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There’s LOTS of Power Possibilities Our There, But…..

McQ over at Q&O [1] points up a source of power we haven’t been using as much as we should; Tidal forces. [1]

With 12,383 miles of US coastline, this seems like a technology which would make sense for both development and exploitation [2]:

THE race to develop Scotland’s seas into the “Saudi Arabia of marine power” is about to start, with plans for 500 underwater turbines in the Pentland Firth.

The Scotsman can reveal that an Australian company is already preparing a serious bid for the huge tidal farm that it says will power one million homes.

Atlantis Resources wants to be the first to take advantage of an imminent decision by the Crown Estate, which owns the seabed, to invite firms to build in the powerful seas off the north coast.

Tides are powerful, and unlike wind, predictable as clockwork. Added bonus, the turbines are underwater, therefore not visible and taking up scarce land resources like wind turbines and vast solar panel arrays.

Here’s a graphic that describes in rough terms, the process. It’s from Technology Student.com [3]which is a decent place to do online research.

Now, Bruce does a fair job of examining the issue, (It’s worth a read, no question) but he leaves out the most important aspect of all, I think…. the environmental movement and it’s impact of such energy ventures.  I tell Bruce:

Funny this should come up. I was just going over some old snaps of a recent… (Well, come to think of it, 10 years ago isn’t so recent) visit to the Bay of Fundy [4] and wonder if they could do something similar. The tides they have there are legendary, and are supposedly the highest tides in the world. Check the pics for an idea of just how massive the tides are.

If you look at these pics [5], you’ll see Hopewell Rocks, which are one of the tourist traps there. Watch the pics in the header switch from high to low tide. I’ve stood on that beach, twice in my life. It’s amazing to me how little changed over the 35 or so years between visits. You stand on the beach and look UP at where the water was.

There is some power to be had there, of course. Then, too, and again of course, the environmental whackos will be in full cry a half second after this stuff gets suggested, no matter where you put them.

[6]I have often thought that the Niagara Power project… just a an hour down the road from me here… would never be able to be completed today, for that same reason.

My slightly veiled point, though, is how many of these potential sources, of whatever type, and location, Nukes, tidal, wind, etc… all of them… will invariably land in the court system. None will survive the Environmentalists. A look at the fight that occurs with ostensibly clean power of wind turbines every time some are proposed for a given area, is exemplary.

Tidal power generating stations will each require billions in environmental impact studies, and in red tape… effectively preventing their construction.

And until the environmental movement is dealt with… (and I think in the end, force will be required) how can we ever overcome power shortages?

And there’s the key, folks.  Our progress is being hobbled by these people. GIven the hard-leftist administration we have starting in January,  that situation changing anytime soon doesn’t seem likely.