I have just posted a commentary on the Severn Barrage
concept on my policy blog: “Case for the Severn Barrage –
does it hold water?” taking a sceptical view of the project as a
response to climate change. Here is the link….
If you would like to discuss this, please comment on the
blog not on this forum. This forum is intended for information and news
sharing, not discussion.
Members of this group may be interested in a report the SDC is publishing today on the role of Ofgem in delivering a sustainable energy system - see our e-bulletin below. Some of the conclusions of this work will feed into our tidal report.
Kind regards,
Oliver Knight
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
THE SDC HAS MOVED - Please note my new contact details below
Oliver Knight Senior Policy Analyst - Energy & Transport Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) 55 Whitehall, London SW1A 2HH
From: list-bounce@... [mailto:list-bounce@...] On Behalf Of list@... Sent: 19 September 2007 11:48 To: list@... Subject: Climate is right for overhaul of UK energy regulation
Debates, advice, publications and your case studies September 2007
Climate is right for overhaul of UK energy regulation
The potential for Ofgem to contribute to re-shaping the UK energy system for a sustainable future is huge. We'd like to see Ofgem's primary duty changed so that its central focus is on creating a sustainable system which costs as little as possible. - Bernie Bulkin, SDC Commissioner
Our second thematic review examines Ofgem's performance as the regulator of the gas and electricity markets, and highlights some of the ways in which we believe Ofgem could play a long-
term role in reducing carbon emissions from electricity and heat production.
Key recommendations include:
• The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, should be made central to Ofgem's remit in order to meet the needs of future consumers. • Providing consumers with better information through smarter metering and billing to help them make decisions about their energy consumption.
The SDC Scotland's latest publication examines progress made by the Scottish Executive towards commitments in Choosing Our Future – Scotland’s sustainable development strategy.
Dundee City Council is well on the way to achieving a barrier-free city for bus users, not only in physical terms, but also in terms of information and personal safety and security.
The Sustainable Development Commission is the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development, reporting to the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales and the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.
Energy Paper #57 published in 1988 by the Severn Tidal Power
Group is a summary of the 14 years of study of the Severn Barrage funded
jointly by DTI and various private backers at a cost of £65m. EP57 ought to be
available from HMSO. Seeing the back-up reports (where I suspect the info you
are seeking resides) is much more difficult. We tried to see it but were
required to go to Swindon, could only see a few pages at a time, could not make
copies. Quite hush-hush. It stands about 18 inches tall and ought to include
what you are seeking, but I don’t know for sure.
But that was several years ago and the newly-revived STPG may now
be more willing to share its publicly-funded reports. In any event, you should
contact Balfour Beatty or MacAlpine’s (STPG) for access to those studies.
ABPmer have done extensive sediment transport modeling
throughout the Estuary for numerous jobs and they would be a good source
although I don’t know whether thay have worked on that specific scenario.
Concomitant with concerns about sediment transport downstream of
the Severn barrage are concerns about the sewage entrapped upstream and its
impact on the headpond, the requirements to convert the gravity-operated
outfalls to pump-operated and the plan for disposing of it. Could get rather
smelly over time.
Peter
From:
tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On
Behalf Of iantitherington Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 6:19 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] query on effects of Severn Barrage on sediment
movement
As an Engineer interested in both the potential
of barrage/lagoon
energy production and sediment extraction in the Severn Estuary, could
anyone point me to any published research on the potential effects of
a barrage on sediment movement?
The current extraction of sand off the Gower coast is a sensitive one,
yet no-one appears to have questioned how a Severn Barrage will affect
this. It is recognised that sediment in the estruary moves tidally in
an anti-clockwise pattern up the English coast and down the Welsh
coast. I realise that my description is a little simplistic as it
takes no account of the huge sediment movements resulting from storm
surges, but it would appear to me that a huge tidal wall could at the
very least disrupt sediment movement.
As an Engineer interested in both the potential of barrage/lagoon
energy production and sediment extraction in the Severn Estuary, could
anyone point me to any published research on the potential effects of
a barrage on sediment movement?
The current extraction of sand off the Gower coast is a sensitive one,
yet no-one appears to have questioned how a Severn Barrage will affect
this. It is recognised that sediment in the estruary moves tidally in
an anti-clockwise pattern up the English coast and down the Welsh
coast. I realise that my description is a little simplistic as it
takes no account of the huge sediment movements resulting from storm
surges, but it would appear to me that a huge tidal wall could at the
very least disrupt sediment movement.
Any help on this would be gratefully accepted.
Re comment on Severn Barrage, agree that is probably "not on" but H
M Government seem to consider Tidal Ponds as a competitor to Nuclear
for Electricity Base Loads. Else why [is is rumoured] would they
threaten E.On with being barred from tendering for Nuclear if it
tendered for Tidal Ponds ?
Apart from the Swansea Tidal Ponds concepts, the E.Coast would seem an
ideal location for Tidal Ponds, acting as Coastal Erosion prevention
and fish farms as well, and as supports for "just off shore" wind
turbines.
