The tidal power plan for Swansea Bay

The World electrical energy market is at $800-billion-a-year (US) and rising. It has been estimated that "there are 2 billion people who still lack electricity today, and the world demand in developing countries is doubling every eight years" (World Watch Institute, May 1997). In order to meet that demand, while limiting production of green house gases, renewable energy sources must be developed. Obviously, offshore tidal electric is the best renewable and sustainable technology available, as it can be applied on a large scale, is almost completely environmentally benign.

First of all, I would like to say about a project of using tidal power effectively. This is the tidal power plan for Swansea Bay, an inlet of the Bristol Channel lying south of Swansea, Wales.
Swansea Bay has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. This offers a potential for electricity generation using tidal lagoons. Actually, mean tides vary on a lunar cycle between 1m and 9.5m above chart datum and climate change can be predictable. Furthermore, The Significant Wave Height for a hundred year return period is estimated.”This is the generally accepted criteria for engineering design and should be maintained for the turbine house design. An appropriate layout of the tidal lagoon will ensure that no hazards are introduced to shipping using the navigational channels in Swansea Bay.”(http://www.tidalelectric.com/Web%20Atkins%20Executive%20Summary.htm). Apparently, the Swansea Bay must be an appropriate place for the success of the plan.

It will be sited about a mile offshore and will be about 5 square kilometers in size. This would create 60MW of electricity or an annual output of approximately 187,000MWh.

A detailed study by WS Atkins, the UK’s leading marine engineering consultants, has conducted a Feasibility Study on the proposed project and finds that the project is technically feasible, environmentally plausible, and economically viable.

The Environment Trust, one of Britain’s leading development trusts in partnership with Tidal Electric Inc- the worldwide patent holders, says it is conducting tests to demonstrate the technology behind its plans to create a £30m tidal lagoon just east of the city's docks and marina. “It claims a private investor is already lined up for the first stage of the proposed project, to build a mile-round ring of rock and concrete housing the latest generation of hydro-electric turbines. The trust has spent £100,000 hiring an independent firm of engineers to test its blueprints for a "two-directional" tidal lagoon, capable of generating up to 30 megawatts of power on both the incoming and outgoing tide.”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/3234548.stm)

The purpose of the plan is working with the port authority to ensure that is would not affect navigation and meet the demand of environmental benignant. The plan added the materials, including sand and rock, would also benefit marine life.

Tidal power plan for Swansea Bay is the primary sustainable technology for environment.
The tidal power is considered much more environmentally-friendly because it does not cause pollution. Indeed, it does not pollute the environment because no hazardous gasses are put out into the air. By reducing dependence upon fossil fuels, tidal power also does not produce greenhouse emissions or other waste such as liquid or solid pollution. Moreover, tidal energy, compared to other energy resources such as solar power, has an efficiency of 80% in converting the potential energy of the water into electricity. Another strong point is that tidal energy represents a much more reliable and predictable energy source than other emerging renewable energy fields.
In addition, tidal power expected long-life of components. This means that the neighborhood can keep their environmental balance for a long time. Furthermore, the plan opens sluice, slow-rotor design allows for easy passage of fish and marine invertebrates. Only natural materials - rock, slate, sand and gravel - would be used in the walls. Unlike a barrage, it would not interfere with shipping, fishing, leisure activities or sea-life. There is also the possibility that the rock walls could provide a new wildlife habitat. Besides, it minimizes noise expected and electro-magnetic field expected during operation.
I personally find that this project is relevant to me closely. Actually, as a student studying electronic and electrical engineering, I found that tidal power is an important millstone in the long path of technology development. Apparently, it will be the main resource of energy of future. Tidal power is not only the valuable development of technology, but also an essential basic of further theories as well and researches of technology in the future.
Moreover, people now must realize their responsibilities of actions destroying the earth’s environment. The poof is such the natural calamities we have to cope with everyday. And I think that not only me, but all people have to realize that we need to use the more friendly-to-environment resources. Indeed, we all have relationships with the new benign energy resource.

The plan of inquiry: Can the new technology tidal power can apply in Vietnam?
I always think that my country will also can apply the technology in a near future. Personally, I think that the tidal power will must be the energy of future and not only Vietnam, but all countries, will have to use it as compulsiveness. In my plan of inquiry, I would like to pay more attention on the qualitatively economic aspect.
Actually, there are also projects in the process such as the tidal power plan for Pilot in Kvalsund, one of the most modern one today with capacity of 0.7 GW. The plan is the result of a long studying time and the total project’s value is around £7.5 millions. Besides, Blue Energy would like to connect all of the isles in Philippine to use the tidal power with estimate of £38 billions and capacity of 25GW. We can realize the strong development and a huge amount of money on expanding the new energy resource yearly with sympathy from many countries.
The number of potential projects increases strongly in the recent years. Compared to the geography between the UK and Vietnam, Vietnam can be a good place because of suitable seashores with high tides and many isles appropriate to exploiting the tidal energy. However, the problems are not only appropriately geographical and technological conditions, but also the expensive cost of tidal power plants makes government irresolute. Actually, when comparing some information and numbers of projects between a tidal electric plant and the others, we come to the solution that the plan today can only come true in developed countries. For example, while the UK spent £79m on the above tide power plant with 60MW (£1.3m for each MW), Vietnam just needs £1.5 billions to build a hydroelectric plant with capacity of 2.400 MW (£0.6m for each MW) and £189 millions for a 600 MW thermo-electric plant (£0.3m for each MW). Hence, a developing country like Vietnam will cope with a lot of difficulties when applying experimental plans.
Obviously, at the global level, I think that the tidal-electric plant must be a good project because it is a new technology as and uses the benign natural source. However, at the level of government, this is still a difficult problem with developing countries.
If the Vietnam government wants to setup a tidal power plan in the near future, they need investments of some foreign governments as well as huge corporations. The help of some non-governmental organizations can be a good solution in that case as well. Another source can come from citizens because people today realize their responsibilities of natural environment clearer and clearer and a tidal power plant will not influence much on their life. With a benign plan, the government can receive agreements as well supports of public.
Secondary sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_power
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/2992996.stm
http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/01-02/RE_info/Tidal%20Power.htm
Further independent researches:
- Possible ways that Vietnam can get money such as borrowing money from organizations and developed countries.
- With the money that can be mobilized from citizens, that size of the plants can be built?
- Compared with other types of electric plants, would it be valuable, the tidal power plan for developing country like Vietnam?