Success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The International Hydropower Association<\/strong> has an interesting overview of the project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 552.7 GWh of [annual] electricity generated from Sihwa tidal power plant is equivalent to 862,000 barrels of oil, or 315,000 tons of CO2 \u2013 the amount produced by 100,000 cars produce annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sihwa tidal power plant generates one-way power twice a day at high tide. The sluice gates are closed as the tide comes in which isolates the reservoir at its lowest level. When the tide is high, water then flows from the West Sea to Sihwa lake via the ten turbines, generating electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project cost: USD $560 million<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most remarkable impact has been the recovery of water quality and ecosystems. Approximately 160 million tons of water flows in and out of the floodgate and waterwheel, accounting for about half of the total water quantity in Sihwa Lake. The continuous circulation of water between the lake and the outer sea during the power generation process has improved the water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1998, the chemical oxygen level in Sihwa Lake was 17ppm<\/strong>, but has since been reduced to 2ppm<\/strong>, resulting in an improved habitat for all species of fish[2]<\/sup>.<\/p>\nIHA<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station<\/strong> is the world’s largest tidal power installation, with a total power output capacity of 254 MW. When completed in 2011, it surpassed France’s 240 MW Rance Tidal Power Station, which was the world’s largest for 45 years. It is operated by the Korea Water Resources Corporation.<\/p>\nWikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Perhaps this scarcity leads to opportunities? A WLBOTT <\/strong>business plan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n WLBOTT:<\/strong> Elder G, please review our compitition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elder G:<\/strong> Estimating the exact number of lunch buffet restaurants in the Seoul metropolitan area is challenging due to the lack of specific data. However, we can make an informed approximation based on available information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While specific numbers for buffet-style establishments aren’t readily available, it’s reasonable to estimate that a small percentage of Seoul’s restaurants offer lunch buffets. If we conservatively assume that 1% to 2% of these establishments provide buffet services, that would equate to approximately 5,000 to 10,000 lunch buffet restaurants<\/strong> in the Seoul metropolitan area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today’s Guardian has an interesting, and disturbing, article about increased wave size and strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waves are getting bigger. Is the world ready?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Waves are a vital part of the ocean system, helping to control the rate at which the ocean absorbs both heat and carbon dioxide and shaping and sustaining coastlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And as ocean temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, waves are changing, in some oceans growing bigger and more powerful, and fast.<\/p>\n<\/div> Between 1985 and 2018 wave heights in the Southern Ocean increased by 30 centimetres, or around a centimetre a year. Because waves from the Southern Ocean propagate out into the Pacific, South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, this has contributed to increases in wave size there as well. Wave energy is increasing as well, ticking up around 8% since the 1980s, with the rate of change accelerating markedly since the turn of the century, reflecting not just changes in wave height, but also increasingly intense storms and more frequent extreme wave events.<\/p>\nThe Guardian<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Over a foot increase in wave height in 35 years? This is an enormous change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The article gives a good overview of waves, interactions with winds, and an overview of some efforts to generated electricity from tides and waves. But there are a lot of challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the article’s commentators made a profound statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thorlar1 \/ 22 Feb 2025 21.14 We have created our identities around consumerism. Our stuff is our measure of success. That is a sad and lonely way to go through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elder G<\/strong> helps us understand some of the challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ocean energy has huge potential, especially in coastal regions. Using ocean water (saltwater) to power electrical turbines<\/strong>\u2014whether through tidal, wave, or ocean current energy<\/strong>\u2014is promising but comes with several key challenges<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/sup> This brings us to the WLBOTT Division of Icky-ology<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2] We’re a little confused by these numbers, and wonder if they are inverted. Here’s Elder G<\/strong>‘s review of dissolved oxygen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the WLBOTT version of reality<\/strong>, we’d measure the chemical oxygen levels of a lake using an ancient, twine-powered device that somehow also involves a chicken. But in the real world<\/strong>, here’s how it works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sewage content can have a major impact<\/strong> on oxygen levels in freshwater, typically reducing dissolved oxygen (DO)<\/strong> and creating an unhealthy environment for aquatic life. Here’s how it happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There’s a pretty cool story about the Korean tidal energy project at Sihwa Lake. Here’s the net: Success! The International Hydropower Association has an interesting overview of the project: The 552.7 GWh of [annual] electricity generated from Sihwa tidal power plant is equivalent to 862,000 barrels of oil, or 315,000 tons of CO2 \u2013 the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71,108,54,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-change","category-engineering","category-korea","category-will-there-be-a-buffet"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45132"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45176,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45132\/revisions\/45176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bb6a912616421d2c81c383f80f0e7a13.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\nWill There Be a Buffet?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The problem of catastrophic climate heating and environmental collapse is not so much a technical or financial challenge, so much as a need for a philosophical reappraisal of the meaning of human progress.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nChemical Oxygen Demand (COD) vs. Dissolved Oxygen (DO)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Optimal Dissolved Oxygen Levels for Lakes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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What Affects DO Levels?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Increased Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Algal Blooms & Eutrophication<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Direct Toxic Effects<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Real-World Consequences<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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