An article in The Economist describes efforts to produce electricity using generators propelled by the tides. In one version, as rising tide pushes water up a fjord the water moves the propeller generating electricity, then as the tide goes out, the system is reversed and again generates electricity. Thus four times a day, in totally predictable times, tidal energy is converted into electricity. In some large fjords, this should be a significant source of power, and one with no unsightly towers as the devices are tethered to the bottom of the fjords.
A similar application involves creating an artificial area that impounds water on the rising tides and lets that water escape at low time. The generators are located at the mouth of the impound pond.
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