So I’m on my way to London to do something new. This afternoon I’m presenting some of my research on the potential socioeconomic benefits of ocean energy to the UK economy to a group of MPs at Westminster.
#tidalPower
Nuclear investment announcement a ‘missed opportunity’ for Welsh tidal power
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have said that today’s announcement by the UK Government on investing £14.2 billion in the Sizewell C Nuclear Plant in Suffolk is a massive, missed opportunity for both Wales and the UK’s efforts to tackle climate change.
The party say that while Sizewell C is a huge project, capable of powering 6 million homes, not one of those homes will be in Wales — and not one job from the development will benefit Welsh communities.
The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS, has written to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to call on the UK Government to urgently start investing in Welsh Tidal Lagoon projects, such as the one in Swansea Bay.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats say that if the Government had chosen to invest in Welsh Tidal Lagoon projects thousands of high skilled, well-paid jobs would be created in Wales giving a much-needed boost to our coastal economies whilst helping the UK to meet its climate goals.
Commenting she said: “Once again we’re seeing this Labour government putting other parts of the UK first.
“Just imagine how transformational it would have been to the Welsh economy if the UK Government had chosen to invest in Welsh Tidal Lagoon projects rather than more nuclear power stations.
“For generations we exported energy to the world and the Welsh Liberal Democrats want to see us do it again through renewable sources such as tidal.
“Both the UK Labour Government and Welsh Labour Government need to be more ambitious for Wales’ future and think about how a failure to invest in Wales today is damaging our economic prospects for generations to come.”
An independent commission of experts have recommended in March that the government “act now” to harness the UK’s huge potential for tidal range energy in the Severn Estuary.
The report prompted backers of the cancelled Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to call for the UK and Welsh Governments to “get on with building” a lagoon in Swansea as well.
#NuclearPower #TidalLagoon #TidalPower #UKGovernment #WelshLiberalDemocrats
Calls to ‘get on with building the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon’
An independent commission of experts have recommended that the government “act now” to harness the UK’s huge potential for tidal range energy in the Severn Estuary.
The report has prompted backers of the cancelled Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to call for the UK and Welsh Governments to “get on with building” a lagoon in Swansea as well.
Private sector organisation, DST Group released new conceptual images in May 2024 showing elements of a £6.25bn renewable energy scheme in Swansea that’s set to include a tidal lagoon. There has not been any further progress on the lagoon element of the plans since however.
It was the latest in a long line of artist’s impressions released by DST since 2020, which have included a Dubai-style artificial energy island in Swansea Bay.
A tidal lagoon in Swansea was cancelled by the Conservative Government in 2018 citing poor value for money.
The Severn Estuary Commission meanwhile has spent the last year engaging with more than 500 individuals and over 200 local and national organisations to explore if it is now possible to harness the power of the UK’s largest tidal range following the decades of proposals.
The commission has concluded that tidal range energy in the Severn Estuary is “feasible” and could deliver predictable, renewable electricity that will work independent of weather conditions. With UK electricity demand set to more than double by 2050, they have called for urgent investment to make sure this kind of energy can play a part in the future energy system in a way which is sustainable.
The UK’s National Energy System Operator already predicts that tidal energy will need to play a part in any future energy system. The Severn Estuary has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world and could provide the vast majority of the UK’s total tidal energy. However, it also remains of international environmental importance.
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, at the Welsh Government, Rebecca Evans MS said: “We want to make Wales a world centre for emerging tidal technologies, and the Severn Estuary is a source of immense potential energy as one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. I welcome the work of the Severn Estuary Commission and I look forward to working with the UK Government and the Western Gateway to make sure that we can harness its potential whilst also protecting this unique asset.”
Responding to the report, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “We have a ready-made plan to harness the tidal energy of the Severn already and have done so for years.
“It was a huge mistake by the Conservatives to cancel the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and this new Labour Government should rectify that mistake by reviving the project and simply getting on with it.
“Tidal power offers huge advantages to Wales, not only in generating electricity but in its potential to create well-paid jobs. The UK Government seems perfectly happy to spend large amounts on infrastructure in the South East of England, its time they made some investments in Wales.”
In a December session of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, Jay Sheppard, Project Manager at Marine Energy Wales said: “Historically, we have seen tidal stream projects delivered with anywhere between 80% and 100% UK content, compared with about 20% for wind. That means that, on average, we will see four to five times the level of socioeconomic benefits per pound spent on tidal compared with wind.”
Swansea Council leader, Cllr Rob Stewart said he remained committed to bringing a tidal lagoon to the city.
Cllr Rob Stewart said: “We welcome this report which underlines why we remain committed to supporting efforts to create a Tidal Lagoon in Swansea Bay.
