Speaker: Dr.M.Wrigley FIET

Tidal Power Generation

Across the European continent in general but within the European Union in particular, there is currently very little coherence on the subject of energy policy. However, two factors emerge as giving rise to considerable apprehension. Firstly, it is clear to the whole world that the resources currently being consumed are finite and, secondly, that the carbon emissions from energy production cannot be ignored. One response has been the sprouting of wind farms which address both of these points but, in addition to concerns about aesthetics, wind energy cannot be counted upon at present to reliably provide continuous energy.

Almost all studies seem to neglect the fact that Europe has a long coastline and that parts of this coastline have significant tidal currents. Anyone who has cruised in a sailing boat anywhere along the north Brittany coast or in the Channel Islands' waters knows how strong the tidal currents can be and it was only a matter of time before harnessing this power became a reality.

Alongside the legal challenges presented by such a project in the seas of an independent island come those of developing appropriate technologies, providing the financial support, negotiating the logistics to transport the energy thus produced and ensuring that
environmental issues are correctly addressed. Work has continued on each of these challenges but especially on establishing the environmental baseline which will serve as a reference in years to come. Much work has also been carried out both to map the available energy resources in four dimensions and on the innovative design of the turbines which will be placed in very hostile conditions on the sea bed and must meet draconian requirements in terms of maintenance and ecological compatibility.

On several counts the project can be compared with that of a nuclear power station so it will be several years yet before maturity can be reached but initial offshore trials have shown encouraging results.

The talk will set out the technical basis for the project, explain the challenges and present the progress to date.