A review on the potential of tidal energy: resources, technology and market size
File(s)
Author(s)
Payyala, Sree
Green, Tim
Type
Report
Abstract
Tidal energy is a renewable, free from weather influences and highly predictable energy resource and thus is attractive for use in a decarbonised electricity system, however, in terms of maturity it lags behind wind and solar energy. This lack of maturity means that the business case for investment is weak without substantial subsidies but learning rates are expected to apply that will reduce cost. As with all energy technologies, tidal energy has impacts on the environment and these are not fully explored. This report, as part of the Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance (CSEP) initiative, reviews the issues concerning tidal energy as a prelude to further investigations on specific issues. This report mainly addresses tidal stream energy, that is, turbines operating in open water generating from tidal flows. A brief section is included on tidal range energy, in which turbines embedded in damn walls generate energy from water held in barrages or lagoons.
Date Issued
2026-06-01
Citation
2026, pp.1-86
Publisher
Imperial College London
Start Page
1
End Page
86
Journal / Book Title
A Review on the Potential of Tidal Energy: Resources, Technology and Market Size
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).