The UK is underestimating the amount of electricity that could be generated from tidal sources, new research says
The analysis says that estuary barrages and tidal streams could provide more than 20% of the nation's demand for electricity. Despite high costs, experts say tidal power is more reliable than wind. The predictable nature of tides makes them an ideal renewable energy source, the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A reports.
Professor 'Bakr Bahaj and colleagues have published a Royal Society Report into research on the potential of this type of power generation.
Essentially, engineers try to tap tides in two ways: one involves building barrages across tidal estuaries that use the ebb and flow of the waters to turn turbines. The other method involves planting turbines underwater in fast flowing tidal streams in areas such as in coastal waters around Cornwall and Scotland.
In the Royal Society report, researchers say they are "extremely optimistic" that both types of technology can be realised and relatively soon.
2013 could see a big breakthrough in tidal stream power. A company called MeyGen is planning to deploy tidal stream technology in the Pentland Firth that will initially generate up to 40MW of electricity, enough to power about 38,000 homes.
"This is a crucial milestone for us, it will be the first array of tidal stream turbines," observed report co-author Professor AbuBakr Bahaj from the University of Southampton, who was appointed chief scientific advisor to the city of Southampton in August.
Key facts
MeyGen is planning to deploy tidal stream technology in the Pentland Firth that will initially generate up to 40MW of electricity, enough to power about 38,000 homes.
From tidal barrages you can reasonably expect you can get 15% of UK electricity needs, that's a very solid number