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Akil

From: "Akil" <aapatel@godrej.com>

Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 10:29 AM
Subject: Wave and Tidal Energy - Best Practices in Manufacturing

Best Practices In Manufacturing

Wave and Tidal Energy

Embrace the new wave!

Wave and Tidal Energy

Embrace the new wave!

Key Learnings:

l Wave and tidal energy is a developing industry. Hence, like any new technology, to
ensure success it is essential to develop it carefully.
l Tidal power has great potential for future power and electricity generation because
of the massive size of the oceans.

Tidal Energy
Tidal energy is the energy that is generated by the rise and fall of the Earth’s sea level. It
is similar to wave power, or wave energy that uses the energy of the ocean’s surface
waves to produce electricity. The quantity of energy that is generated is ascertained by
how high or low the tide rises. Tidal energy can be created using tidal barrages, tidal
fences and tidal turbines. It is a renewable source of energy.

Wave and tidal energy is a developing industry like any new technology. Therefore, to
ensure success it is essential to develop it carefully.

In the year 2005, The Manufacturer issued a statement that wave and tidal energy
generation is likely to cater to the energy needs of manufacturers by 2008. By January
2010, UK had managed to put up a capacity that can generate a huge quantity of wave
energy (0.85 MW) and tidal steam energy (1.55MW). Experts feel that though the
current output is low, the sea offers real avenues.

What is the potential for wave and tidal energy?

About 2.4 MW of energy can supply power to 1,500 houses. Therefore, the adoption of
this technology (wave and tidal energy) has not yet attained its desired potential.
Practically, what is the potential for wave and tidal electricity generation? Can it be a
good alternative to other sources of renewable energy? It may seem to be a slow
beginning for the UK, but still it is the world leader in this technology. UK has the biggest
installed generating base and an additional 27MW has got planning approval.
Furthermore, projects of capacity 77.5MW are in different stages of planning.

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Government and RenewableUK is the sector’s leading trade association in the UK. This
association is of the opinion that capacity for wave and tidal energy is rising. In the next
ten years (by 2020) the industry is expected to increase its capacity by 100% to
generate up to 2GW of power 2020.

How is tidal energy produced?

Tidal energy can be produced in three different ways:

l Tidal Barrages
Basically, tidal barrage is a big dam that is constructed across a river or estuary.
Tunnels are constructed all the way through the dam. When a tide goes up and
falls it rotates a turbine, which generates power.
l Tidal Fences
Tidal fences are huge turnstiles that are fitted with vertical axis turbines escalated
on a fence. The water goes through the fence and turns the turbines.
l Tidal Turbines
Tidal turbines are the most modern development in water power technology that is
used in tidal areas. They need to capture strong tidal flows and therefore should be
built doubly strong. Tidal turbines look similar to wind turbines that are jointly
placed underwater.
l UK’s tidal resource
The UK has important tidal range resource. UK’s tidal range site located in the
Severn Estuary is the world’s second highest tidal range.It has a target energy
output of 17TWh/yr from a Cardiff-Weston barrage. Other highest tidal resource
sites in the UK are Mersey with output of 1.4TWh/yr, Duddon (0.212TWh/yr),
Wyre (0.131 TWh/yr) and Conwy (0.06TWh/yr) are the other highest tidal
resource sites in the UK. These sites along with other projects provide a potential
prospect of generating up to 13% of the UK’s electricity from tidal source alone.
Though these sites have produced the expected power, other planning
arrangements have failed to materialise due to environmental issues. This is a
crucial factor for the slow progress of this energy source.

Marine Current Turbines (MCT)

In the Western Europe, Pentland Firth and Orkney waters are strategically the most
significant marine energy areas. The leasing around details of these areas was
announced on 16 March, 2010. The Crown Estate granted 1.2GW of wave and tidal
energy project leases that included four tidal projects totalling to 600MW and six wave
energy projects adding up 600MW. The sites were granted to a number of utilities and
advanced technology developers. They include MCT (Marine Current Turbines) Pelamis
Wave Power and SSE Renewables Developments .Oliver Wragg, RenewableUK Wave and
Tidal development manager says “This announcement is received very well by the
industry”.

According to Oliver Wragg, this leasing around has surpassed all expectations by granting
1.2 gigawatts (GW) of project leases. This is much more than the previously scheduled
700 megawatts (MW). This statement is enough to justify the industry to ready to
deliver.

SeaGen tidal current technology

Marine Current Turbines (MCT) has got sanction to install its award-winning SeaGen tidal
current technology. This technology will be deployed in Brough Ness, on the
southernmost tip of the Orkney Islands (South Ronaldsay) and north east of John
O’Groats. MCT has concrete plans to set up its first phase of SeaGen tidal turbines by
2017 and make the entire scheme operational by 2020.

MCT is planning to deploy 66 SeaGen tidal turbines in three phases (over a four year
period) in a site area of 4.3 square kilometers. Each SeaGen tidal turbines will be capable
of producing 1.5MW.The entire tidal set up in Brough Ness will have a total generating
capacity of 99MW. This will be adequate to power for 100,000 houses.

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MCT has already gained the valuable experience of installing and successfully operating
SeaGen in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. SeaGen is the world leading prototype
tidal energy turbine designed and installed by MCT. It is also the biggest grid-connected
marine renewable energy system in the world.

In any achievement, to move from the research and development stage to full-fledged
implementation, considerable amount of funding will be required. For instance, in the last
ten years the UK Government has invested around GBP60m for the research and
development of wave and tidal technology. Peter Madigan, the RenewableUK’s head of
offshore renewables says,” There needs to be a greater awareness on the initial
investment needs of this industry”. The Danish government has invested GBP1.3bn to
develop onshore wind. This is reaping GBP2.7bn per year as revenue. An appropriately
capitalised wave and tidal sector is capable of creating 43,500 direct jobs. It has the
potential of bringing GBP4.2bn per year as revenue for the UK economy.

Tidal power has great potential for future power and electricity generation because of the
massive size of the oceans.

7/23/2010
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