The news that the world’s largest tidal turbine – 1 MW in size – will be installed off the coast of Scotland near Orkney should come as no surprise.
Primitive tidal mills operated in the England date back to the 11th century. During the 18th century, several tidal mills popped up in Western Europe. The first modern tidal plants borrowed from conventional hydropower concepts by relying upon dams or barrages. La Rance, France still boasts the largest such system in the world, supplying 240 MW of capacity since 1966.
Scotland is the hot spot for tidal power in all of northern Europe, with the Pentland Firth often described as the “Saudi Arabia of tidal power.” The U.K. and Ireland also feature among the best tidal sites in the world, because they are relatively close to people. Some from these islands near the European coast may argue with this assessment, but when compared to the U.S. — where 95% of the nation’s tidal resources rise and fall off the coast of remote Alaska — it becomes clear it is all a matter of perspective.
Tidal stream turbines often look suspiciously like wind turbines placed underwater. Tidal projects comprise over 90 percent of today’s marine kinetic capacity totals, but the vast majority of this installed capacity relies upon first generation “barrage” systems still relying upon storage dams (see forecast below.)
Pike Research will be issuing a revised forecast of ocean energy technologies next year, with lower capacity totals given the lack of progress on carbon regulations and the lingering recession, but this 2009 forecast shows how tidal systems dominate the near-term market for ocean energy technologies.
What is the scientific basis of tides?
Tides result from the gravitational forces of the moon and sun interacting with oceans. (Because of its proximity to the earth, the moon actually exerts about twice as much influence on tidal patterns as the sun.) The ever-changing relationship between the moon, sun, and earth causes the ocean to rise and fall at regular intervals. These bulges are frequently referred to as “semi-diurnal” tides.
These tidal streams become concentrated pools of kinetic energy ideal for power generation, when passing through narrow channels, an inlet into a bay or other passages between two land masses. While the tidal resource is much less abundant than wave energy resources, its power density is greater. Most waves move at the pace of approximately one meter per second; tides typically move at least twice that speed at two meters per second. A doubling of the speed of tidal streams will result in eight times the amount of potential energy since power density is determined by the cube of water speed.
The Electric Power Research Institute has projected that a 100 MW tidal stream turbine project could generate power at a cost of 6 to 9 cents per kilowatt hour, which is competitive with wind, geothermal and other mainstream renewable technologies.
The basic selling points for tidal as follows:
-- Tidal resources have the highest power density of any of the marine renewable technologies, hence the lowest cost estimates.
-- Unlike many renewable resources including solar and wind power, tidal resources can be accurately predicted literally years in advance.
-- Tidal devices are typically sited below the ocean surface: they can’t be seen; can’t be heard; and, in most instances, would not interfere with shipping or other maritime uses.
While physics is on the side of tidal streams if compared to wave energy resources, the size of the resource is much smaller. Most experts estimate the wave resource to be two to three times the size of the world’s tidal stream resource.
Peter Asmus is a senior analyst at Pike Research, a clean tech research and consulting firm.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Carbon Reduction Commitment: carbon trading or a carbon tax?
Trewin Restorick
Trewin Restorick questions the wisdom of the "mind-blowingly complicated" CRC scheme
BusinessGreen, 07 Sep 2010
There are less than six weeks before organisations need to register for the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).
Almost 1,600 organisations have registered, which is about half the number now expected by the Environment Agency.
The scheme is mind-blowingly complicated with new rules appearing all the time. For instance, in early August the agency decreed that even insolvent firms and those in administration have to register!
DECC has realised the degree of complexity and has belatedly asked for suggestions on simplification.
The difficulty in implementing the CRC has strengthened calls for a simple carbon tax to be introduced rather than trading schemes, which would be a break with the long-running preference amongst policy-makers.
A recent report by the Policy Exchange noted that trading schemes are wide open to lobbying by vested interests and that the pricing signal of the CRC is too small to have an impact, and builds in complexity.
The report also called for the axing of Feed-in-Tariffs estimating that as well as being socially unjust they are costing £460 per tonne of carbon saved.
Personally, I feel that a carbon tax would be a far simpler and more effective solution than trading schemes which, while excellent in principle, are a nightmare to administer.
