BRITANNIA CONQUERING THE SEAS

Britain leads in marine energy race, lags in wind
Nao Nakanishi (w/Daniel Fineren and Anthony Barker), June 4, 2009 (Reuters via UK Guardian)

"Britain is determined to harness its huge marine energy potential and export it around the world after blowing the opportunity to be a global wind power leader…The British Isles have some of the world's strongest tides, waves and winds but the country has trailed others including Spain and Germany in wind energy growth. Britain does have an early lead in the emerging marine energy technology and is testing the world's first full scale ocean energy converters -- the "sea snake" wave power generator developed by Pelamis Wave Power Ltd and and Marine Current Turbines' SeaGen tidal turbines.

"…Although Britain is home to most of the world's 80-100 marine energy companies, only a handful have installed devices at sea, while others are testing in tanks or on computers…[The] 2009 budget [will]it would provide 405 million pounds ($600 million) to emerging low-carbon technology, such as marine energy…"

The UK government is determined to reap the benefit of this rich asset. (click to enlarge)

"The push follows Britain's failure to create a domestic wind turbine manufacturing base and slow progress in developing onshore wind farms which has left it trailing behind several European neighbours, China, India and the United States…[Britain] hopes to build the world's largest forest of offshore wind turbines over the next decade but will have to import all the equipment to do it…

"In an ambitious move, the Crown Estate last year opened bids for the world's first large scale commercial tide and wave projects in Pentland Firth in northern Scotland…[It] hopes Pentland Firth will have at least 700 megawatts of wave or tidal power capacity installed by 2020…[The] Strategic Environmental Assessment in England and Wales, [due by late 2011, will] identify potential sites and estimate the marine energy potential…

"…[T]he Carbon Trust has calculated marine energy could eventually supply up to 20 percent of Britain's power…The BWEA estimates that marine energy could provide a similar share of the world's electricity and British firms are keen to cash in on the potentially huge export market…The industry could help replace jobs that may be lost over coming decades in other sectors, such as the offshore oil and gas industry…The endless, predictable tides of the oceans could reduce the need for coal or gas-fired power generators to be built as backup for wind farms…"

They intend to determine which technology is best. (click to enlarge)

"But marine technology is in its infancy…It is still unclear which [technologies] will become a commercial success…The Pelamis sea snake is a series of cylindrical sections linked by joints…Current models are 180 metres long…Marine Current Turbines' technology works like submerged wind turbines placed on the seabed…where tides are particularly strong.

"Oceans are hostile environments…Both Pelamis and Marine Current Turbines have had to remove their devices from the water several times…[In 5 years] nobody has been able to make use of the government's Marine Renewable Development Fund…as it requires three months of full operation…"