Geothermal Energy

General Overview
 The adjective geothermal originates from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos,
meaning heat. Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.
Thermal energy is energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth’s geothermal
energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of
minerals, from volcanic activity, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface.
The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the
planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat
from the core to the surface.
 From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and
for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity
generation.
 Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but
has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological
advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for
applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation.
Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these
emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal
power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil
fuels.
 The Earth’s geothermal resources are theoretically more than adequate to supply
humanity’s energy needs, but only a very small fraction may be profitably exploited. Drilling
and exploration for deep resources is very expensive. Forecasts for the future of geothermal
power depend on assumptions about technology, energy prices, subsidies, and interest
rates.
 Generally speaking, the further down one drills, the hotter the temperatures. Most of the
commercial-grade production geothermal energy is harvested along localized “geothermal
systems”, where the heat flow is near enough to the surface that hot water or steam is able
to rise either to the surface, or to depths that we can reach by drilling. Many of these
regions occur within the “ring of fire“, a ring of geothermal sites.
.
ORIGIN OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal energy is generated in the earth‘s core, almost 4,000 miles beneath the earth‘s
surface. The double-layered core is made up of very hot magma (melted rock) surrounding
a solid iron center. Very high temperatures are continuously produced inside the earth by the
slow decay of radioactive particles. This process is natural in all rocks.
Surrounding the outer core is the mantle,
which is about 1,800 miles thick and made of magma and rock. The outermost layer
of the earth, the land that forms the continents and ocean floors, is called the crust. The
crust is 3–5 miles thick under the oceans and 15–35 miles thick on the continents.

The crust of the earth is made up of several broken pieces, which are known as plates. The hot
magma from deep down below rises up close to the surface of the earth at the junctures of
these plates. These are the places where volcanoes are formed. The lava that spews from
volcanoes is made up partly of magma. The heat
from this magma is absorbed by the water and rocks that occur deep beneath the earth
‘s surface. The
temperature of the water and the rocks get increasingly hotter the deeper down you go
below the earth‘s
surface. Superheated substances in the form of magma, that contains enormous energy
and power, which is
quite evident every time a volcano erupts, can be tapped for creating geothermal power
. Some of these substances also rise to the surface in the form of hot water and steam, which
spew out from natural vents. When the rising hot water and steam is trapped in permeable and
porous rocks under a layer of impermeable rock, it can form a geothermal reservoir. Therefore,
we can make artificial vents as well as create containment chambers where the magma can be
kept, and turn all this geothermal energy into electricity, which can be used to heat and light
our homes. In order to set up a geothermal power plant, a well will have to be dug where there
is a good source of superheated fluid or magma. Pipes would then be fitted, which would go
down into the source, and then the fluids would be
forced up to the surface in order to produce the required steam. This steam
would then be used to rotate a turbine engine, thus generating electricity, or geothermal
power.
 There is more than one type of geothermal energy, but only one kind is widely used to make
electricity. It is called hydrothermal energy. Currently, hydrothermal energy is being
commercially used for electricity generation and for meeting thermal energy
requirements. Hydrothermal resources have two common ingredients: water (hydro) and heat
(thermal). Depending on the temperature of the hydrothermal resource, the heat energy can
either be used for making electricity or for heating.
Geothermal energy resources
There are four major types of Geothermal energy resources.
1. Hydrothermal
2.Geopressurised brines
3.Hot dry rocks
4. Magma
Applications of Geothermal Energy
 Electricity Generation: The thermal efficiency of geothermal electric plants is low, around
10-23%, because geothermal fluids do not reach the high temperatures of steam from
boilers. The laws of thermodynamics limits the efficiency of heat engines in extracting useful
energy. Exhaust heat is wasted, unless it can be used directly and locally, for example in
greenhouses, timber mills, and district heating. System efficiency does not materially affect
operational costs as it would for plants that use fuel, but it does affect return on the capital
used to build the plant. In order to produce more energy than the pumps consume,
electricity generation requires relatively hot fields and specialized heat cycles. Because
geothermal power does not rely on variable sources of energy, unlike, for example, wind or
solar, its capacity factor can be quite large – up to 96% has been demonstrated. The global
average was 73% in 2005.
 Direct Applications: In the geothermal industry, low temperature means temperatures of
300 °F (149 °C) or less. Low-temperature geothermal resources are typically used in direct-
use applications, such as district heating, greenhouses, fisheries, mineral recovery,
and industrial process heating. However, some low-temperature resources can generate
electricity using binary cycle electricity generating technology. Direct heating is far more
efficient than electricity generation and places less demanding temperature requirements
on the heat resource. Heat may come from co-generation via a geothermal electrical plant
or from smaller wells or heat exchangers buried in shallow ground. As a result, geothermal
heating is economic at many more sites than geothermal electricity generation. Where
natural hot springs are available, the heated water can be piped directly into radiators. If the
ground is hot but dry, earth tubes or downhole heat exchangers can collect the heat. But
even in areas where the ground is colder than room temperature, heat can still be extracted
with a geothermal heat pump more cost-effectively and cleanly than by conventional
furnaces. These devices draw on much shallower and colder resources than traditional
geothermal techniques, and they frequently combine a variety of functions, including air
conditioning, seasonal energy storage, solar energy collection, and electric heating.
Geothermal heat pumps can be used for space heating essentially anywhere. Geothermal
heat supports many applications. District heating applications use networks of piped hot
water to heat many buildings across entire communities. In Reykjavík, Iceland, spent water
 from the district heating system is piped below pavement and sidewalks to
melt snow. Geothermal desalination has been demonstrated.
Example of Direct Applications are:
i) Geothermal heating
ii) geothermal heat pump

