TIDAL FLOW - GENERATING ENERGY

The generation of energy from tidal currents is therefore very site specific.  The World Offshore Renewable Energy Report 2002-2007 released by the then DTI, suggests that while a staggering 3000GW of tidal energy is estimated to be available, less than 3% of this is located in areas suitable for power generation.  A number of possible sites have been identified in Scotland including the Pentland Firth, which has been described as the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of the world’s future tidal industry – being capable of providing up to 10% of the UK’s energy demand alone. 

Scottish Enterprise has estimated that 34% of the UK’s electricity demand could be generated by tidal currents.  This analysis is based on two premise:

-    Power can only be generated in a current of
2 knots or greater.

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-    Only a limited number of sites are suitable for mounting the
current design of tidal power generator.

If either of these parameters is changed, then the potential energy that can be generated is also drastically changed.

However, tidal current energy converters are at an early stage of development. There have only been a small number of prototypes tested to date with one commercial unit operating with grid connection. 

These energy converters use the kinetic energy of the moving water, transforming it into useful rotational energy and electricity.  The turbines are smaller than wind turbines yet they can produce the same power as tidal current has four times the energy density of a good wind site.

Current2Current Ltd, Thainstone Business Centre, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire AB51 5TB  Tel:+44 (0) 1467 623355