What is clear though is that the CRC has forced the issue of carbon measurement and reduction up boardroom agendas largely because of the reputational issues linked to the league tables and this element needs to be retained.
Food versus fuel
Another area where policy is struggling to deal with the complexity of our global economy is around land use.
A 30 per cent rise in the price of bread has caused food riots in Mozambique. Wheat prices are soaring largely because Russia has suffered an extreme heat wave and associated fires, causing the world's third largest producer to impose an export ban for the second year running.
The rising price of wheat has called into question the wisdom of the EU's biofuel targets introduced in an attempt to wean us from our dependence on oil.
The UK has to meet a compulsory target ensuring that 10 per cent of our transport fuel comes from renewable sources by 2020. To hit this target production capacity is being developed that could guzzle one-fifth of our total wheat production.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation always seemed a crazy piece of legislation to me. We did some research on the issue around the time it was introduced and even our cursory inspection highlighted the problems it would create around land use.
As with many environmental issues, far more effort should be placed on reducing consumption and waste in the first instance and, as Global Action Plan is constantly discovering, there are huge and cost-efficient savings to be made in this area.
The greenest Government ever?
There are an increasing number of worrying signs that the recession will stop money being invested in initiatives that will help us to hit our carbon targets and enable us to deal with the impact of more extreme weather events.
In the past week alone Shropshire Council has announced that it is planning to save £225,000 a year by stopping its weekly collection of food waste, just at a time when the Government has committed to a huge increase in Anaerobic Digestion.
There are rumours that house builders are being successful in their lobbying efforts to soften the carbon neutral targets around new builds due to costs.
Another report suggested that the Government will not be investing in the Seven Barrage and the Met Office has highlighted the need for water companies to invest heavily in drainage systems that can cope with extreme rainfall at a time when their budgets are being heavily squeezed.
The Coalition Government entered power setting out the ambition to be the " greenest government ever". The results of the Comprehensive Spending Review on essential environmental investments will test the validity of this statement.
Another award night, another highly commended
On Wednesday, a group of us headed off for the Charity Times Award event at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane.
Our partnership with Sky had been short-listed for the best corporate/charity partnership of the year. We went more in hope than expectation as we were up against some of the UK's largest and most well-known charities.
All charity award nights are totally incongruous and this one was no exception. There aren't many events where you get pseudo razzmatazz music followed by the opening speaker making comparisons between some of the current Government’s policies and Stalin!
Fortunately the host for the night, Ruby Wax, correctly identified the absurdity of the whole thing.
She joyously trampled on slightly the wrong side of the line of bad taste, most notably by congratulating the Alzheimers Society on remembering that they had entered one award.
We ended up with the bitter-sweet satisfaction of coming second (again!) by which point I had downed sufficient alcohol to be dragged into the forced jollity.
The night ended up with colleagues and 4 straws downing a goldfish bowl-sized mojito at 3am. The next day was not pretty.
Trewin Restorick is chief executive of environmental charity and advisory body Global Action Plan
Trewin Restorick questions the wisdom of the "mind-blowingly complicated" CRC scheme
BusinessGreen, 07 Sep 2010
There are less than six weeks before organisations need to register for the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).
Almost 1,600 organisations have registered, which is about half the number now expected by the Environment Agency.
The scheme is mind-blowingly complicated with new rules appearing all the time. For instance, in early August the agency decreed that even insolvent firms and those in administration have to register!
DECC has realised the degree of complexity and has belatedly asked for suggestions on simplification.
The difficulty in implementing the CRC has strengthened calls for a simple carbon tax to be introduced rather than trading schemes, which would be a break with the long-running preference amongst policy-makers.
A recent report by the Policy Exchange noted that trading schemes are wide open to lobbying by vested interests and that the pricing signal of the CRC is too small to have an impact, and builds in complexity.
The report also called for the axing of Feed-in-Tariffs estimating that as well as being socially unjust they are costing £460 per tonne of carbon saved.
Personally, I feel that a carbon tax would be a far simpler and more effective solution than trading schemes which, while excellent in principle, are a nightmare to administer.
