Tidal Energy Is Not Renewable

It is a misconception to regard tidal power as a renewable energy source. On the contrary, harnessing tidal energy could result in more severe environmental consequences than the use of fossil fuels. Tides are generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth’s oceans. Although tidal movements appear to shift relative to observers on Earth, the tidal bulges themselves remain essentially stationary to these celestial bodies. This gravitational interaction acts like a brake on Earth's rotation, gradually slowing it down and dissipating its rotational energy over time. Harvesting tidal energy accelerates this natural dissipation, further reducing Earth’s rotational energy and speeding up its deceleration. This study presents quantitative estimates showing that extracting tidal energy could cause significant environmental degradation in a relatively short timeframe. Based on global energy consumption patterns over the past 50 years, if tidal energy were used to meet just 1% of the world’s energy demand, Earth could become tidally locked to the Moon in approximately 1,000 years. In such a scenario, one side of Earth would permanently face the Moon, just as one side of the Moon always faces Earth; and a single day would last as long as a current lunar month. The consequences would be catastrophic: one hemisphere would endure continuous daylight and soaring temperatures, while the other would be plunged into perpetual darkness and extreme cold. These extreme temperature imbalances would render large portions of the planet uninhabitable, potentially leading to the collapse of ecosystems and the extinction of most life on Earth.