You know wind turbines – New Mill must revolutionize renewable energy

The invisible potential of the ocean currents

Underwater turbines, also known as tidal or marine flow turbines, utilize the streams of the sea and the power of the tide to produce stable and predictable energy around the clock.

It writes Vision sustainable events.

Tim Benson, chairman of Powerful Thinking, calls the underwater turbine a natural sister to the wind turbine. Technically, they are similar.

The current from the water causes the leaves to rotate, which drives a generator and produces electricity.

But unlike the wind that can be unstable, the tide is controlled by the moon and the rotation of the earth – and that makes it predictable and constant.

There are two main types.

Tidal stream systems where the movement of the water drives the turbines directly, and Tidal Range systems that utilize the height difference between high and low tide to generate energy.

Both methods have great potential – especially in areas with powerful currents and narrow passages where the speed of the water is naturally amplified.

According to Benson, it is precisely the huge density of the sea and movement patterns that make underwater turbines effective.

Even with smaller and slower rotating leaves, significant amounts of energy can be produced because water is far heavier than air.