A system and method for extracting power from tides

Abstract

There is a desire to be able to generate electrical power from the tides without turbines posing an unacceptable hazard to sea traffic and/or life, and in particular without causing such sea traffic and/or life to alter their behaviour in response to the placement of turbines and/or other structures. According to the present invention, a tunnel (7) is provided at a height substantially between the low tide height and high tide height; a power take-off system (11) is configured to convert movement of water in the tunnel into usable energy. In this way, a tunnel inlet (5) may be placed at a location that does not interfere with shipping and/or the natural environment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.