The UK has the second biggest tides in the world after Canada, peaking in the Bristol Channel, and along the coast of north Wales and northwest England – but it still hasn’t seized the use of tidal power.
As per Sky News, the strong tides along Britain’s west coast could produce huge amounts of clean electricity for less than the cost of nuclear.
The country has the second biggest tides in the world after Canada, peaking in the Bristol Channel, and along the coasts of north Wales and northwest England.According to experts, a network of seven tidal power plants could be built by 2030, generating enough electricity for more than four million homes. And because tide times are known far into the future, the power would be far more predictable than other renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Yet the government’s energy strategy only mentions the potential in passing. Instead, the priority is given to nuclear energy, with eight new reactors planned.
Professor Roger Falconer, a leading consultant in water and environmental engineering, told Sky News: “It’s a big miss.
“Tidal is a natural resource with tremendous opportunities and we should be seizing them.”
There are two ways of capturing energy from the tides. One involves anchoring small turbines in areas with a rapid flow of seawater, such as between the Orkney Islands where some prototypes are being tested. But, like wind turbines, large numbers would be needed to make a meaningful contribution to the UK energy supply. Engineers say a far bigger potential is in capturing energy from tidal range, the difference in height between high and low tide.
Read the complete article on Sky News: