Energy of tides
We all know the strong pull of the Moon on water. From the regular raising and lowering of water mass it is possible to obtain energy. In order to build a tide-based power plant the estuary is barred towards the sea with an artificial damn.
The energy technique exploits the difference in height between high and low tide: the so-called amplitude of tide. Obviously the amplitude of the tide has to be sufficient, as it happens in Northern France, close to Saint Malo, where the difference between the minimum level and the maximum level of the water is 12-13 metres. Right from Saint Malo to Dinard, on the Channel, at the mouth of the Rance River, the world’s first tide-based power plant has been active since 1966. It is the Rance Tidal Power Station, which has a power of 240 MW.
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