Tidal Energy Comes to America: Orbital Marine Power Plans Washington State Deployment | Taha Abbasi

Taha Abbasi examines the emergence of tidal energy in the US — including plans to install advanced tidal turbines from Scottish firm Orbital Marine Power in Washington State — as America takes tentative steps into one of the last untapped renewable energy sources.

Tidal Energy Gets a Second Look

A new round of tidal energy activity is beginning to surface in the United States, centered around a plan to install slim, powerful tidal turbines in Washington State waters. The turbines, developed by Scottish firm Orbital Marine Power, represent some of the most advanced tidal energy technology in the world — and their deployment in the US would mark a significant milestone for a renewable energy source that has long been overshadowed by solar and wind.

Tidal energy harnesses the kinetic energy of ocean tides — the predictable, twice-daily movement of massive volumes of water driven by gravitational forces from the moon and sun. Unlike solar and wind, which are intermittent and weather-dependent, tidal energy is almost perfectly predictable decades in advance. You can calculate exactly how much energy a tidal installation will produce on any given day for the next hundred years.

Why Tidal Energy Has Lagged Behind

Taha Abbasi notes that tidal energy’s slow development is not a technology problem — it is an economics and environment problem. The ocean is harsh on equipment. Salt water corrodes metals, marine growth fouls surfaces, and storms can destroy installations. Maintenance in underwater environments is expensive and dangerous compared to servicing a wind turbine or solar panel on land.

Additionally, the best tidal energy sites are geographically limited. Strong, consistent tidal flows occur in relatively few locations — narrow straits, river estuaries, and specific coastal geometries that amplify tidal movement. The US has notable tidal resources in Puget Sound, Cook Inlet (Alaska), the Bay of Fundy (bordering Maine), and several locations along the Pacific coast.

Orbital Marine Power’s Technology

Orbital Marine Power’s O2 turbine is a floating platform that suspends two rotors beneath the water surface. The design is elegant: rather than fixing turbines to the seabed (expensive and difficult to maintain), the floating platform can be towed to shore for maintenance and repositioned as needed.

The O2 has been operating successfully in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, one of the world’s premier tidal energy test sites. The technology has demonstrated the ability to generate 2 MW of power from a single platform — enough to power approximately 2,000 homes. Deploying this proven technology in US waters would validate its performance in American regulatory and environmental conditions.

The Washington State Opportunity

Washington State’s Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands have strong tidal currents that are well-suited for tidal energy generation. The state has also established itself as a leader in clean energy policy, with a commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2045. Tidal energy offers a unique advantage: it generates power at different times than solar (which peaks midday) and often at different times than wind, providing a complementary renewable resource that improves grid reliability.

As Taha Abbasi observes, the real value of tidal energy may not be in total generation capacity but in its predictability. Grid operators struggle with the variability of solar and wind. Tidal power’s clockwork reliability makes it a natural complement to these intermittent sources.

Challenges and Scale Questions

Tidal energy faces significant hurdles before it can contribute meaningfully to the US energy mix. Environmental permitting is complex — tidal installations must avoid disrupting marine ecosystems, migratory fish routes, and navigation channels. Cost per kilowatt-hour remains higher than solar or onshore wind, though proponents argue that costs will decline with scale and manufacturing maturity, following the trajectory that solar and wind have already demonstrated.

The total addressable market in the US is estimated at 50-100 TWh annually — meaningful but a fraction of total electricity demand. Tidal energy will likely remain a niche contributor rather than a dominant source, but in coastal communities with strong tidal resources, it could become a reliable backbone of local clean energy supply.

What This Means for the Energy Transition

For Taha Abbasi, tidal energy represents the principle that the energy transition will not be won by a single technology. The optimal clean energy system uses every available resource — solar where the sun shines, wind where it blows, tidal where currents run, and storage everywhere. Diversifying the renewable energy portfolio reduces risk and improves reliability.

The US arriving late to tidal energy, after Scotland, France, and South Korea have demonstrated viability, is unfortunate but not irreversible. Washington State’s embrace of Orbital Marine Power’s technology could be the catalyst that establishes a domestic tidal energy industry — one that eventually serves coastal communities worldwide.

Related reading: Floating Solar Farms | Electric Ships and Maritime Electrification

About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com