Waterwheels powered the U.K.’s
first mills that marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, but the
invention of suitable coal-powered steam engines made it possible for factories
to be located well away from flowing water and, as a result, there was suddenly
a rapid increase in the demand for coal. It eventually became the basis of the
U.K.’s first major energy system - with the introduction of coal gas and the
coal-driven generation of electricity for domestic and industrial purposes.
Such a huge expansion of
coal-fuelled industry, combined with the growing national demand for energy,
automatically gave rise to major changes in the labour market, as the
nationalisation of much of the coal industry resulted in a strong trade union
with significant industrial muscle.
It was not until the size of
the North Sea oil and gas reserves had been confirmed that the U.K. government
felt able to challenge the miners’ unions, as confidence sprang from the
knowledge that an alternative supply of energy was available.
In addition, the development
of nuclear power was planned as a back-up for oil and gas and as a possible
eventual replacement for them at some point in the future. However, having
witnessed the Chernobyl and the later Fukushima disasters, the U.K. public have
very little faith in the claims made by the nuclear industry. Furthermore,
there is the possibility of targeting in the manner of the 9/11 attack on New
York, and suspicions are raised even higher when the costs and timescales
involved in decommissioning are taken into account.
As the world becomes more
crowded and the global demand for energy increases, environmental
considerations have caused many governments, organisations and other groups to
look more closely than ever before at all forms of renewable energy -
especially now that there is a greater understanding of climate change and the
damage caused by the toxic carbon emissions that are produced by fossil fuels.
Localised renewable energy has
been harnessed on a small scale for thousands of years by communities in
various parts of the world, and some early civilisations (such as the Romans,
Persians, Aztecs and Incas) encouraged the implementation of standard, simple,
proven designs throughout the large areas under their control. However, there
was no large-scale harvesting of renewable energy until tax incentives in
California, U.S.A., underpinned the economic viability of large ‘farms’ of wind
turbines at ideal sites in the Altamont Pass areas etc.
Hydropower is often cited as a
major player in the range of renewables, but its benefits and efficiency are
often outweighed by the huge costs involved and the environmental problems that
a system’s construction can cause. In addition, long periods of drought can
have the obvious adverse effects, as has been seen in the U.S.A. - where the
Hoover Dam could soon be rendered useless if the water level of its supplier,
Lake Mead, falls by a further fifteen feet (having already lost forty-four feet
in recent years).
Marine Energy and Geothermal
Energy are frequently included in lists of renewables to be considered, but
their full potential remains unknown to the majority of people - including
those in organisations that represent the U.K. government’s interests. The only
relevant knowledge they have seems to be the costs per kilowatt-hour, and those
figures are probably produced by funding accountants whose calculations are
based on often outdated and incomplete research.
In the minds of most people in
the U.K., the term ‘Tidal Energy’ is used only in references to the Severn
Barrage - a proposed huge engineering construction that would rely on the rise
and fall of the tidal waters at a specific advantageous location. However, such
a system is only one of three standard methods of capturing renewable Tidal
Energy and it is probably the most costly, in addition to being the most
damaging to the environment. An alternative approach is the construction of
Tidal Lagoons, sited offshore in an attempt to overcome those environmental
problems, but once again the construction costs are enormous. The third option
is the deployment of Tidal Stream Turbines.
Systems based on such
technology can vary immensely in size, the smallest being ‘pico-generation’
units that are small enough to provide only a very basic amount of electrical
power (up to 5kW) to tiny isolated communities. The largest applications would
have giant offshore turbines deployed in vast ‘farms’ that could generate huge
amounts of electrical energy to be cabled ashore or converted to other forms
(depending on the actual flow-speed of the water being used).
In the world of renewable
energy, tidal and geothermal are the only forms whose availability at any given
time can be accurately predicted. Furthermore, the amount of power that they
will deliver can be accurately calculated. In complete contrast, even the
largest and most efficient wind farms are rendered useless if the air becomes
still, as happens regularly in the U.K. during the cold winter months when a
widespread high-pressure weather system settles over the country. Such a
situation necessitates the introduction of a back-up source of energy to make
up for the shortfall in output.
In an attempt to demonstrate
its support for renewable energy, the U.K. government has introduced a
promotional scheme based on financial incentives known as FITs. These payments
encourage and reward the installation of small readily-available units for
domestic or commercial purposes. However, unfortunately, this strategy has
resulted in the marketing and installation - all at the taxpayer’s expense - of
some sub-standard pieces of equipment for generating renewable energy.
In a truly competitive world,
only reliable, proven systems would be available and purchased - and the
general public would not be saddled with ‘green taxation’ stemming from someone
else’s ill-gotten gains.
Whilst the U.K. can
justifiably be considered a world leader in the research and development of
Marine Energy, the industry is severely hampered by the government’s cumbersome
bureaucracy - the latest example being ‘The Eels
(England and Wales) Regulations 2009’ which technically prohibit the
operation of all forms of Tidal Stream equipment in waters within six miles of
the coastline. Such obstacles can only serve to persuade developers that it
would be wiser to look elsewhere in the world for potential customers who are
eager to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels while continuing to increase
their consumption of energy.
Paul Hales (Director)
Hales Water Turbines Ltd
Unit 8, Block 1
Brookway Business Park
Ivyhouse Industrial Estate
Hastings
East Sussex
TN35 44N
UK
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