Скачать с ютуб Sihwa tidal power plant poses as good example in search for renewable energy в хорошем качестве

Sihwa tidal power plant poses as good example in search for renewable energy

The new government in South Korea wants to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear power and fossil fuels... as evidenced by its permanent shutdown of its oldest nuclear reactor this week. The focus now is on renewable energy... and there's one power source that's already making waves. Kim Ji-yeon tells us more. An hour's drive away from the capital Seoul is the coastal city of Ansan. Here, Korea's one and only operating tidal power plant sits between the border of the West Sea and Sihwa Lake. Utilizing seawater stored inside a tidal embankment built at the mouth of the lake... the facility generates and stores electricity... through its ten turbines... operating 365 days a year. This sets Sihwa apart from other tidal power plants around the world... which usually have one or two turbines that make use of the tidal gap flowing from one direction. "This tidal power plant produces up to 52-million kilowatts of electricity a year. That's equivalent to the annual amount used by 200-thousand households." Construction for the plant began in 2005 using a seawall set up in 1994 for flood control... as part of the country's 1987 tideland reclamation project to create a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. But in 2000, this plan was scrapped due to deteriorating water quality... and the government had to repurpose the embankment... eventually leading to tidal power plant operations in 2011. Contrary to previous concerns that the turbines would harm the surrounding environment... efforts by Korea Water Resources Corporation helped restore the area. It's now home to more than 145 bird species and a tourist site attracting more than 1-point-4-million visitors a year. And it's not just the scenery that makes this plant so special. "The amount of electricity produced by the ten turbines can replace some 860-thousand barrels of fossil fuel used in a year. This means the plant is contributing to the reduction of more than 310-thousand tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually." The plant is undeniably a benchmark for green energy production... but that doesn't mean adding additional plants is an easy option. Potential sites have to undergo intense environmental studies that could take years... not to mention the minimum requirement for tide levels to generate power. Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.