Oceans for Energy
The ocean is a
vast and virtually
untapped source
of renewable energy,
including tidal, wave
and thermal power.
Barrages and turbines
can convert tidal energy into
electricity and wave energy can
be harnessed through a variety
of technologies. Image Credit: Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
UK scientists are researching the potential for, and environmental impacts of coastal and offshore power generation to help deliver sustainable, CO2 - free energy from the sea.
The Mersey Estuary has one of the largest tidal ranges in the UK. It is considered one of the best UK locations for a tidal power scheme. It is also an internationally important area for wildlife and any scheme would need to take account of this.
10 metres - the maximum tidal
range at Liverpool.
17 metres - the highest tidal range in
the world - Canada’s Bay of Fundy
Sustainable energy and marine life
How can society balance the need for
extracting sustainable energy from the
oceans with the need to minimise the
impact on marine wildlife? The narrow
entrance to Strangford Lough in Northern
Ireland generates powerful currents and
engineers have built a turbine to harness
this free tidal energy. But the lough is
home to a colony of common seals.
Marine scientists from NERC’s
collaborative centre the Sea Mammal
Research Unit (SMRU) have tagged 24
seals to see if the turbine affects their
behaviour. Image Credit: Marine Current Turbines Ltd.
The southern entrance to Strangford Lough is a deep channel eight kilometres long called the Narrows. It’s just half a kilometre from Portaferry to Strangford and the tidal currents can reach 4 metres/second.
Seals phone a friend
Tags designed by researchers at the
Sea Mammal Research Unit use mobile
phone technology to send data as text
messages to the team when the seals
come close to shore. The researchers
can tell how close seals come
to the new turbine and where
they feed at sea. Image Credit: SMRU
Since 1900, sea level has risen an average of 20 centimetres around the world. Most of this rise is due to the ocean expanding as it warms, the remainder by melting glaciers.
Content Credit: Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and the Sea Mammal Research Unit.