Until recently there were just two options to exploit tidal power: (1) Tidal Basin (with artificial and/or natural boundaries), and (2) Free Turbines mounted in a natural tidal stream (either in solitary mode, in park array, or lined up). Both methods have shown
their technical feasibility. They may be seen as complementary, both having particular preferred locations as well as various pros and cons under technical, economic and environmental scrutiny. Both methods, smartly devised as they are, do exploit tidal
power in a straightforward way.
Both methods focus on a different, ‘one-dimensional’ element isolated from the complex natural tidal wave phenomenon, thereby using this element perhaps in a somewhat ‘passive’ way, i.e. just in the form it is offered on location by nature. The Tidal Basin method only exploits the naturally existing local water level range which is turned into an exploitable head,
while the Free Turbines method only exploits the naturally existing local current velocity, extracting a part of its available kinetic energy. As a quite different option nr. 3 we have developed a more ‘3-D’ and ‘active’ tide exploiting method: Dynamic Tidal Power (DTP). It is characterized by (a) actively interfering in specific regional dynamic tidal systems, (b) using long dams (fitted with turbines) attached to and perpendicular to the coast, (c) creating a head over the dam, but avoiding a closed basin, (d) yielding massive amounts of electric energy, and (e) thereby providing this power at a virtually constant rate by applying twin dams working together in the right tidal phase lag. Due to its new hydraulic concept (patented), application of DTP focuses on areas where medium to strong oscillating tidal currents run more or less parallel to
the coastline, typically encountered in semi-enclosed seas such as the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Yellow Sea between China and Korea.
DTP is complementary to both methods, and so appreciably adds to the world-wide potential of technically extractable tidal power. This paper discusses recent model results of DTP in coastal waters off China and Korea, yielding sometimes over 25 GW per DTP structure.
