Putting oceans to work: tidal energy in the USA and the USSR, 1930–1970

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aspirations to convert the movement of ebb and flow into electricity have a long and checkered history. Proposals for tidal power plants at Passamaquoddy Bay (Maine/New Brunswick) and in the Soviet Murmansk region emerged in the 1920s and were discussed well into the 1960s. Considering that tidal power had to compete with established energy sources like coal, oil, and conventional hydropower, the longevity of discussions about the two tidal power projects is surprising. Their proponents tapped into questions of energy independence, economic progress, and international cooperation to keep the technology in the race. However, the decade-long negotiations did not result in the construction of major tidal power plants. The technology’s geographical immobility (the plants needed to be constructed where high tides coincided with a suitable coastline) and doubts about economic rationality halted tidal dreams both in the USA and in the USSR.