What is clear though is that the CRC has forced the issue of carbon measurement and reduction up boardroom agendas largely because of the reputational issues linked to the league tables and this element needs to be retained.
Food versus fuel
Another area where policy is struggling to deal with the complexity of our global economy is around land use.
A 30 per cent rise in the price of bread has caused food riots in Mozambique. Wheat prices are soaring largely because Russia has suffered an extreme heat wave and associated fires, causing the world's third largest producer to impose an export ban for the second year running.
The rising price of wheat has called into question the wisdom of the EU's biofuel targets introduced in an attempt to wean us from our dependence on oil.
The UK has to meet a compulsory target ensuring that 10 per cent of our transport fuel comes from renewable sources by 2020. To hit this target production capacity is being developed that could guzzle one-fifth of our total wheat production.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation always seemed a crazy piece of legislation to me. We did some research on the issue around the time it was introduced and even our cursory inspection highlighted the problems it would create around land use.
As with many environmental issues, far more effort should be placed on reducing consumption and waste in the first instance and, as Global Action Plan is constantly discovering, there are huge and cost-efficient savings to be made in this area.
The greenest Government ever?
There are an increasing number of worrying signs that the recession will stop money being invested in initiatives that will help us to hit our carbon targets and enable us to deal with the impact of more extreme weather events.
In the past week alone Shropshire Council has announced that it is planning to save £225,000 a year by stopping its weekly collection of food waste, just at a time when the Government has committed to a huge increase in Anaerobic Digestion.
There are rumours that house builders are being successful in their lobbying efforts to soften the carbon neutral targets around new builds due to costs.
Another report suggested that the Government will not be investing in the Seven Barrage and the Met Office has highlighted the need for water companies to invest heavily in drainage systems that can cope with extreme rainfall at a time when their budgets are being heavily squeezed.
The Coalition Government entered power setting out the ambition to be the " greenest government ever". The results of the Comprehensive Spending Review on essential environmental investments will test the validity of this statement.
Another award night, another highly commended
On Wednesday, a group of us headed off for the Charity Times Award event at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane.
Our partnership with Sky had been short-listed for the best corporate/charity partnership of the year. We went more in hope than expectation as we were up against some of the UK's largest and most well-known charities.
All charity award nights are totally incongruous and this one was no exception. There aren't many events where you get pseudo razzmatazz music followed by the opening speaker making comparisons between some of the current Government’s policies and Stalin!
Fortunately the host for the night, Ruby Wax, correctly identified the absurdity of the whole thing.
She joyously trampled on slightly the wrong side of the line of bad taste, most notably by congratulating the Alzheimers Society on remembering that they had entered one award.
We ended up with the bitter-sweet satisfaction of coming second (again!) by which point I had downed sufficient alcohol to be dragged into the forced jollity.
The night ended up with colleagues and 4 straws downing a goldfish bowl-sized mojito at 3am. The next day was not pretty.
Trewin Restorick is chief executive of environmental charity and advisory body Global Action Plan
Alex Salmond unveils plan to turn Scotland into 'world's first hydro-economy'
Proposed legislation would allow state-owned Scottish Water to use vast landbank and pipe network for renewable energy projects
Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 September 2010 18.29 BST
The state-owned utility Scottish Water is to be given new powers to build windfarms, hydro schemes and "green" power stations in partnership and competition with established energy companies.
The company, one of the country's last remaining state-owned firms, could generate £300m or more in extra revenues by using its 80,000 acres of land and vast pipe network for renewable energy projects.
The proposal was unveiled by Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, in his government's last legislative programme before next May's Scottish elections. He claimed it would turn Scotland into "the world's first hydro-economy – wisely exploiting our water to help drive our economy".
Salmond is resisting pressure to convert Scottish Water into a mutualised company under public ownership, similar to Welsh Water, to generate much-needed revenue and offset cuts of up to £3.7bn expected in next month's spending review.
The Conservatives and Salmond's own economic advisers believe mutualisation would immediately raise up to £3bn for the Treasury, with £1bn going to the Scottish government, and save the taxpayer £140m a year in loans.
