Q: Has anyone thought of combining offshore wind farms with ocean renewable energy technology? For example, could we use the offshore base of the wind turbine to produce energy from waves, tides, or currents?

A: Combined offshore wind, wave and tidal projects, also known as “hybrids,” hold great commercial potential down the line when wave and tidal technologies have become more established. At that point, wave and tidal production might compensate for the intermittency of offshore wind, while economies of scale developed from offshore wind could accelerate cost reduction for wave and tidal components.

More on this from Renewable Energy Access.

No, it’s not the next disaster, it’s a way to harnass the power of the ocean’s tides to generate power.

Rance river barrage in France generates 240 Megawatts (MW)


What is a barrage you ask? Effectively, it is a barrier is built across a cove or inlet that provides a dam effect either keeping the tide out of the protected area or in it. Once the tide reaches the high or low line, the stored water is then released through turbines attached to generators to create power.

Images showing the concept


Since tides are predictable, this is an effective way of generating power in an entirely renewable manner. There are some negatives to this approach including generation time, it’s only part-time when the water is at the right level, cost, and potential environmental impacts (similar to dams in some respects.) While tidal barrages won’t solve the energy challenge single handedly, it’s possible this approach can be a part of some larger solution.


Technorati Tags: Energy | Renewable | Tidal Barrage