We analyze the technology of energy production through ocean tides, its history and capabilities. In addition, we present a system patented by an Argentinian that exponentially increases the possibilities of this renewable source.
Since time inmemorial, the man has tried to understand – and dominate – the tides movement. In direct relation with the lunar cycles, which also govern the harvest calendar, the activity of the fish and even the people´s mood, the tides have a huge potential in energy production. Tidal energy has proven to be a viable source of electricity supply in those coastal areas characterized by the sea surges. The key is to take advantage of the difference that occurs daily at the level of the tides. The basic mechanism is to store water at high tide and release it later at low tide, in order to actívate,on its way, the electricity generating turbines. So that the power can be used efficiently, it is necessary that the amplitude of the tides should be at least five meters and there should be a gulf that allows water storage during high tide.
However, a new tidal plant design patented by the Argentine Patricio Bilancioni promises to take this technology to a new stage, with less environmental impact and greater possibilities in power generation.
Although there are not plenty of research studies in this area yet, the work “Les realisations de Electricitéen France concernant l’energie mareomotrice”, by the French René Bonefille, considers that tidal energy could contribute 635,000 gigawatts per hour worldwide (Gw/h ), which is equivalent to 1,045 million barrels of oil or 392 million tons of coal. The areas with the best conditions for the installation of this type of power plants are located on the Canadian Atlantic coast, in the French coastal regions of Brittany and Lower Normandy, in the south-west of England, in the White Sea – northwest of Russia–, in the Sea of Ojostk – east of Russia – and in the coastal strip of Argentine Patagonia, particularly on the seafront of Chubut and Santa Cruz.
A little history
The first large-scale work for the exploitation of tidal energy dates back almost 60 years. The place chosen was the estuary of the Rance River, in French Brittany, an area where the tidal range reaches levels up to 13.5 meters. Built by Electricité de France between 1960 and 1966, the plant holds a 750- meter- long dam with a capacity of 240 megawatts, provided by its 24 turbines.
Two years later, Russia opened an experimental plant in the Kislaya Guba fjord, on the Barents Sea, near the border with Finland. Originally,the installed power was 400 kilowatts and it was subsequently enlarged to 1,200 kilowatts. Twelve years later, in 1980, the Jiangxia tidal power plant in China came into operation, with an installed capacity of 3,200 kilowatts. Finally, in 1984, the experimental Annapolis Royal station was launched in Canada, in the Bay of Fundy, which operates with waves of 12 up to 16 meters. As the result of a pilot plan jointly addressed by the federal government and the provincial administration of Nova Scotia, this plant has an installed capacity of 20 megawatts.
The Argentine case
As stated earlier, the Atlantic coast of Patagonia offers one of the most suitable natural scenarios for the development of tidal energy. The amplitude of the tides ranges between 5 and 12 meters and, due to its geographical configuration, the area has coves, estuaries, bays and gulfs that would allow the water to be dammed. A third factor, exceptional in comparion with other latitudes, is the asynchronicity of the tides flow that would make it possible to capture energy for a period of up to 18 hours per day. Within this privileged framework, one of the areas with the greatest potential is Valdés Peninsula, since it offers the singularity of a constant time lag between the tide heights of San José Golfo and Nuevo Golfo, that is, while in one of those gulfs the tide is close to high tide, in the other one, it is near low tide and vice versa. Argentina is making an effort to diversify its energy matrix, replacing the fossil fuel-based generation with clean-based ones. The country must comply with Law 27191, which,by 2025, aims at reaching 20% of the electric energy matrix generated by renewables. In this context, the tidal power can be a promising answer.
New technology, new potentials
One of the objections made to the traditional tidal energy technology is that it can have a high impact on the marine fauna and flora where it is installed. In the same way that the turbines of the hydroelectric power plants affect the biological rhythm of the rivers where they are located, the large tidal power plants can do so too. However, the “Energy generation system based on ocean tides”, patented by Patricio Bilancioni before the Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), presents innovations that give tidal energy a much greater scope than it has had. First, the Bilancioni system does not require turbines, so that the impact on marine fauna and flora is almost completely reduced. On the other hand, it can work 24 hours a day and does not require fuels to start it up. It is a one hundred percent ecological system.
“The other advantage is that it works on land, it can be placed anywhere on the coast and does not need any special coastal accident, such as a bay or a cove,” explains Patricio Bilancioni about his system. “Only certain height differences in the high and the low tides are needed. This ubiquity allows it to be installed close to a town, taking into account that it does not cause contamination. It does not need interconnection if it is close to the city and the advantages are similar to the rest of the renewable energies such as the wind or the solar ones, ”adds Bilancioni.
