Marine energy plans for Scotland

Ten wave and tidal schemes are to be built off the Scottish coast, generating a potential 1.2 gigawatts of electricity in the world’s first marine energy scheme to be built on a commercial scale. The plans were announced by the Crown Estate which owns the UK seabed and the Scottish Government whose first minister, Alex Salmond called the area “the Saudi Arabia of marine energy”.

The world’s first wave-power plant in Portugal is similar to plans being considered in Scotland.

Roger Bright, chief executive of the Crown Estate, said the 10 projects have the capacity to generate four times the electricity of Scotland’s former nuclear power station at Dounreay in Caithness. “This shows the world that marine energy can produce significant electrical power and offer a real alternative to conventional power production,” he said.

The marine features which make Scotland an ideal location for wave and tidal energy generation include strong tides and currents around it’s coast. The Pentland Firth region, where the north-east Atlantic meets the North Sea experiences some of the largest waves in the UK and will be the site for a number of wave-power plants. The area of water between The Orkney Isles and the Scottish mainland will also see a number of developments to harness the fast currents flowing through the area.

The project funded by the Crown Estate, the Scottish government and partners is expected to cost £4billion to install and will require up to £1billion more of taxpayers’ money to build new grid connections, harbours and other structural facilities in Orkney and Caithness.

Much of the technology that will be employed in the project is still in development and the nature of the environment in which the structures will be installed poses numerous safety and logistical challenges. However, as studies have suggested that a third of the UK’s energy needs could be met by tidal power alone, this project is a positive step towards delivering a more sustainable energy source for the country. Read more…