“Following the cancellation of the original project by the Tory UK Government, we commenced a process to invite the private sector to bring toward proposals for a Swansea lagoon
“Since then, DST have been working with their consortium partners to bring forward a £6.25bn integrated energy project based around a lagoon, which won’t require subsidies from the Uk taxpayer. We have been busy behind the scenes supporting this work
“The new UK Labour Government have included tidal energy in the UK’s future energy mix, and we will continue to engage with Welsh and UK governments to support efforts to bring this scheme forward”
(Lead image: DST)
This isolated town in Maine could be a model for the clean energy… https://bit.ly/3VklOJe #climate #microgrids #TidalPower
This isolated town in Maine could be a model for the clean energy… https://bit.ly/3VklOJe #climate #microgrids #TidalPower
@luckytran
Protesters are NEVER the problem
#ClimateCrisis
#ClimateAction
#ClimateEmergency
#extinctionrebellion
#juststopoil
#InsulateBritain
#greenenergytransition
#windpowergeneration
#solarenergy
#tidalpower
#Hydropower
@ExtinctionR
@greenparty
@JustStopOil
Every action you take makes a difference
Drive less
fly never
eat local & vegetarian
Eat less meat
use renewables where poss & affordable
Save water
Reuse, fix, recycle
Insulate, insulate, insulate!
Have a wildlife friendly garden w pond
Latest failure: Energy firm fails in its bid to generate power from the Bay of Fundy
The Nova Scotia government confirmed today that Occurrent, formerly BigMoon Power, is filing for insolvency because it can't pay its bills.
#globalnews #Environment #BigMoonPower #Occurrent #tidalpower
https://globalnews.ca/news/10734664/tidal-power-bay-of-fundy-occurrent-insolvency/
Latest failure: Energy firm fails in its bid to generate power from the Bay of Fundy
The Nova Scotia government confirmed today that Occurrent, formerly BigMoon Power, is filing for insolvency because it can't pay its bills.
#globalnews #Environment #BigMoonPower #Occurrent #tidalpower
https://globalnews.ca/news/10734664/tidal-power-bay-of-fundy-occurrent-insolvency/
Latest failure: Energy firm fails in its bid to generate power from the Bay of Fundy
The Nova Scotia government confirmed today that Occurrent, formerly BigMoon Power, is filing for insolvency because it can't pay its bills.
#globalnews #Environment #BigMoonPower #Occurrent #tidalpower
https://globalnews.ca/news/10734664/tidal-power-bay-of-fundy-occurrent-insolvency/
Electric 'superhighway' approved between #Scotland and #England
"The project will be the first of four #subsea electricity links planned along the east coast with the eventual capacity capable of powering 7.5 million homes."
August 13, 2024
by Kevin Keane
"A multi-billion pound subsea cable that can shift vast amounts of #renewable electricity between Scotland and England has been given the go-ahead by regulators.
"#SSENTransmission says the #EnergyTransferProject is needed to move energy around the grid on days when the wind doesn’t blow or demand is high.
"The two 315-mile (507km) cables will run from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire and will initially work alongside a similar link down the west coast.
"It is part of wider moves to modernise and increase capacity on the energy transmission network for the shift away from #Fossilfuels to tackle #ClimateChange.
If the PCs truly want to develop Nova Scotia’s tidal industry, they should embrace the carbon tax
Also: Africville; Apostrophes
https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file/if-the-pcs-truly-want-to-develop-nova-scotias-tidal-industry-they-should-embrace-the-carbon-tax/
Morning File by @TimBousquet
#NovaScotia #carbontax #tidalpower #news
Inexpensive electricity from tidal power won’t be developed for decades, so committee talks about DFO regulations instead
https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/economy/energy/inexpensive-electricity-from-tidal-power-wont-be-developed-for-decades-so-committee-talks-about-dfo-regulations-instead/
@silasmariner And nuclear plants are NOT equipped to handle temperature rise or storm surge from #ClimateChange. Get rid of #AI and #Cryptocurrency, build SOLAR where it's sunny (like the desert), and use #Geothermal, #Wind, and #TidalPower where appropriate. It's a bit of a no-brainer, if you ask me. Why not use what we have? And also be frugal with the ENERGY we do produce -- rather than waste it on Crypto and AI!
