Tides are periodical rise and fall of sea water level. It is caused due to the gravitational pull of sun and moon and the rotation of the earth. During high (flood tide), the water level increase with reference to mean sea level. At low tide (ebb tide) the water level decreases below the mean sea level. The difference in potential energy of water during high and low tide is the tidal energy.
During high tide water, the sea water flows into the tidal basin through the water turbine as the water level in sea higher than the water level in the tidal basin. The rotates the turbine and generates power.
During low tide, the water from tidal basin flows into the sea through the water turbine (as the water level in the tidal basin is higher than in sea), rotating the turbine and generating power.
In most parts of the world, the difference in sea level between high and low tide ranges only one meter but due to coastal topography, this difference may be up to 15 meters.
India’s tidal power generation projects are coming up in West Bengal and Gujarat
Uses of tidal energy
It is used to generate power