UNDERSTANDING THE POTENTIAL OF TIDAL STREAM

  THE  COASTAL WATERS  SHOWN IN THE PICTURE BELOW LOOKS REMARKABLY CALM AND BENIGN BUT THE HALES ENERGY WORK BOAT, ON ITS WAY TO COLLECT MARINE GROWTH SAMPLE PLATES, IS TRAVELING SIDEWAYS AT 2.2 METRES PER SECOND WHILE  IT BEING PILOTED ACROSS A SPRING  TIDE ON THE FLOOD THAT IS  SWEEPING AROUND THE HEADLAND OF BEACHY HEAD, EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND.

THE DEPTH OF WATER HERE IS APPROX 20 METRES  DEEP  WITH EACH SQUARE METRE OF THIS  WATER COLUMN , MOVING AT 2.2 MS,  HAVING MORE THAN 5 KWs OF KINETIC ENERGY CONTAINED WITHIN  IT.     THIS AREA IS ONLY 4 MILES FROM  EASTBOURNE,  A COASTAL TOWN OF 90,000 PEOPLE,  A LARGE PLACE OF  ENERGY CONSUMPTION.

              WHILE COUNTRIES SUCH AS BELGIUM RESEARCH THE POTENTIAL OF VERY LOW FLOW TIDAL STREAMS  SUCH AS THE  SCHELDT SEA CANAL, WHICH HAS AVERAGE FLOWS AT ONLY 1.0 M/S, (THIS UNDER THE EU PRO-TIDE PROGRAM) ,    THE UK IS NOW STARTING TO LAG BEHIND IN THIS FIELD OF RENEWABLE ENERGY DUE TO LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THIS POTENTIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY  SOURCE AND THE EXCESSIVE DEFRA RED TAPE PREVENTING BASIC SITE TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT, AS ALLOWED IN THE REST OF EUROPE.

  

   ONE POSSIBLE COASTAL GENERATION SYSTEM USING TIDAL STREAM.