The recent release of a report by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has revealed a significant potential for the tidal energy industry in the UK. The report highlights ten innovative technologies that could lead to an impressive 80% reduction in the cost of tidal stream energy. If successfully commercialized, this could result in tidal energy becoming even cheaper than current nuclear energy prices.
The ten technology innovations outlined in the Tidal Stream Technology Roadmap report include subsea hubs, anchors for floating devices, controllers for optimizing lifetime turbine performance, cable monitoring, and tidal array optimization.
The report suggests that these innovations could potentially reduce the cost of tidal stream energy from the current £259/MWh to an affordable £50/MWh by the year 2035, assuming an “optimistic” cost reduction scenario. Simon Cheeseman, the Wave and Tidal Energy Sector Lead at ORE Catapult, expressed excitement about the potential impact of these technologies, stating that they could lead to significant growth in the UK tidal industry.
Cheeseman highlighted rising costs and the need to adapt to a more diverse future renewable energy mix as key motivators for identifying drivers to potentially reduce UK energy system costs by up to £600 million annually. This, in turn, could enable tidal energy to play a significant role in the country’s journey towards achieving net zero carbon emissions.
The report notes that the newly identified technology innovations could support the installation of 1 gigawatt of tidal stream energy in the UK by 2035, in line with the recommendations of the UK Marine Energy Council (MEC). However, the report also emphasizes that without appropriate policy support and private investment to drive commercialization, further research and development in technology innovation would fail to secure an accelerated project pipeline for tidal energy.
ORE Catapult emphasizes the need for an increased ringfence for tidal stream energy within the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, as well as reforms to the CfD process to recognize non-price benefits generated by renewable energy projects, such as system integration and supply chain development, rather than focusing solely on lowest price bids.
Sue Barr, the Chair of the UK MEC, echoed this sentiment by highlighting the strong pipeline of projects in the UK tidal energy sector and the importance of defining strategies to strengthen the delivery of tidal stream technology into the energy system, particularly in light of the ambitious UK target of 1 gigawatt of installed capacity by 2035.
In a collaborative effort, ORE Catapult partnered with Imperial College London (ICL) to conduct a study that revealed the potential for tidal energy to contribute 11.5 gigawatts to the UK energy system, meeting 11% of the country’s electricity demand. The study also suggested that tidal stream projects could contribute up to £17 billion to the UK economy by 2050.
As the UK tidal energy industry continues to progress towards a commercially viable future, it is evident that technological innovation and collaborative efforts are crucial. The Tidal Stream Technology Roadmap report serves as a beacon of hope, outlining the substantial value and potential of the tidal energy sector while providing actionable strategies to drive down costs through innovation and collaboration.
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