The system operation is like this: a chamber is filled with sea water. Three or more vats are connected to that chamber, and each of the vats is mounted on oleohydraulic cylinders. Then, when the reservoir is filled with water at high tide, a vat is loaded and, due to its own weight, it begins to descend. This downward movement puts the oleohydraulic cylinder into action, whose pressure is transmitted to an oleohydraulic motor that drives the generator. There, the energy.
Now, in parallel, using a minimum part of the oleohydraulic flow set in motion with the descent of the first vat, another twin vat (the second one) rises until it can be loaded from the reservoir. Meanwhile, the water content of the first vat is discharged into a lower vat that dumps its contents into the sea at the set time (at low tide).
The procedure is repeated with the amount of vats that you want to install. The vats can be of different size according to the amount of energy that you want to obtain. The vertical movement of the hydraulic cylinders is constant throughout the day. In the figure 1 the operation of ascent and descent of the vats is shown in a simplified way, and in figure 2, the design of a plant is shown.
High adaptability
The revolutionary system patented by Patricio Bilancioni does not end there. It can also be used in river courses, adapting the scale of powers and taking into account the maximum and mínimum courses’surge. In fact, it has several advantages compared to water power generation technology, as it does not generate environmental impacts, such as the alteration of currents and waves; alteration of basal substrates, transport and deposition of sediments; alteration of benthic habitats; noise; incidence of electromagnetic fields; chemical toxicity; interference with the mobility and migration of animal species; physical obstruction;among others.
In that sense, this system has a high scalability and adapts to different locations both in the maritime and river areas. On the other hand, it meets the requirements so that it can be used in the Distributed Generation of energy and differs from others currently in use (photovoltaic, wind, etc.) because of its lower cost, since it uses standard technological elements and a wide offer in the market. In addition, its maintenance is simple: thanks to its approach in modules (each vat), it is possible to do it without having to stop operating the entire generator, working only on the module to be repaired. This, in addition to ensuring uninterrupted operation, it lowers maintenance costs.
Finally, this technology has the potential to be connected to other systems to improve work with the water resource, such as water desalination and water purification systems, or hydrogen production systems.
In short, tidal power production systems, updated with the latest innovations in the field, promise a revolution in the field of renewable energy. The geographical facilities presented by the Argentine territory, coupled with the high capacity of its technicians, allow us to think about a very promising future in this field..
Since time inmemorial, the man has tried to understand – and dominate – the tides movement. In direct relation with the lunar cycles, which also govern the harvest calendar, the activity of the fish and even the people´s mood, the tides have a huge potential in energy production. Tidal energy has proven to be a viable source of electricity supply in those coastal areas characterized by the sea surges. The key is to take advantage of the difference that occurs daily at the level of the tides. The basic mechanism is to store water at high tide and release it later at low tide, in order to actívate,on its way, the electricity generating turbines. So that the power can be used efficiently, it is necessary that the amplitude of the tides should be at least five meters and there should be a gulf that allows water storage during high tide.
However, a new tidal plant design patented by the Argentine Patricio Bilancioni promises to take this technology to a new stage, with less environmental impact and greater possibilities in power generation.
Although there are not plenty of research studies in this area yet, the work “Les realisations de Electricitéen France concernant l’energie mareomotrice”, by the French René Bonefille, considers that tidal energy could contribute 635,000 gigawatts per hour worldwide (Gw/h ), which is equivalent to 1,045 million barrels of oil or 392 million tons of coal. The areas with the best conditions for the installation of this type of power plants are located on the Canadian Atlantic coast, in the French coastal regions of Brittany and Lower Normandy, in the south-west of England, in the White Sea – northwest of Russia–, in the Sea of Ojostk – east of Russia – and in the coastal strip of Argentine Patagonia, particularly on the seafront of Chubut and Santa Cruz.
A little history
The first large-scale work for the exploitation of tidal energy dates back almost 60 years. The place chosen was the estuary of the Rance River, in French Brittany, an area where the tidal range reaches levels up to 13.5 meters. Built by Electricité de France between 1960 and 1966, the plant holds a 750- meter- long dam with a capacity of 240 megawatts, provided by its 24 turbines.
Two years later, Russia opened an experimental plant in the Kislaya Guba fjord, on the Barents Sea, near the border with Finland. Originally,the installed power was 400 kilowatts and it was subsequently enlarged to 1,200 kilowatts. Twelve years later, in 1980, the Jiangxia tidal power plant in China came into operation, with an installed capacity of 3,200 kilowatts. Finally, in 1984, the experimental Annapolis Royal station was launched in Canada, in the Bay of Fundy, which operates with waves of 12 up to 16 meters. As the result of a pilot plan jointly addressed by the federal government and the provincial administration of Nova Scotia, this plant has an installed capacity of 20 megawatts.
