Wave & tidal power | drop in the ocean More than a
As recent studies from around the globe show, marine energy potential needs to be taken seriously as it’s more than just a drop in the ocean
Above: Home to some of the world’s strongest tides, the Pentland Firth region is the epicentre of the UK’s tidal energy sector
ROADMAPS HELPING TO DRIVE the global wave and tidal energy sectors forward into the future estimate the technologies could contribute 300GW of renewable capacity by 2050, with a value of over US$340 billion. Indeed, as the Energy Industries Council (EIC) acknowledges, the sectors have the potential to provide a huge amount of renewable energy and could drastically aid in the goal of net zero. In its recent Wave and Tidal insight Report, the EIC says the UK is at the forefront of testing for both wave and tidal stream projects. Of the 74 schemes the EIC tracks in its global data-base, 28 projects in the pipeline are in the UK – 22 tidal and 6 wave. All of which will contribute towards a target from the Marine Energy Council of achieving 1GW of tidal energy and 300MW of wave power by 2035. Across Europe there are 13 projects in the pipeline, although the EU is described as lagging behind the UK in both scale and policy clarity. France and Portugal are leading the European assault, but other countries need to catch up. And waking up to its marine energy potential of an
estimated 63MW, Indonesia has eight sizeable projects in the pipeline. However the country’s main challenge isn’t resources but regulations, with overlapping agencies and a lack of feed-in tariffs slowing progress. Then with 12 projects underway, although it has the
resources and the markets have funding available to push for innovation, North America is described as not having the urgency for widespread deployment. Nabil Ahmed, author of the EIC insight report, says
Above: Orbital O2 tidal turbine has been developed by Orbital Marine Power
Below: The MeyGen tidal stream energy project is owned by SAE Renewables
governments need to stop treating marine energy as a science project and realise that the ocean’s power is more than just a drop in the renewable energy bucket.
More established According to the EIC, at the current time, the tidal
sector is considered to be more established and closer to commercialisation than the wave sector, with the latter still predominantly in its testing and demonstration phase. While a new study carried out by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult on behalf of Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, says the UK has the opportunity on world leadership in tidal stream energy. Indeed, with more than11GW of potential tidal stream capacity, over 130MW of tidal stream projects are due to become operational by 2029 in the UK – 82MW of which are planned to be deployed in Scotland. Estimates suggest that tidal stream can support
energy capacity and reduce energy systems costs by £1 billion per year. And through economies of scale and volume, learning by doing and technology
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innovation, the report believes tidal stream will follow a similar cost reduction pathway to solar and wind with costs forecast to fall to £50 per megawatt hour by 2050.
Identifying a range of opportunities to help coastal communities access cleaner, and potentially cheaper energy, the report says a more creative approach to using power generated locally by tidal energy projects could help businesses and homes around Scotland’s coastline become less reliant on expensive and polluting oil and diesel sources of power. It investigates how communities could connect directly to tidal power projects, allowing green energy generated locally to be supplied to users without relying on a connection to the national grid. Turning tidal-derived electricity into green hydrogen is also explored, identifying major opportunities for decarbonising industries, and manufacturing clean fuels. Called Alternative Offtake Routes for Tidal Stream
Energy, the report highlights that energy resilience for remote areas could be improved by reducing reliance on diesel and oil, which are often transported long distances, and notes the economic potential for local tidal projects to employ more people and generate revenues via community-funded projects. As Carolyn MacPhee, Development Manager
at Crown Estate Scotland, says: “Scotland has an enviable natural resource in the form of tidal power, which provides a consistent and predictable source of renewable energy. However, securing a connection to the national grid is an acknowledged obstacle to making full use of the tidal stream power available. This report sets out the opportunities to make greater use of our country’s natural power. In so doing it highlights the potential to provide clean energy within local communities, create jobs, and help reduce the costs of generating a range of energy types.” Thirty tidal stream locations around Scotland’s coast
were examined, of which 20 were identified as being close enough to potential end users. Various off-take routes were considered viable, including: The Islay Project, where green hydrogen company Protium is helping whisky distilleries to be carbon- neutral by 2040. Using the Pentland Firth’s tidal energy potential to produce green hydrogen to develop synthetic fuels on the Orkney island of Flotta. Replacing diesel generators on Barra and Vatersay with a battery storage system to utilise tidal generated electricity.
The study emphasises that accessing tidal-derived energy in this way is not a substitute for a connection to the national grid, but an additional way to maximise the use of such energy resources.
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