Monday, September 24, 2012

Tide Power Coming to the NT

A major announcement today that an agreement has been reached between Tenax and the local electricity supply utility to commence development of tidal power commercial studies here in the NT.

This will be offshore from Darwin in the Clarence strait between the mainland and the Tiwi islands.

It will be tidal flow operating in both directions, and would provide power reasonably uniformly except for near the low and high tide points, and be influenced by the moon!  Yes.....tides are.

The potential is very large, at least equal to existing power capacity locally.  There will be an issue of possible power storage requirements, but if one looks around there arre numerous studies around the world looking at that issue - improved batteries, flywheels and so on, and there is optimism that stiorage issues canbe at least partially solved.

Yes, there is some way to go, but the company has done a lot of investigations already on possibilities and the supply authority is serious about delivering on the distribution network.  That is some way off....with first serious operations getting under way within about 18 months or so.

But it is part of several planned sites by the company so they are positive it can be delivered, using a series of turbine systems anchored to the sea floor.

Watch this space.

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