Salmond, an enthusiast for renewable energy investment, said that the company would remain entirely in public ownership, while having much greater freedom to exploit commercial opportunities that would eventually allow it to become self-financing and self-sufficient.
"They have identified potential for new economic activity in other business areas of some hundreds of millions in the medium term," he told the Scottish parliament. "If we give Scottish Water room to grow, then we have the makings of a great Scottish company, in public ownership."
Scottish Water, which has annual revenues of about £1bn and assets worth £5.5bn, is the UK's fourth-largest water company. It owns about 80,000 acres, including high ground with great potential value for onshore wind and hydro schemes.
The company hopes the legislation proposed by Salmond will allow its fledgling commercial services division, called Harmony, to drive its new energy projects. The Tories hope to amend the water bill with Labour support, forcing the SNP to mutualise the company.
The utility is also in talks about joint projects with some of the largest players in renewables and potential competitors, which are thought to include Scottish and Southern Energy and ScottishPower.
Richard Ackroyd, the company's chief executive, said: "Our success in reducing our carbon footprint and expanding our work into renewables and recycling is helping to put Scottish Water in a position where it can make a real contribution to the environmental challenges facing Scotland."
Scottish and Southern Energy, the UK's largest hydro-electricity producer, would not comment directly on Scottish Water's entry into the energy market. "There are other people who are becoming players in the market all the time; we wouldn't have any comment to make on Scottish Water becoming part of that," a spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for ScottishPower's renewables arm welcomed Scottish Water's involvement, saying: "Scotland has a wealth of renewable energy opportunities and we are keen to see the country fulfil its renewables potential. Investment from both the public and private sector will be critical in achieving this."
Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 September 2010 18.29 BST
The state-owned utility Scottish Water is to be given new powers to build windfarms, hydro schemes and "green" power stations in partnership and competition with established energy companies.
The company, one of the country's last remaining state-owned firms, could generate £300m or more in extra revenues by using its 80,000 acres of land and vast pipe network for renewable energy projects.
The proposal was unveiled by Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, in his government's last legislative programme before next May's Scottish elections. He claimed it would turn Scotland into "the world's first hydro-economy – wisely exploiting our water to help drive our economy".
Salmond is resisting pressure to convert Scottish Water into a mutualised company under public ownership, similar to Welsh Water, to generate much-needed revenue and offset cuts of up to £3.7bn expected in next month's spending review.
The Conservatives and Salmond's own economic advisers believe mutualisation would immediately raise up to £3bn for the Treasury, with £1bn going to the Scottish government, and save the taxpayer £140m a year in loans.
Salmond, an enthusiast for renewable energy investment, said that the company would remain entirely in public ownership, while having much greater freedom to exploit commercial opportunities that would eventually allow it to become self-financing and self-sufficient.
"They have identified potential for new economic activity in other business areas of some hundreds of millions in the medium term," he told the Scottish parliament. "If we give Scottish Water room to grow, then we have the makings of a great Scottish company, in public ownership."
Scottish Water, which has annual revenues of about £1bn and assets worth £5.5bn, is the UK's fourth-largest water company. It owns about 80,000 acres, including high ground with great potential value for onshore wind and hydro schemes.
The company hopes the legislation proposed by Salmond will allow its fledgling commercial services division, called Harmony, to drive its new energy projects. The Tories hope to amend the water bill with Labour support, forcing the SNP to mutualise the company.
The utility is also in talks about joint projects with some of the largest players in renewables and potential competitors, which are thought to include Scottish and Southern Energy and ScottishPower.
Richard Ackroyd, the company's chief executive, said: "Our success in reducing our carbon footprint and expanding our work into renewables and recycling is helping to put Scottish Water in a position where it can make a real contribution to the environmental challenges facing Scotland."
Scottish and Southern Energy, the UK's largest hydro-electricity producer, would not comment directly on Scottish Water's entry into the energy market. "There are other people who are becoming players in the market all the time; we wouldn't have any comment to make on Scottish Water becoming part of that," a spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for ScottishPower's renewables arm welcomed Scottish Water's involvement, saying: "Scotland has a wealth of renewable energy opportunities and we are keen to see the country fulfil its renewables potential. Investment from both the public and private sector will be critical in achieving this."
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