Oceans and electrical power (part I)

Environmental effects of reservoirs

“…The commercial plant has been operating on the Rance River in Brittany, France, since 1966 (Mauboussin, 1972;Cotillon, 1979). The environmental impacts do not seem to have been severe; some changes have been observed in the fish species in the vicinity, some morphological changes have occurred, and the tidal range has been decreased by reducing the maximum and increasing the minimum (Charlier, 1982). In impoundments of this kind, unlike the previous two, the water will remain saline so a massive change in the flora and fauna will not occur (Corlett, 1979).…”

“…The power of the tides must have impressed people from the earliest times and indeed in earlier days some use was made of it to run mills in Europe and New England (Charlier, 1982). In modern times the possibility of using tidal energy to generate electricity has been considered in may parts of the world.…”