The marine energy resource, constraints and opportunities Available to Purchase

The British Isles are blessed with highly energetic coastal waters, which offer opportunities for the exploitation of waves and tides for the generation of electricity. This paper looks at prospects for, and constraints upon, the long-term economic development of the wave and tidal resources. Technology already exists which is capable of the effective harnessing of marine resources. Proponents have estimated that up to 40% of the UK electricity supply could, eventually, come from wave and tidal sources. More conservative estimates suggest that the potential is somewhat lower than this but still substantial. The wave resource is recognised as being the larger but the tides do offer some very real advantages. Specifically, they are predictable, as they are driven by regular astronomic mechanisms. In addition, the energy flux density in many of the most attractive sites is formidable, offering the prospect of large-scale generation with relatively compact technology. Developers of both wave and tidal technology share economic as well as technical challenges and these must be overcome if new industries are to be established. The solutions require effort by scientists, engineers and, crucially, politicians.