Boris Johnson: COP26 a ‘decisive shift’ in climate change battle
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Governments around the world are heading towards using renewables as their primary energy sources in a bid to curb human-induced global warming. At Glasgow’s COP26 summit, world leaders widely agreed that the acceleration of the deployment of renewables was achievable in the next decade. While an initial deal drawn up was championed by many, the final agreement was largely seen as being watered down.
A last-minute request by India saw the text change from phasing-out coal to phasing it down.
But, an agreement was reached, and it adds to the UK’s hopes of becoming a science superpower, including plans for a “Green Industrial Revolution”.
Last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined what he called his Ten Point Plan for the transition.
This covered clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies.
The blueprint will act as a guide for the UK to eradicate its contribution to climate change by 2050.
One of the potentially game-changing renewable energies that have had money pumped into it recently is that produced from tidal turbines.
These structures are essentially underwater wind turbines that garner tidal power.
Dr Danny Coles, from the University of Plymouth, who is currently researching the potential power of tidal turbines, believes that harnessing the UK’s tides — two high and two low tides each day — could provide the country with 11 percent of its power.
One of the key benefits of tidal stream energy, he says, is its predictability
Vitally, this could go some way in helping to blunt future energy shortages, as recently seen in the UK and around the world.
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A recent lull in the amount of wind in the UK brought power energy generation down by about 60 percent on typical levels seen in autumn.
This was added to the fact that around 50 percent of nuclear power stations around the UK were off for maintenance.
And, global demand for natural gas sky-rocketed following geopolitical crises seen in Belarus and Russia.
Dr Coles noted that because researchers are able to predict how much energy tidal power can be generated for hundreds of years, it could go some way in helping to plan for potential future shortages.
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He told Express.co.uk: “What tidal energy can offer is predictability, we know exactly how much electricity tidal stream turbines can generate every month: and it’s roughly the same amount every month.
“With that predictability, you also have foresight over when to shut down other power plants like the nuclear power plants if they need to be maintained and repaired.
“Because if you know you’re going to have a strong spring tide coming through in a week from now, you know that actually, it may be ok to turn that other power plant off and repair it then, because we’re going to have enough power from other sources, like tidal.
“Again, it’s giving you the ability to plan how to meet the future demand with the generation technologies you have.
“That’s where I think a lot of the benefit lies, but a lot of people aren’t really talking about that yet.”
Currently, several major tidal turbine projects are functioning around the UK.
There is the MeyGen project at Pentland Firth, Scotland.
Also in Scotland, the Tidal Array in Shetland, which currently has 0.4 MW (megawatt) installed.
And, another project in Scotland, the O2 device in Orkney, that is 2 MW.
Elsewhere, the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon promises to unlock a major source of energy in South Wales.
But it is unclear whether it will ever be granted the money to be built after the UK Government rejected its proposed funding needs.
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