My latest research paper on Assessing the Costs of Commercialising Tidal Energy in the UK is now online
We investigated the amount of market suppport needed for #TidalEnergy, on the premis that cost reductions with increasing deployment happen similarly to other renewabe tecnologies.
https://doi.org/10.3390/en17092085
#TidalPower #RenewableEnergy #MarketSupport #CostReduction #Innovation #LearningRates
Tech Addicts Podcast – 18 Feb 2024 – Publisher Perished
Gareth Myles and Ted Salmon host a tech-focused podcast available on multiple platforms, discussing various topics from a highly recommended Acer Chromebook with a great screen but short battery life, to the la
https://garethmyles.com/tech-addicts-podcast-publisher-perished/
#Podcast #TechAddicts #AcerChomebox #Bitlocker #Chromebook #Copilot #FilesApp #GalaxyTabS6Lite #MicrosoftPCManager #OpenAI #Publisher #TidalPower #Xol
Minesto tidal energy kite delivers first electricity to Faroe Islands grid
Minesto's utility-scale tidal powerplant Dragon 12 has been successfully commissioned, and it delivered its first electricity to the national grid in the Faroe Islands. #faroes #sweden #minesto #energy #electricity #infrastructure #tidalpower #worldnews #worldwithoutus
Japan nuclear watchdog halts Tsuruga reactor safety assessment again
KYODO NEWS KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2023
"Nuclear regulators said Wednesday they will again halt a safety assessment of an offline central Japan reactor after its operator repeatedly submitted documents containing errors, further prolonging a process toward resumption that has already taken years.
"Japan Atomic Power Co. has been seeking approval to reboot the No.2 unit at the #Tsuruga plant in #Fukui Prefecture under stricter regulations imposed following the 2011 #Fukushima #NuclearPowerPlant disaster, but its application has been fraught with mistakes and #DataTampering.
"The Nuclear Regulation Authority considered forcing the operator to withdraw its safety review application, but it ended up deciding on another suspension, citing how restarting the process all over the again would only burden the regulator.
"While public concern over the safety of nuclear facilities lingers following the Fukushima disaster, triggered by a massive quake and tsunami, the government is pushing the use of nuclear power as part of efforts to secure a stable electricity supply amid the war in Ukraine.
"Among the more than 30 existing nuclear reactors in Japan, 10 have resumed operations after clearing the post-Fukushima disaster safety hurdles, while 10 are still under examination by the nuclear watchdog, according to government data.
"The Tsuruga nuclear power plant is a two-unit complex, with the No. 1 reactor set to be scrapped. Japan Atomic Power submitted the safety review application for the No. 2 unit in 2015.
"In 2019, the nuclear regulators found over 1,000 inaccuracies in the documents submitted for measures against #earthquakes and #tsunamis, followed by revelations in February 2020 that the operator had rewritten data analyzing a drilling survey conducted on an area below the Tsuruga complex premises without approval.
"After a two-year suspension of the safety review, assessments restarted but they have remained at a virtual standstill as the regulators discovered errors in the locations given for geological features over the past months.
"In quake-prone #Japan, building #NuclearPlants or other important facilities directly above active faults is prohibited.
"Geological experts for the Nuclear Regulation Authority previously stated that a fault running underneath the No. 2 reactor was active, although #JapanAtomicPower has rejected the claims."
#RethinkNotRestart #JapanEarthquake2024 #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #NoNukes #TidalPower #Geothermal #RenewablesNow
#Japan Is Building Underwater #TidalPower Plants on Ocean Currents
Innovation & Technology / By Bojan Stojkovski / June 15, 2022
"Active shipping around the Japanese islands does not allow the Japanese to deploy conventional tidal power plants, and therefore Japanese experts are now developing and testing underwater power plants immersed in water to a depth of more than 50 meters.
"Successful testing of early prototypes of such power plants leads to Japan’s plans to build extensive networks of 2-MW standard tidal turbines by 2030.
"The development of the Kairyu Tidal Ocean Power Plant was started by IHI and NEDO scientists in 2011. By 2017, the partners assembled a 100 kW unit in the form of three 20-m floats with two 11-m blades (two 50 kW generators).
"The immersion depth of 50 meters was chosen for safety reasons during #typhoons, when you will not surprise anyone with the 20th wave, although the closer to the surface, the more influential the movement of water masses.
"The most promising place for installing underwater tidal turbines near Japan is the Japan Current (#Kuroshio) area off the country’s southern and eastern coasts in the Pacific Ocean. The potential current power is estimated at #205GW.
"IHI and NEDO are planning to build a 2MW tidal power plant with 40 blades for commercial use. A distributed network of such turbines could significantly contribute to providing the islands with electrical energy.
"According to Japanese experts, this type of network could generate electricity at the price of #solar energy. At the same time, the efficiency of tidal power plants is much higher than that of solar farms.
"Thus, the installed capacity utilization factor (ICUF) for solar farms is only 15%, while for tidal power plants, it reaches 70% and approaches the ICUU of thermal power plants with 80%.
"After the accident at the #Fukushima #nuclear power plant, Japan has problems with developing a peaceful atom. Also, there are no areas for full-fledged solar energy in the country, and the #winds are not as predictable as in Europe. Tidal power plants could be the foundation in Japan around which the government will build #carbonfree energy."
@verdantsquare Boo. #RethinkNotRestart! What about #TidalPower or #Geothermal? #Japan has plenty of hot springs and tides!
Client Info
Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.04
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst