[rawhide]

An artist's rendering of the SeaGen marine current generator from above and below the surface.

[Coffee200am]

But this will slow down the ocean and might injure fish...

[Dr. Sivana]

I think that might mess up the gulf stream, I saw it on “Superfriends”

[seowulf]

At least this makes more sense than wind power.

Tides are at least predictable, so you know when you are going to have to ramp up your “supplemental” conventional power generation.

[Coffee200am]

It’s a good idea, and I hope it works....and doesn’t turn into a bigger problem.

[Alice in Wonderland]

The SeaGen will face plenty of competition from other wave-power devices that have already reached commercial-scale deployment.

Scotland-based Pelamis Wave Power's snakelike device was the first to provide power to the grid when it was installed off the coast of Orkney, Scotland, in 2004. In October 2007, Pelamis deployed three of its 750-kilowatt devices--770-ton, 120-meter-long chains of metal cylinders--off the coast of Portugal.

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A company called Wavegen now operate a commercial wave power station called "Limpet" on the Scottish island of Islay.

[brityank]

No power is generated during tide changes, as the turbine only works when the water is moving 2 knots (2.3 mph) or more.

That's gonna take one hell of a battery pack to sustain the current 24/356.