Article
Article
Tidal power
Article By:
Adkins, George G. Department of River Basins, Bureau of Power, Federal Power Commission, Washington, DC.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.696700
Tidal-electric power is obtained by using the recurring rise and fall of coastal waters in response to the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon. Marginal marine basins are enclosed with dams, making it possible to create differences in the water level between the ocean and the basins. The oscillatory flow of water filling or emptying the basins is used to drive hydraulic turbines that propel electric generators.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