The Argentine case
As stated earlier, the Atlantic coast of Patagonia offers one of the most suitable natural scenarios for the development of tidal energy. The amplitude of the tides ranges between 5 and 12 meters and, due to its geographical configuration, the area has coves, estuaries, bays and gulfs that would allow the water to be dammed. A third factor, exceptional in comparion with other latitudes, is the asynchronicity of the tides flow that would make it possible to capture energy for a period of up to 18 hours per day. Within this privileged framework, one of the areas with the greatest potential is Valdés Peninsula, since it offers the singularity of a constant time lag between the tide heights of San José Golfo and Nuevo Golfo, that is, while in one of those gulfs the tide is close to high tide, in the other one, it is near low tide and vice versa. Argentina is making an effort to diversify its energy matrix, replacing the fossil fuel-based generation with clean-based ones. The country must comply with Law 27191, which,by 2025, aims at reaching 20% of the electric energy matrix generated by renewables. In this context, the tidal power can be a promising answer.
New technology, new potentials
One of the objections made to the traditional tidal energy technology is that it can have a high impact on the marine fauna and flora where it is installed. In the same way that the turbines of the hydroelectric power plants affect the biological rhythm of the rivers where they are located, the large tidal power plants can do so too. However, the “Energy generation system based on ocean tides”, patented by Patricio Bilancioni before the Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), presents innovations that give tidal energy a much greater scope than it has had. First, the Bilancioni system does not require turbines, so that the impact on marine fauna and flora is almost completely reduced. On the other hand, it can work 24 hours a day and does not require fuels to start it up. It is a one hundred percent ecological system.
“The other advantage is that it works on land, it can be placed anywhere on the coast and does not need any special coastal accident, such as a bay or a cove,” explains Patricio Bilancioni about his system. “Only certain height differences in the high and the low tides are needed. This ubiquity allows it to be installed close to a town, taking into account that it does not cause contamination. It does not need interconnection if it is close to the city and the advantages are similar to the rest of the renewable energies such as the wind or the solar ones, ”adds Bilancioni.
The system operation is like this: a chamber is filled with sea water. Three or more vats are connected to that chamber, and each of the vats is mounted on oleohydraulic cylinders. Then, when the reservoir is filled with water at high tide, a vat is loaded and, due to its own weight, it begins to descend. This downward movement puts the oleohydraulic cylinder into action, whose pressure is transmitted to an oleohydraulic motor that drives the generator. There, the energy.
Now, in parallel, using a minimum part of the oleohydraulic flow set in motion with the descent of the first vat, another twin vat (the second one) rises until it can be loaded from the reservoir. Meanwhile, the water content of the first vat is discharged into a lower vat that dumps its contents into the sea at the set time (at low tide).
The procedure is repeated with the amount of vats that you want to install. The vats can be of different size according to the amount of energy that you want to obtain. The vertical movement of the hydraulic cylinders is constant throughout the day. In the figure 1 the operation of ascent and descent of the vats is shown in a simplified way, and in figure 2, the design of a plant is shown.
High adaptability
The revolutionary system patented by Patricio Bilancioni does not end there. It can also be used in river courses, adapting the scale of powers and taking into account the maximum and mínimum courses’surge. In fact, it has several advantages compared to water power generation technology, as it does not generate environmental impacts, such as the alteration of currents and waves; alteration of basal substrates, transport and deposition of sediments; alteration of benthic habitats; noise; incidence of electromagnetic fields; chemical toxicity; interference with the mobility and migration of animal species; physical obstruction;among others.
In that sense, this system has a high scalability and adapts to different locations both in the maritime and river areas. On the other hand, it meets the requirements so that it can be used in the Distributed Generation of energy and differs from others currently in use (photovoltaic, wind, etc.) because of its lower cost, since it uses standard technological elements and a wide offer in the market. In addition, its maintenance is simple: thanks to its approach in modules (each vat), it is possible to do it without having to stop operating the entire generator, working only on the module to be repaired. This, in addition to ensuring uninterrupted operation, it lowers maintenance costs.
Finally, this technology has the potential to be connected to other systems to improve work with the water resource, such as water desalination and water purification systems, or hydrogen production systems.
In short, tidal power production systems, updated with the latest innovations in the field, promise a revolution in the field of renewable energy. The geographical facilities presented by the Argentine territory, coupled with the high capacity of its technicians, allow us to think about a very promising future in this field..
