During the past three decades, the cost of fossil fuels has increased dramatically. Moreover, in recent years, scientists have begun to recognize the environmentally detrimental effects of hydrocarbon emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels. These factors have lead to increased interest in renewable and environmentally safe forms of energy production including photoelectricity, solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, wind power and hydroelectricity.
Hydroelectric power has been the most widely exploited form of "alternate" energy production. Tides have been harnessed to generate power for hundreds of years. For example, tidal mills on the Danube river date back to the twelfth century. More recently, energy technologists have employed various tidal power station designs to generate and store electrical energy. Many of these designs have been problematic because of adverse effects on the environment such as flooding and changing the tidal regime, which leads to disruption of fragile seashore and estuary ecosystems. [See, e.g., F. O'Kelly, "Harnessing the Ocean's Energy: Are We Ready for a Gift from the Sea?, Hydro-Review, Vol. X, No. 4, Jul. 1991]. Many designs are not amenable to large-scale deployment and, therefore, cannot produce commercially meaningful quantities of electrical energy in a cost effective manner. Moreover, many proposed tidal power station designs rely on a single mechanism for generating energy, which may result in energy production that is out of phase with consumer demands as well as dramatic reduction of energy output under certain weather conditions or if repairs to the station are required. [See, e.g., Kertzman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,085].
It would therefore be desirable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that is not limited to a narrow range of feasible installation sites and that is well-suited for deployment in many different locations because it will not effect fragile seashore and estuary ecosystems.
It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that does not flood surrounding lands or markedly change the tidal regime.
It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that is amenable to large-scale deployment and that produces significant quantities of electrical energy.
It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that can produce energy over the entire 12 hour and 25 minute tidal cycle.
It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that employs multiple interactive mechanisms that optimize the quantity of electrical energy production.
It would also be desireable to provide an apparatus for generating electrical energy from the tidal movements of a body of water that may be installed in segments.