Shin, B-S, Kim, K-H, 2013. Effective tidal power generation with reduced environmental impact

Regarding ocean energies, tidal power generation has a great advantage on large development possibilities despite of its huge construction cost and difficulty in finding an applicable location. Once tidal power generation is developed, various developmental benefits are expected such as semi-permanent energy production, a bridge role, tourism resource effects, an adjustability of flood inundation at inner bay and other multi-development effects. Nevertheless, unfavorable impacts on bay environments have also been pointed out. The environmental problems include mud flat extinction and marine eco-system disruption. The participation of local residents is essential to resolve ecological and socioeconomic issues. In this study, the feasibility of tidal power generation is examined by reviewing the hydraulic characteristics of a target area on the west coast of Korea. The tidal flat at the site serves as a habitat and feeding ground for numerous aquatic species that the local residents benefit in their fishing industry, and also acts as a replenishment of water-table levels and a natural filter of pollutants. The purpose of this study is to predict negative effects of tidal power generation in ocean ecosystem. In addition, a desirable tidal power generation arrangement is proposed by investigating ecological and sociological effects on the environment. Field observations were carried out to understand hydraulic characteristics of the target area and to select the location of a water gate and a hydraulic turbine for tidal power generation development with its anticipated influence on the environment. Particularly, high quality data have been obtained by Ocean TMS(Telemetric Monitoring System) which is planned for continuous acquisition of real-time data. Environmental change prediction has become an increasingly important topic for public debate. Precise data is required for accurate predictions on artificial environmental changes.