Indian Scenario
 India has reasonably good potential for geothermal; the potential geothermal provinces can
produce 10,600 MW of power.
 Though India has been one of the earliest countries to begin geothermal projects way back
in the 1970s, but at present there are no operational geothermal plants in India. There is
also no installed geothermal electricity generating capacity as of now and only direct uses
(eg.Drying) have been detailed.
 Thermax, a capital goods manufacturer based in Pune, has entered an agreement with
Icelandic firm Reykjavík Geothermal. Thermax is planning to set up a 3 MW pilot project in
Puga Valley, Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir). Reykjavík Geothermal will assist Thermax in
exploration and drilling of the site.
 India’s Gujarat state is drafting a policy to promote geothermal energy
Direct Uses
i) Total thermal installed capacity in MW: 203.0
ii) Direct use in TJ/year: 1,606.3
iii) Direct use in GWh/year: 446.2
iv) Capacity factor: 0.25
Potential Sites
i) Puga Valley (J&K)
ii) Tatapani (Chhattisgarh)
iii) Godavari Basin Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh)
iv) Bakreshwar (West Bengal)
v) Tuwa (Gujarat)
vi) Unai (Maharashtra)
vii) Jalgaon (Maharashtra)

The various assessment studies and surveys undertaken so far have resulted in the
identification of 340 hot springs across India. The discovery of vast geothermal reservoirs at
Puga in the north-west of the Himalayas and Tatapani fields on the Narmada in central India
also augurs well for the country.
Potential Geothermal regions/sources in India
With India’s geothermal power potential of 10,600 MW, the following are the potential sources/ regions wh
geothermal energy can be harnessed in India.
Province Surface Temp C Reservoir Temp C Heat Flow Thermal gradient
Himalaya >90 260 468 100
Cambay 40-90 150-175 80-93 70
 West coast 46-72 102-137 75-129 47-59
Sonata 60 – 95 105-217 120-290 60-90
Godavari 50-60 175-215 93-104 60

Power Generation Technology

Method of Heat Extraction

1. Borehole heat exchangers

2. Hydrothermal systems
3. Hot dry rock
?
Process of Power Generation
 High Temperature Resources
High temperature geothermal reservoirs containing water and/or steam can provide steam to
directly drive steam turbines and electrical generation plant. More recently developed binary
power plant technologies enables more of the heat from the resource to be utilized for power
generation. A combination of conventional flash and binary cycle technology is becoming
increasingly popular.
High temperature resources commonly produce either steam, or a mixture of steam and water
from the production wells. The steam and water is separated in a pressure vessel (Separator),
with the steam piped to the power station where it drives one or more steam turbines to
produce electric power. The separated geothermal water (brine) is either utilized in a binary
cycle type plant to produce more power, or is disposed of back into the reservoir down deep
(injection) wells. The following is a brief description of each of the technologies most commonly
used to utilize high temperature resources for power generation.
 Dry steam Power Plant
 Dry steam power plants use very hot (>455 °F, or >235 °C) steam and little water from the
geothermal reservoir. The steam goes directly through a pipe to a turbine to spin a generator
that produces electricity. This type of geothermal power plant is the oldest, first being used at
Lardarello, Italy, in 1904.
 Flash Steam Power Plant

