Northwest Tidal Barrages Could Provide 5% of UK's Electricity

"Researchers in collaboration with Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory examined ways to generate electricity from tidal sources of renewable energy in the Eastern Irish Sea." (Science Daily). One way that they are able to do this is to build estuary barrages in the Northwest. A barrage can guide the water flow from an estuary to a turbine as the tide comes in an out. Another use of the barrage is that it is able to protect land from floods by draining the water.

If the UK is successful in utilizing the electricity production, it could help them to "go green" and limit  CO2 emission.It is also a good thing that the UK is able to get the electricity from the water because estuaries are a reliable and long lasting source of energy. The tides are also easier to track and more predictable than winds used by turbines. “The best places to harness tidal power at meaningful scales are areas with a high tidal range such as estuaries. Tidal barrages would alter the natural motion of an estuary’s flow as the sea level changes, usually by holding back the water at high tide and then releasing it when the tide has subsided. This water level difference across the barrage is sufficient to power turbines for up to 11 hours a day, and, in terms of the four North West barrages, the energy extracted could equate to 5% of the UK’s electricity generation needs.”(Science Daily). 

Website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325092203.htm

Picture: http://www.vliz.be/v/images/thumb/6/65/800px-Severn_estuary_barrages.png/350px-800px-Severn_estuary_barrages.png