India to Install The Largest Tidal Power Plant in Asia

A tidal power plant off the west coast of India could be among the first large-scale such facility in all of Asia. Atlantis Resources announced plans to install a 50 MW tidal plant consisting of 1 MW turbines in the Gulf of Kutch; construction could begin this year.

The Atlantis turbines, which also come in a 2 MW size, use a double turbine design to harness the flow of the tide. The planned Indian facility would be among the first in Asia, but tidal power -- along with wave power and related projects -- is clearly trending upward around the world. There are large proposed projects in South Korea, and Atlantis alone has other projects in Australia and Scotland.

In the US, pilot projects are underway in the northwest and elsewhere, and there is  interest in installing hydrokinetic turbines in the Mississippi River. Even New York City gets a tiny portion of power from tidal resources, with turbines under the East River providing small amounts of power to Roosevelt Island.

The potential of tidal power, like so many other renewable resources, is impressive. Some estimates place US potential at 15 percent of its total electricity needs. A reporton global potential suggested about 90 gigawatts of tidal power are readily accessible, with far more in pure potential. And there is no reason some of this potential won't be realized; even the new Indian plant might not stop at 50 MW, eventually scaling up to 200 MW.

For further information:
www.atlantisresourcescorportation.com
www.emec.org.uk/
www.seia.ie/
www.carnegiecorp.com.au/
www.verdantpower.com/