This is the most common type of geothermal power plant. The steam, once it has been
separated from the water, is piped to the powerhouse where it is used to drive the steam
turbine. The steam is condensed after leaving the turbine, creating a partial vacuum and
thereby maximizing the power generated by the turbine-generator. The steam is usually
condensed either in a direct contact condenser, or a heat exchanger type condenser. In a direct
contact condenser the cooling water from the cooling tower is sprayed onto and mixes with the
steam. The condensed steam then forms part of the cooling water circuit, and a substantial
portion is subsequently evaporated and is dispersed into the atmosphere through the cooling
tower. Excess cooling water called blow down is often disposed of in shallow injection wells. As
an alternative to direct contact condensers shell and tube type condensers are sometimes
used, as is shown in the schematic below. In this type of plant, the condensed steam does not
come into contact with the cooling water, and is disposed of in injection wells.
Typically, flash condensing geothermal power plants vary in size from 5 MW to over 100 MW.
Depending on the steam characteristics, gas content, pressures, and power plant design,
 between 6000 kg and 9000 kg of steam each hour is required to produce each MW of electrical
power. Small power plants (less than 10 MW) are often called well head units as they only
require the steam of one well and are located adjacent to the well on the drilling pad in order
to reduce pipeline costs. Often such well head units do not have a condenser, and are called
backpressure units. They are very cheap and simple to install, but are inefficient (typically 10-20
tons per hour of steam for every MW of electricity) and can have higher environmental
impacts.
 Binary Cycle Power Plants

