# Energy generation from waves/tides **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2001, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626 "2001-08-02T13:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/1 "2001-08-02T13:06:57Z")
My non-scientifically inclined brain wonders why it is impractical to generate energ from the motions of the oceans. I understand that waves and tides do not consistently flow in one direction, but couldn’t a device with a fluttering back-and-forth motion generate electricity? ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/2 "2001-08-02T13:25:55Z")
It is happening - try this [website](http://tidalelectric.com/) I guess the reasons for it not being all that popular are return on investment, interference with the Fishing industry and it doesn’t LOOK good to have a mass of floating tidal power generators all along the coast. I know that the first and third of these reasons are used to prevent the spread of “windmill” driven electricity generation… Gp ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/3 "2001-08-02T13:46:05Z")
Thanks for the link. What a neat site. I wish them tremendous success. Who knows what the reality will be, but their mock-up image does not look all that intrusive. At least an improvement over oil-drenched seabirds! And the upside, zero emissions and negligible production cost after recovery of investment, doesn’t exactly suck. ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/4 "2001-08-02T14:13:19Z")
My mock up is more efficient an less intrusive than their mock up. Please send money. ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/5 "2001-08-02T18:22:39Z")
I was looking for information on piping for a geothermal plant and found a site you may want to look at: [http://www.nrel.gov/clean\_energy/whatisRE.html](http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/whatisRE.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/6 "2001-08-02T18:54:46Z")
Thanks for the link, starfish. Uh, I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be sending my $ to them instead of you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/7 "2001-08-02T20:39:18Z")
Tidal effects are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon as it orbits the earth and the sun as the earth rotates in relation to it\*, so… exploiting tidal energy must be slowing the speed of rotation of the earth and slowing the velocity of the moon as it orbits; so we will end up with a 25 hour day (until the moon falls on our heads). \*[sup]Actually, everybody knows that the sun revolves around the earth(which is flat), but no matter[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/8 "2001-08-02T20:47:40Z")
Can I use the extra hour to sleep? ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-generation-from-waves-tides/74626/9 "2001-08-02T22:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > so we will end up with a 25 hour day (until the moon falls on our heads). Actually, the tides cause the earth to slow down and cause the moon to go into a higher orbit. In about 50 billion years, one day and one month will be about the same as 47 2001-earth-days.