Oliver Brittain is a student at the University of Leeds.
The UK has for too long ignored the potential of tidal energy. Currently our infrastructure only caters for a meagre 0.1 per cent of our tidal stream reserves *which translates to 10.5 megawatts), despite the resource having the capability to deliver 11 per cent of Britain’s overall energy capacity (translating to 11.5 gigawatts).
Conservatives must put together a viable case for a rapid increase in its usage as part of our energy mix. It is projected that up to £17bn could be contributed to the UK economy by 2050 if we construct the necessary infrastructure for tidal stream energy.
Moreover, households across the country could on average see their electricity bills cut by £71 annually if we were to harness all 11 per cent of our tidal stream reserves. An expansion in tidal stream energy could also create 4000 jobs by 2030, and 14,500 by 2040.
As it stands our technology will only be able to obtain around 6 gigawatts from 30 tidal sites – but that is a marked increase from the four farms we have at present. The cost to generate power from tidal streams has also fallen by 40 per cent since 2018, and forecasts suggest that the cost to create one mw/h will be cheaper to acquire from our tidal streams over nuclear energy.
Tidal thus presents a winning combination: an increasingly cost-effective way to generate clean energy, simultaneously cutting household bills and making supply-side progress towards Net Zero that doesn’t squeeze living standards.
It would also reduce our dependence on imports from dubious sources. At present, the UK imports six per cent of our Liquefied Natural Gas from Qatar, which is currently sheltering Hamas’ leaders even as Britain stands by our ally, Israel. It is absurd that our industrial and commercial policies overseas so often cut directly across our diplomatic and foreign policy goals.
There are two different types of ways to generate tidal energy: tidal stream systems, which resemble wind turbines to an extent and tidal barrages.
Despite the advantages of barrage generators, most obviously higher energy production, they have much stronger adverse affects on marine wildlife. If a future Conservative government is to win public support for tapping our seas, the more environmentally-friendly tidal stream system seems much more suitable.
In 2019 Richard Graham, the former Tory MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Marine Energy and Tidal Lagoons, put the case succintly:
“Marine energy is an innovative, world-class industry in which the UK is a global leader. We have unparalleled resources, with 50 per cent of Europe’s tidal energy and 35 per cent of its wave energy. It is time to grasp the opportunity in front of us, as the government has with offshore wind. Right now people are clamouring for more actions on climate change. Marine energy provides a perfect opportunity for the government to show that it is listening.”
The support for tidal energy is also not only exclusive to the members of our Conservative family either: 2022 polling indicates 84 per cent of the public support tidal and wave energy.
But that opportunity to steal the march and secure a position of global leadership won’t last forever. Many other nations are already acting on the benefits of tidal energy.
South Korea has the largest tidal power station in the world with an energy output capacity of 254 megawatts. Shiwa Lake was opened in 2011 and is now one of two stations operating in the country with the nation planning to install 700 megawatts of tidal stream energy by 2030
With the best potential for tidal energy developments in the whole of Europe, and producing already half of the whole tidal output of Europe, this is an excellent subject upon which the Conservatives can take the fight to Labour; the Government’s vague manifesto commitments for tidal show that ministers have not considered it a priority for the energy sector.
As Labour begins to lay the foundations for ‘Great British Energy’, it’s vital that we Tories have our own positive and practical alternative vision to offer the voters – one that offers well-paid jobs and clear progress towards our environmental objectives, without undermining living standards or increasing our reliance on volatile global markets.
Tidal power is an essential to any such vision. We don’t know when the next blue wave will sweep our party back into office, but it might come a little faster if voters thought it would cut their energy bills.
Oliver Brittain is a student at the University of Leeds.
The UK has for too long ignored the potential of tidal energy. Currently our infrastructure only caters for a meagre 0.1 per cent of our tidal stream reserves *which translates to 10.5 megawatts), despite the resource having the capability to deliver 11 per cent of Britain’s overall energy capacity (translating to 11.5 gigawatts).
Conservatives must put together a viable case for a rapid increase in its usage as part of our energy mix. It is projected that up to £17bn could be contributed to the UK economy by 2050 if we construct the necessary infrastructure for tidal stream energy.
Moreover, households across the country could on average see their electricity bills cut by £71 annually if we were to harness all 11 per cent of our tidal stream reserves. An expansion in tidal stream energy could also create 4000 jobs by 2030, and 14,500 by 2040.
As it stands our technology will only be able to obtain around 6 gigawatts from 30 tidal sites – but that is a marked increase from the four farms we have at present. The cost to generate power from tidal streams has also fallen by 40 per cent since 2018, and forecasts suggest that the cost to create one mw/h will be cheaper to acquire from our tidal streams over nuclear energy.
Tidal thus presents a winning combination: an increasingly cost-effective way to generate clean energy, simultaneously cutting household bills and making supply-side progress towards Net Zero that doesn’t squeeze living standards.
It would also reduce our dependence on imports from dubious sources. At present, the UK imports six per cent of our Liquefied Natural Gas from Qatar, which is currently sheltering Hamas’ leaders even as Britain stands by our ally, Israel. It is absurd that our industrial and commercial policies overseas so often cut directly across our diplomatic and foreign policy goals.
There are two different types of ways to generate tidal energy: tidal stream systems, which resemble wind turbines to an extent and tidal barrages.
Despite the advantages of barrage generators, most obviously higher energy production, they have much stronger adverse affects on marine wildlife. If a future Conservative government is to win public support for tapping our seas, the more environmentally-friendly tidal stream system seems much more suitable.
In 2019 Richard Graham, the former Tory MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Marine Energy and Tidal Lagoons, put the case succintly:
“Marine energy is an innovative, world-class industry in which the UK is a global leader. We have unparalleled resources, with 50 per cent of Europe’s tidal energy and 35 per cent of its wave energy. It is time to grasp the opportunity in front of us, as the government has with offshore wind. Right now people are clamouring for more actions on climate change. Marine energy provides a perfect opportunity for the government to show that it is listening.”
The support for tidal energy is also not only exclusive to the members of our Conservative family either: 2022 polling indicates 84 per cent of the public support tidal and wave energy.
But that opportunity to steal the march and secure a position of global leadership won’t last forever. Many other nations are already acting on the benefits of tidal energy.
South Korea has the largest tidal power station in the world with an energy output capacity of 254 megawatts. Shiwa Lake was opened in 2011 and is now one of two stations operating in the country with the nation planning to install 700 megawatts of tidal stream energy by 2030
With the best potential for tidal energy developments in the whole of Europe, and producing already half of the whole tidal output of Europe, this is an excellent subject upon which the Conservatives can take the fight to Labour; the Government’s vague manifesto commitments for tidal show that ministers have not considered it a priority for the energy sector.
As Labour begins to lay the foundations for ‘Great British Energy’, it’s vital that we Tories have our own positive and practical alternative vision to offer the voters – one that offers well-paid jobs and clear progress towards our environmental objectives, without undermining living standards or increasing our reliance on volatile global markets.
Tidal power is an essential to any such vision. We don’t know when the next blue wave will sweep our party back into office, but it might come a little faster if voters thought it would cut their energy bills.