Medieval Engineering that Lasted

The use of the energy generated by tides is an integral part of the history of the sea. After France built its sizeable tidal power plant on the La Rance River, near Saint Malo in Brittany, in 1966, the former Soviet Union, China and Canada followed suit with smaller ones, thereafter seemingly a curtain fell on tidal energy harnessing schemes. One would be remiss, however, not to mention Chinese claims that they built a power station before the French La Rance central, that Korea came very close to constructing one (plans coming to naught for international political reasons), and the Bostonians mention a tide-capturing station at the end of the nineteenth century falling victim to port extension.