AROUND BRITAIN

Crest of a wave

The South West is a fast-growing centre for marine energy. Lorraine Shah highlights the region’s developing expertise and meets four of the industry’s leading players

As the transition to a low-carbon economy moves ever further up the world’s agenda, there is an increasing spotlight on new and innovative renewable energy technologies. These include marine energy, the

creation of power from waves and tides, which is forecast to play a signifi cant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the quantity of renewable energy being supplied to businesses and homes.

The UK is host to an increasingly important marine energy sector, with experts predicting it could be worth almost £1bn annually by 2030 and, in the long term, provide as much as 20 per cent of the country’s electricity. Ben Taylor of UK Trade & Investment’s energy team says: “The UK has the best tidal and wave resources in the world and has already seized a strong lead in this area, with 23 per cent of all global wave developments and 27 per cent of all global tidal developments being located here. This lead has meant that UK wave and tidal fi rms have been able to export

their skills and ideas across the world.” Blazing a trail for marine energy in the UK is the South West. In 2009, the UK Government designated it a Low Carbon Economic Area for Marine Energy, providing almost £20m of extra funding into the region. The area’s natural resources make it an ideal environment in which to develop marine energy technologies. The South West has 700 miles of coastline (60 per cent more than any other English region), much of it facing the Atlantic, generating the strong oceanic swells necessary for the development of wave energy. The region also benefi ts from less extreme storm conditions that would challenge the ‘survivability’ of wave energy devices – especially important in the early stages of their development. Moreover, the South West is sitting on a hugely untapped source of tidal energy. At 14 metres, it is home to the second-highest tidal range in the world in the Severn Estuary between Bristol and Wales. This creates a massive energy resource, with the potential to generate

up to fi ve per cent of the UK’s electricity demand. The region also has a number of areas where tidal streams could be exploited, including the Bristol Channel, around Portland Bill, the Isles of Scilly and the nearby Channel Islands, home to Europe’s second-largest area of tidal stream resource.

In addition, the South West’s rich maritime history means that there is a number of leading marine science organisations based in the region – particularly in Plymouth, home to the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the Marine Biological Association and the Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation. This provides a world- class knowledge base on which to build a thriving marine energy industry. As a result, the South West has become a magnet for some world- leading businesses in marine energy, from tidal stream developers to prominent wave energy organisations. These are stimulating signifi cant global interest from overseas buyers and investors, who are keen to access the region’s skills and expertise.

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