In reservoirs where temperatures are typically less than 220o C. but greater than 100o C binary
cycle plants are often utilized. The reservoir fluid (either steam or water or both) is passed
through a heat exchanger which heats a secondary working fluid (organic) which has a boiling
point lower than 100o C. This is typically an organic fluid such as Isopentane, which is vaporized
and is used to drive the turbine. The organic fluid is then condensed in a similar manner to the
steam in the flash power plant described above, except that a shell and tube type condenser
rather than direct contact is used. The fluid in a binary plant is recycled back to the heat
exchanger and forms a closed loop. The cooled reservoir fluid is again re-injected back into the
reservoir.
Binary cycle type plants are usually between 7 and 12 % efficient, depending on the
temperature of the primary (geothermal) fluid. Binary Cycle plant typically varies in size from
500 kW to 10 MW.
 Combined Cycle (Flash and Binary)
Combined Cycle power plants are a combination of conventional steam turbine technology and
binary cycle technology. By combining both technologies, higher overall utilization efficiencies
can be gained, as the conventional steam turbine is more efficient at generation of power from
high temperature steam, and the binary cycle from the lower temperature separated water. In
addition, by replacing the condenser-cooling tower cooling system in a conventional plant by a
binary plant, the heat available from condensing the spent steam after it has left the steam
turbine can be utilized to produce more power.
 ADVANTAGES OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
 The first advantage of using geothermal heat to power a power station is that, unlike
most power stations, a geothermal system does not create any pollution. It may once in
a while release some gases from deep down inside the earth, that may be slightly harmful,
but these can be contained quite easily. Geothermal power plants have sulphur-emissions
rates that average only a few percent of those from fossil -fuel alternatives.
The newest generation of geothermal power plants emits only ~135 gm of carbon (as
carbon dioxide) per megawatt-hour (MW-hr) of electricity generated. This figure
compares with 128 kg /MW-hr of carbon for a
plant operating on natural gas (methane) and 225 kg/MW-
hr of carbon for a plant using bituminous coal. Nitrogen oxide emissions are much lower
in geothermal power plants than in fossil power plants. Nitrogen-oxides combine with
hydrocarbon vapors in the atmosphere to produce ground-level ozone, a gas that causes
adverse health effects and crop losses as well as smog.
 The cost of the land to build a geothermal power plant on, is usually less
expensive than if you were
planning to construct an; oil, gas, coal, or nuclear power plant.
The main reason for this is- land space, as geothermal plants take up very little room, so
you don’ t need to purchase a larger area of land.
 Another factor
that comes into this is that because geothermal energy is very clean, you may receiv
e tax cuts, and/or no environmental bills or quotas to comply with the countries carbon
emission scheme (if they have one).
 No fuel is used to generate the power, which in return, means the running costs for the
plants are very low as there are no costs for purchasing, transporting, or cleaning up of fuels
you may consider purchasing to generate the power.
 The overall financial aspect of these plants is outstanding, you only need to provide power
to the water pumps, which can be generated by the power plant itself anyway. Because
they are modular, then can be transported conveniently to any site. Both baseline and
peaking power can be generated.
 Construction time can be as little as 6 months for plants in the range 0.5 to 10 MW and as
little as 2 years for clusters of plants totalling 250 MW or more.
Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy
 Fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a mixture of gases, notably carbon dioxide
(CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3). These pollutants
contribute to global warming, acid rain, and noxious smells if released. Existing geothermal
electric plants emit an average of 122 kilograms (269 lb) of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MW·h)
of electricity, a small fraction of the emission intensity of conventional fossil fuel
plants. Plants that experience high levels of acids and volatile chemicals are usually equipped
with emission-control systems to reduce the exhaust.
 In addition to dissolved gases, hot water from geothermal sources may hold in solution trace
amounts of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic, boron, and antimony. These chemicals
precipitate as the water cools, and can cause environmental damage if released. The
 modern practice of injecting cooled geothermal fluids back into the Earth to stimulate
production has the side benefit of reducing this environmental risk.
 Plant construction can adversely affect land stability. Subsidence has occurred in
the Wairakei field in New Zealand and in Staufen im Breisgau, Germany. Enhanced
geothermal systems can trigger earthquakes as part of hydraulic fracturing. The project
in Basel, Switzerland was suspended because more than 10,000 seismic events measuring up
to 3.4 on the Richter Scale occurred over the first 6 days of water injection.
Sustainability
Geothermal power is considered to be sustainable because any projected heat extraction is
small compared to the Earth’s heat content. The Earth has an internal heat content of 10 joules
(3·1015 TW·hr). About 20% of this is residual heat from planetary accretion, and the remainder
is attributed to higher radioactive decay rates that existed in the past. Natural heat flows are
not in equilibrium, and the planet is slowly cooling down on geologic timescales. Human
extraction taps a minute fraction of the natural outflow, often without accelerating it.
Even though geothermal power is globally sustainable, extraction must still be monitored to
avoid local depletion. Over the course of decades, individual wells draw down local
temperatures and water levels until a new equilibrium is reached with natural flows. The three
oldest sites, at Larderello, Wairakei, and the Geysers have experienced reduced output because
of local depletion. Heat and water, in uncertain proportions, were extracted faster than they
were replenished. If production is reduced and water is reinjected, these wells could
theoretically recover their full potential. Such mitigation strategies have already been
implemented at some sites. The long-term sustainability of geothermal energy has been
demonstrated at the Lardarello field in Italy since 1913, at the Wairakei field in New Zealand
since 1958, and at The Geysers field in California since 1960.
The extinction of several geyser fields has also been attributed to geothermal power
development
 Tidal Power
Tidal power is the only form of energy which derives directly from the relative motions
of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser extent from the Earth–Sun system.
The tidal forces produced by the Moon and Sun, in combination with Earth’s rotation, are
responsible for the generation of the tides. Tidal power is the only form of energy which
derives directly from the relative motions of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser
extent from the Earth–Sun system. The tidal forces produced by the Moon
and Sun, in combination with
Earth’s rotation, are responsible for the generation of the tides.
Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy
of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power.
Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides
are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Among sources of renewable energy,
tidal power has traditionally suffered from relatively high cost and limited availability of sites
with sufficiently high tidal ranges or flow velocities, thus constricting its total availability.
However, many recent technological developments and improvements, both in design
(e.g. dynamic tidal power, tidal lagoons) and turbine technology (e.g. new axial turbines, cross
flow turbines), indicate that the total availability of tidal power may be much higher than
previously assumed, and that economic and environmental costs may be brought down to
competitive levels.
Because the Earth’s tides are caused by the tidal forces due to gravitational interaction
with the Moon and Sun, and the Earth’s rotation, tidal power is practically inexhaustible and
classified as a renewable energy source.

Indian Scenario:
 A British tidal energy company, Atlantis Resources, is expected to set up a tidal power plant
with the capacity to generate over 250 MW in the Gulf of Kutch or Khambhat.
 India’s first attempt to harness tidal power for generating electricity would be in the form of
a three MW plant proposed at the Durgaduani creek in Sundarbans delta of West Bengal.
 The Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat and Ganga delta in the Sunderbans, the
world’s largest mangrove, are the three sites identified as potential areas for tidal power
generation.

How Tide Generates:

Tidal energy is generated by the relative motion of the water which interact via gravity.
Periodic changes of water levels and associated tidal currents, are due to the gravitational
attraction by the Sun and the Moon.
The magnitude of the tide at a location is the result of the changing positions of the
Moon and Sun relative to the Earth, the effects of Earth rotation, and the local shape of the
sea floor and coastlines. Because the Earth’s tides are caused by the tidal forces due to
gravitational interaction with the Moon and Sun, and the Earth’s rotation, tidal power is
practically inexhaustible and classified as a renewable energy source.
A tidal generator uses this phenomenon to generate electricity.
The stronger the tide, either in water level height or tidal current velocities, the greater the
potential for tidal electricity generation.
Tidal movement causes a continual loss of mechanical energy in the Earth–
Moon system due to pumping of water through the natural restrictions around coastlines, and
due to viscous dissipation at the seabed and in turbulence. This loss of energy has caused the
rotation of the Earth to slow in the 4.5 billion years since formation. During the last 620
million years the period of rotation has increased from 21.9 hours to the 24 hours we see
now; in this period the Earth has lost 17% of its rotational energy. While tidal power may
take additional energy from the system, increasing the rate of slowdown, the effect would
be noticeable over millions of years only, thus being negligible. Dynamically speaking, the
earth and the Moon are two masses that display centrifugal forces on one another. First, we
must consider a particle of mass m which is located on the earth‘s surface. Given Newton‘s law
of gravitational state we introduce the equation:
F = G m1m2 R2
Where F is the force created between mass1 and mass2, G is the universal gravitational
constant whose value depends only on the chosen units of mass, length, and force
(typically 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2). If we then take the difference
between the force towards the moon and the force necessary for earth‘s rotation we
generate the tidal producing force.

Tidal Force = 2Gmem1a (1.2) R3

Where me is the mass of the earth, a is the mean radius of the earth and R is the distance
between earth and the lunar surface. The net effect of this equation is to displace particle
m1 away from the center of the earth. Thus, we can conclude that diurnal tides
are generated because the maxima and minima in each daily rotation are unequal in
amplitude. (Pugh 64) This is ultimately, in its simplest form, the process behind the half-day
cycle which results in a period of 12 hours 25 minutes between successive high waters. Figure
1.3 demonstrates Tidal Force and its tendency to create bulging at the water‘s surface; thus
making for the differential sloshing effect.
Spring-neap tides are a second significant tidal pattern type. The fortnightly modulation in
semidiurnal tidal amplitudes is due to the various combinations of lunar and solar semidiurnal
tides. The minimum ranges occur at the first quarter and last quarter.
This is because at times of spring tides the lunar and solar forces combine together, but
at neap tides the lunar and solar forces are out of phase and tend to cancel. (Pugh 82)
Figure 1.4 illustrates the difference between Neap and Spring ellipses; notice during the Spring
Tide, the ellipse is drawn outward toward the Sun, allowing for increases tidal activity in terms
of range. During the Neap Tide,
one gets a significant decrease in tidal activity due to the gravitational strain at the pole
s instead of at the
Equator. Unfortunately, although predictable, this tidal pattern makes for increased variat
ion in terms of expected power output; if tidal power produced 25% of a large city‘s power
peak load, the city would be forced to find another source of power during times of Neap
Tide. This has always been a significant factor when considering tidal energy schemes as a
significant portion of a population‘s energy requirement.

