There is nothing really new about
tidal energy. The idea has been around for over 80 years and it has been in use for about 40 years.
Tidal Mills set a historical precedence and possibly the earliest example was in London in Roman times.
Recently the concept received something of a boost when
Tidal Energy ’s project to install Wales’ first full-scale tidal stream generator has secured a £390,000 grant from the UK's Carbon Trust .
The investment from the Trust’s Entrepreneurs Fast Track Programme, which follows £6.4 million from the EU and £4.4 million from shareholder Eco2 as well as others, will cover environmental monitoring work at the installation site in Ramsey Sound off the Pembrokeshire coast.
The results of the environmental assessment of the site for Tidal Energy’s DeltaStream device will be made available to the wider marine energy industry.
The DeltaStream device sits on the seabed and generates electricity from three separate horizontally mounted turbines.
The 1.2 MW device will provide renewable electricity to the local community of St Davids during its 12-month trial.
“We believe our device can combine high efficiency and portability with the crucial advantage of being environmentally benign,” says Tidal Energy’s development director Chris Williams.
He adds that Wales could generate as much as 4 GW of clean energy by 2025 from its 1200 km coastline though similar tidal and wave developments.
“This represents a huge opportunity but in order to achieve this goal, we must understand more about how devices interact with the marine environment,” he says.
SOME QUESTIONS ARISING:
- What could be achieved on the Tamar with Tidal Energy?
- Is anyone in Tasmania seriously looking at this opportunity or are there too many detractors talking it down?
- Might there be an application in Launceston's Gorge?
- Might there be an application under or near the Batman Bridge?
- Might there be an application at the Tamar's mouth?
JUST 5 QUESTIONS TO BE GOING ON WITH
