Renewable Revolution

Friday, June 06, 2014
 
 
TIDAL POWER’S FORCE RISING IN SCOTLAND

Tidal Power — GE & Others Looking To Harness The Power Of The Moon   
James Ayre, May 25, 2014 (Clean Technica)

“…[Tapping the energy of] tidal fluctuations caused by the movement of the [moon] has remained somewhat elusive…though, a number of interesting projects/approaches are being pursued…Scotland has been noted as possessing significant tidal resources that could meet up to 50% of its energy needs…GE Power Conversion is currently in the process of testing out new tidal turbine generators [on the sea floor near the Orkneys in Scotland]…[Turbines planned for the bottom of the Pentland Firth, a narrow channel that separates the Orkneys from the northern tip of Scotland… resemble large aircraft propellers submerged in 180 to 240 feet of water…[at strategic] ‘pinch points’ of the firth, where the tides rush in and out at the highest speeds…[T]idal power generation arrays will become much more common in the coming years, as the benefits of the technology are realized on a larger scale…The $1.2 billion [320 MW Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Project] is currently set to begin construction in 2015, with a completion date likely to be sometime in 2018…If the project is deemed successful, current plans are for the development of four more projects in other lagoons — which when all taken together would provide up to 10% of the UK’s domestic electricity needs…”

http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2014/06/tidal-powers-force-rising-in-scotland.html