Many developed countries derive substantial amounts of power from nuclear energy, while some countries such as Australia traditionally has relied heavily on fossil fuels for its electricity. Nuclear energy is accepted by those countries as a safe and reliable source of electricity, but community acceptance of this type of power is poor in Australia. In theory, renewable energy solutions seem excellent for Australia, Canada and the United States, countries with large amounts of direct sunlight, flat expanses, and strong coastal winds and tides. Historical examples have shown that dams, either man-made or based in existing rivers, have had deleterious effects on local ecosystems, as in the Snowy River Hydroelectric Scheme. Coastal dams are unlikely to fare much better, and potentially serious effects due to siltation, lack of low and high tides, and erosion have already been identified. A better solution would be the tidal turbines, which are located off-shore and have minor visual and ecological impact. Land rights issues may be less of a problem in off-shore locations also.
Realistically speaking, however, these attractive solutions are unfortunately impractical in the present state of technology. Barring some significant advances in solar power in particular, it is unlikely that photovoltaic panels will be installed at a large enough scale to satisfy demand. The most likely scenario at this stage is that wind and tidal power (using off-shore tidal turbines) will contribute to local energy supply but must be backed up by a more traditional generation method. Fuel cells use fossil fuels but at greatly enhanced capacity and efficiency than conventional coal or oil-fired plants, and it is feasible that fuel cell power plants will serve as a reliable backup to the climate-dependent tidal and wind power plants.
The north west area of Western Australia is an ideal location for all three major renewable energy solutions, and is already the site for tidal fence power plants and photovoltaic power plants. The timing of peak power generation for solar plants coincides with peak usage (around noon) but tidal power generators must be retimed to better suit usage. It is possible that all three solutions will complement each other in terms of peak generation times.
All new power plants installed for immediate use require proximity to an existing electric grid, which must be able to accommodate electricity from alternative source. Solar and Wind Power Plants can employ workers from existing power plant, because of low maintenance requirements
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