OurFuture.Energy
Tidal energy machine

Rising Tides

The movement of the tides can be used to turn turbines that drive generators to produce low carbon electricity.

The energy for tidal power stations is reliable and renewable, being caused by the movements of the earth, moon and sun.

As the earth spins, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun causes the seas and oceans to ‘bulge’ which in turn creates huge, predictable ebbs and flows of water around the world.

One way to harness the energy of the tides is to use offshore turbines, rather like an underwater wind farm.

An infographic showing how tidal generated power works.

The video below, from tidal turbine developer OpenHydro, shows the steps involved manufacturing one of these huge machines and moving it from land to underwater.

video provided courtesy of OpenHydro

What is the future role of tidal power?

There are engineering challenges presented by the harsh conditions of the seas and potential environmental impacts, both positive and negative, which need to be understood.

However tidal energy is a predictable, low-carbon resource that has great potential.


Discover more

Resources Search

  • I am a teacher of

  • in

  • at Curriculum Level

  • looking for...

  • Go!

Search

SUBSCRIBE

Sign-up to enjoy updates and new resources from OurFuture.Energy.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. Learn about our Privacy Policy.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking above to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.