Tidal Power

Officials from China and the Netherlands have signed an agreement that could result in the development of a 15-GW “hydrokinetic” power plant off the Chinese coast. The project would involve the construction of a 30-km by 60-km T-shaped dam that would be fitted with turbines. This long T-dam would interfere with coast-parallel oscillating tidal waves which run along the coasts of continental shelves, containing powerful hydraulic currents, a phenomenon that is common along the coast of China, Korea and the UK amongst other places.

The city of Incheon, on South Korea’s north-western coast, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) to provide technical assistance on the design, construction and operation of a tidal energy testing facility. The waters off the Korea’s west coast have one of the world’s largest tidal ranges. Near Inchon the average spring tide range is 27.1 feet with an occasional maximum of 33 feet while offshore currents flows are to be found running at 6.5-7m/s.

Clean tech companies have identified five major areas where there are outstanding opportunities for new business. One hundred cleantech firms, executives and analysts as well as government officials in Asia Pacific were interviewed by ResearchWhitePaper.

Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power plant has been given the nod with signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian state of Gujarat and UK-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corporation.