Tidal Energy Estimation of Potential Tidal Inlets Along the East Coast of India

Abstract

The power consumption is increasing with modernization of infrastructure and with the depleting fossil fuels. The need to look for alternate sources of energy generation has already reached a peak. The production of power from renewable energy sources is considered to be on a large scale in the near future because of the abundant sources across the country. One of the most reliable sources is the tidal energy as it can be extracted both by kinetic and potential means at the tidal inlets. The process of extracting tidal potential energy by storing the water during the high tide and release during low water is a well-established method. However, there are many parameters that are to be considered for the potential energy extraction. Two such important parameters, i.e. tidal range and basin area are considered in this study. The interrelationship between these two parameters and its overall influence on potential tidal energy estimation is studied. Along the four coastal states, excluding the Gulfs, around 250 tidal inlets have been identified (Vikas, M.Tech. thesis, 2015 [8]). Considering the standards of existing tidal power plants, tidal energy sites for energy extraction are estimated and will be presented in this paper.