Introduction:-: Electricity Moon Earth's Sun
Introduction:-: Electricity Moon Earth's Sun
Introduction:-: Electricity Moon Earth's Sun
It turns
out, there's a way that we can generate electricity from the moon -- thanks to the tides created by the gravitational pull the moon exerts on Earth's oceans. The Earth is tugged by the sun and moon. The sun dwarfs the moon in size, but the moon is much closer to Earth -- around 239,000 miles away, compared to the distance of 93 million miles between the sun and the Earth. Proximity trumps size when it comes to tidal movement here on Earth: The moon exerts more than twice as much gravitational force on Earth than the sun does.
Because of this there are these predictable tides on Earth, some places
around the planet are being powered by tidal movement.
Underwater Turbine Electricity Production:The moon's gravitational pull on water bodies creates tides. In turn, this movement creates kinetic energy that is carried by the water. Anything that moves has kinetic energy -- whether it's wind or a ball rolling down a hill. Kinetic energy can be captured by humans through windmills. Researchers are trying to tap into the power of the tides through a design similar to a windmill. Underwater (or tidal) turbines are a fairly straightforward concept, as far as cutting-edge energy technology goes. They are essentially windmills installed onto an ocean floor or river bed. The underwater current produced by the tides spins blades arranged like an airplane propeller. These turbines are attached to a gear box, which is connected to an electrical generator. This produces the electricity that is carried by cable to shore. Once it's plugged into an electrical grid, the electricity can be distributed.
Advantages of underwater turbines over windmills turbines:Although underwater turbines are essentially the same thing as
windmills, they have a few advantages over their above-ground cousins. Windmills require land, especially wind farms -- assemblages of dozens or hundreds of windmills. The future of land use (how land is developed and what it's used for) is becoming a major topic of discussion. With 6 billion people on the planet and counting, space is at a premium -- not just for housing, but for crop production and more. Underwater turbines overcome this problem. Another advantage of underwater energy capture comes from water's high density. Water is denser than air, which means that the same amount of energy can be produced by an underwater turbine as a windmill, but at slower speeds and over less area. What's more, while the amount of wind that passes over any given area of land can be unpredictable, the kinetic energy of tidal areas is dependable. The ebb and flow is so predictable, a given tidal region can be expressed in the amount of kilowatt hours of electricity it can produce per turbine.
Mean neap peak cycle is the lowest point in velocity that a tidal area
experiences in a month.
These two measurements can help approximate the greatest and least
amounts of velocity found in any given tidal pool over the course of a month. Besides the tides, there are other characteristics that affect the velocity of water. The surrounding terrain -- for example, whether the area is rocky or sandy -- determines how water moves. Whether a tidal area is narrow or wide can also impact velocity. A narrow channel can concentrate water's movement, causing it to speed up.
Tidal movement and water bodies' characteristics can be taken into account on paper, but it's not until real-world tests are undertaken that actual understanding of the impact of tidal turbines can begin.
bottom of the Kvalsund Channel in Norway. This turbine features 33-footlong blades that spin at a rate of 7 rpm and stands nearly 66 feet tall at its highest point beneath the water's surface. In September 2003, the turbine's generator was connected to the electrical grid of Hammerfest, a local village. The single turbine produces 700,000 kilowatt hours annually -- which provides power to an average of 35 homes in the area.
Another group is evaluating the impact of turbines on aquatic life. Monitor the surrounding aquatic life. Fish are detected and tracked
within 54 feet (18 meters) of the equipment and the data is recorded. So far, no fish has been struck by the turbines .
Tidal turbines were installed in a channel with currents that flow at a rate
of up to 4 knots (about 4.6 miles per hour). The six turbines currently produce electricity that powers a grocery store and parking garage nearby.
The United Kingdom is also studying the potential for underwater turbine
electricity production. The U.K. company Marine Current Turbines has planted a pair of turbines attached to a single pile, driven into the floor of the North Sea off the coast of Ireland. The turbines are massive; each blade is 60 feet long. As they spin, the turbines produce 1.2 megawatts of electricity.