% of the UK’s electricity, but a new paper, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society reports that it is probably closer to 20%.

Tidal resources are considered to be more reliable than other sources of renewable energy, like wind or solar, due to the predictable nature of tidal changes. However, the two known methods used to turn this reliability into useable energy are notoriously difficult to implement efficiently. These methods include either damming tidal estuaries with turbines turned by the ebb and flow of the tides, or by offshore turbines placed in fast flowing tidal areas.