Something I've thought hard and long about, even droodling designs on paper, come to find today, it's been in existence for years already! How can France have so excelled over the past 5 decades over the U.S. in building this? Why have we not? Frank "Tidal energy is generated by installing a dam-like structure called a barrage across a bay or lagoon to create a basin which is filled on the incoming high tide and emptied through turbines as the water ebbs out again." "The tidal power plant on France's Rance river in Brittany remains the sole power station of its type in France and one of only two large-scale tidal plants in the world . "The tidal power plant on the Rance river in Brittany, France, stands as a reminder of the underexploited potential of energy generation from ocean tides, waves and warmth. Inaugurated at La Richardais on the west coast by Charles de Gaulle in 1966, the plant produces about 500 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year -- enough to power 250,000 out of France's 30 million-odd households." See: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ocean-power-green-option-failing-waves-035357774.html
I wonder how that would pan out during a hurricane or typhoon? I guess it could cause a stockpile or an energy shortage.
@Bess Barber It works by the tides, which are always predictable. Big storm surges likely would have small effect, so long as the big "gates" that go up and down, to trap high tidewater as the tide recedes are strong enough to withstand high winds and waves. They must be, it's worked for 50+ years! I see a probable limiting factor. The height of the tidal difference. If only a few feet, it won't work very well. The minimum height of water depth to generate electricity at Hoover Dam is about 150 feet! At that height, normally closer to 500 feet, there exists plenty of water pressure to drive giant machinery. The machines are turbines, giant fans spun by the moving water which are attached at their top ends to electric generators. Frank
@Jerry Adams Wow! That is impressive! My high school buddy, Charlie, got his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Univ. of Illinois, while I was messing with cars, then went on to Iowa State for an M. S. Met. Eng., while I was messing with a new wife. I started taking night courses at our local Junior College, after securing an A. A. S. in Electronics Technology from DeVry Tech. I did 10 hours of Chem. in two summer sessions, 10 hours Physics nights at J.C. Then it was time to clear out of Chicago area, moved to Las Vegas. Following year, I enrolled at UNLV where they had a fledgling B.S. Engineering offering. They would not accept credit from DeVry, but at the instruction of my Advisor, petitioned the Board to give me the credit; I got 48 hours, which included Diff. and Int. Calc. and Diff. Eq. Finally got my B.S. 3 years later! Frank