How it Works:
In order to create enough electricity to be economically feasible, the size and configuration of
the structure has to be increased tremendously. Tidal Energy consists of generating kinetic
energy from potential energy. If falling water is forced through ducts with rotators attached to
them, the rotors will turn driving electric generators (Mc Gown 182). Generating electricity
from tides is very similar to hydroelectric generation, except the tides flow in two directions
rather than one. For tidal power, the most common generating system is the ebb generating
system. In the scheme, a dam, or barrage is constructed across an estuary. The tidal basin is
allowed to fill when the sluice gates are opened and high tide is in. The gates are then closed
when the tide turns trapping the water behind the gates. Once low tide is reached, the gates
are opened the water flows through the turbines located underneath the water generating
electricity. The basic concept for this type of scheme is extremely similar to that used at the
Eling Mill. The schematic below shows the basic concept used in an ebb generation scheme.
In some cases, double effect turbines are used, which are able to generate electricity when
then basin is filling. In this scheme, sluice gates located on either side of the turbine are
opened, when the tidal basin is low, and the sea is at high tide level. Water will rush into the
tidal basin, turning the turbines and generating electricity. This occurs until the water level on
either side of the barrage is equal. At this point, the sluice gates are closed until the sea is at its
low tide height. When this occurs, the gates are opened and water flows from the basin to the
sea, generating electricity a second time.

Construction
In terms of construction, caissons, which are large units of concrete or steel that, are
manufactured at shore-based construction yards are delivered to water sites by barges and
then positioned by cranes to allow for the structures to correctly settle on the marine floor.
Overall, this is an extremely expensive process. Another method calls for constructing
diaphragm walls of reinforced concrete within a temporary sand island. But the approach offers
no significant cost advantages over caissons and studies for the proposed Mersey Barrage in
the United Kingdom indicate that the use of diaphragm walling could prolong construction time
by about two years. (Johansson 519)

Location
Historically, tidal mills were usually built on inlets branching off tidal estuaries. An estuary is a
wide part of a river where it meets the sea. It creates a unique environment because both
freshwater and saltwater are present. Tidal estuaries are characterized by narrow, shallow
channels with a relatively constant width and depth. Tides are greatly amplified in these areas
of smaller volume, which causes the tide to travel up the river. Tidal ranges vary greatly from
once place to another because of the geography of the land, but the most suitable tidal ranges
are between five and ten meters.
 Tidal Barrage
The tidal barrage is similar to a dam, which creates a tidal basin used for electricity generation.
The structure is extremely large, spanning the entire width and height of the estuary. The
bottom of the barrage is located on the sea floor and the top is above the highest level that the
water can get at high tide.

The first turbine used was the basic undershot waterwheel. This is probably the oldest type of
waterwheel dating back over two thousand years. It is mounted vertically on a horizontal axle
and it has flat boards located radially around a rim. It is turned by water flowing under the
wheel and striking the boards.
The second type of turbine used was an overshot waterwheel. The overshot wheel is much
more efficient than the undershot wheel. Again, this turbine is mounted vertically on a
horizontal axle, but the overshot wheel has buckets mounted around the rim. Water from
above flows into the buckets causing one side of the wheel to be heavier. Gravity then acts on
the heavier side causing the wheel to turn.
The third type of turbine used was a breast-shot waterwheel. This type of wheel was developed
in the late middle ages and combines the previous two waterwheels. It has buckets on a rim
that face the opposite direction of the buckets on the overshot wheel. Water then fills the
buckets at the middle of the wheel. Again, gravity acting upon the water in the buckets causes
the wheel to turn.

Recent Turbine Developments

Bulb turbines incorporated the generator-motor unit in the flow passage of the water. These
turbines are used at the La Rance power station in France. The main drawback is that water
flows around the turbine, making maintenance difficult.
Rim turbines allow the generator to be mounted in the barrage, at right angles to the turbine
blades. It is difficult to regulate the performance of these turbines and it is unsuitable for use in
pumping.
Once the development of more tidal schemes occurs, additional types of turbines will be tested
and implemented.

HOW IT WORKS
During high tide, water will flow from sea to tidal basin through turbine, thus producing
electricity. During low tide, water will flow from tidal basin to sea through turbine producing
electricity.
Advantages
 Once you’ve built it, tidal power is free.
 It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste.
 It needs no fuel.
 It produces electricity reliably.
 Not expensive to maintain.
 Tides are totally predictable.
 Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to build and do not
have a large environmental impact.
 Disadvantages
 A barrage across an estuary is very expensive to build, and affects a very wide area – the
environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the
tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. Fish can’t migrate, unless “fish ladders”
are installed.
 Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or
out.
 There are few suitable sites for tidal barrages.