There are several large areas of shallow water which might be
"exploitable" including The Wash, The Humber Estuary, parts of the
Thames Estuary and the Goodwin Sands which so I understand was an
island within a sea wall in 1066
It is worth remembering there is a discussion thread on the SDC website
What role for tidal power in the UK?
started by Oliver Knight
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/forum_public/index.php?tid=1871
Many of the contributers point out the economic and environment
objections to the massive Severn Barrage proposal
Digital Coastal and Marine Resources Atlas Website Feedback Request: www.magic.gov.uk
Feedback is requested on awareness of the atlas, usability/functionality and additional dataset requirements. (Deadline for feedback 21stSeptember 2007)
The digital Coastal and Marine Resource Atlas provides an audit of sensitive environmental habitats and species in the UK¡Çs coastal zone and further offshore. The Energy Institute has been involved in a recent project to improve this mapped information, helping to pull together a number of diverse datasets and, in the process, highlighting a number of issues in how data is collected and managed at a national level.
Under the UK¡Çs National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations, established environment groups must advise on the environmental aspects and impacts of any pollution response operations. In the early 1990s a hardcopy atlas covering Great Britain was published, principally to provide an audit of sensitive environmental habitats and species in the coastal zone and further offshore. It was widely felt that these maps could be improved by making them more detailed to reflect the number of newly designated areas since 1990, and to include the increasing number of designated sites that fall outside statutory control.
The EI worked in partnership with other organisations and was one of the key sponsors for this project, with funds provided through the EI Technical Programme, which aims to provide industry with cost effective, value adding knowledge on current and future issues affecting those in the petroleum and wider industries, both in the UK and beyond.
The Atlas is hosted as a sub-topic on the Defra MAGIC (Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside) website (www.magic.gov.uk). Its public availability through the MAGIC website means that other users such as educators, students, pressure groups and the general public are able to access the information.
The digital Atlas is primarily a tool aimed at supporting government agencies involved in environmental planning and, in particular, oil spill contingency planning and response. As a secondary function it will be of use to specialist information professionals working in the area of coastal and marine environmental management in the private, public and voluntary sectors.
Information collected as part of this project is likely to be of benefit to marine and coastal planners and operational staff conducting the following functions:
¡ü Audit and planning
¡ü Operational response at time of oil spill
¡ü Operational use for clean-up operations
¡ü Assessment of damage and issues of responsibility
¡ü Sharing coastal and marine resource data
Agreement was reached on continuing a working group with the aim of overseeing the resource mapping initiative and other related activities. The workgroup is looking for feedback from industry professionals and consultants on awareness of the site (If it is being used), the usability/functionality of the website and if there are additional data sets which would be useful. Feedback is requested by Friday 21st September.
The workgroup is also looking for volunteers from industry who are interested in sitting on the workgroup.
If you have any comments/feedback or suggestions on the site which you would like the workgroup to be aware of please send them to khoad@...
Access the benefits of Individual and Company Membership today by joining the EI online www.energyinst.org.uk
DISCLAIMER: This email is intended for the exclusive use by the person(s) mentioned as recipient(s). This email and its attachments, if any, contain confidential information and/or may contain information protected by intellectual property rights or others rights. If you receive this email by mistake, please notify the sender and delete this email immediately from your system and destroy all copies of it. You may not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print or copy this email or any part of it if you are not the intended recipient.
Noting Oliver’s reminder earlier today that this discussion
group is not actually for discussion but rather for notices and information,
let me notify you that I will respond to your message separately and not
include it in the SDC discussion group’s blog.
I’ll send it shortly.
Best wishes,
Peter Ullman
From: peter waugh
[mailto:peter.waugh@...] Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 10:11 AM To: 'Peter W. Ullman'; 'Knight, Oliver (SDC)'; Murray Stewart Cc: tidal_power_uk@...; 'Tim Lang';
peter@...; 'Roger Hull'; 'John Redman'; 'Nick Wood-Dow';
'Jennifer Webber' Subject: Re: [tidal_power_uk] Canadian Tidal Power
Dear
Oliver
Further
to Murray Stewart's note ref the Severn.
I
do not represent any group in this regard. Peter Ullman's case may unduly
stretch the Canadian experience for application to all UK circumstances.
English energy requirements for a given geographic size of region are
such that the more intense methods of energy generation will always be sought
or at least considered.
I
see no reason to assume private investment is for lagoons
and public finance is for barrages. Both need both a great deal of
money and strong regulation.
In
the case of London, we have already an existing heavy structure in the shape of
the Thames barrier. It is already in need of re-planning for a strategic
future of higher sea levels. Pollution levels could diminish if the
two-way flows were consequently modified to be mainly downstream only. The
Thames in London is already supremely a human construct due to water
extraction, building-up of both banks, and drainage from urban streets. The
ecology would change in this (relatively-clean) metropolitan waterway, but it
could well change for the better. I am sure that SDC will look at ' Barrier II
' from the point of view of pollution control, flood protection ,
transport, recreational use and ecological impact.
Subject: RE: [tidal_power_uk]
Canadian Tidal Power
Dear Oliver,
I attach an email on behalf of the Severn Tidal Power
Group in response to Peter Ullman's comment's on Canadian Tidal Power.
Best regards
Murray
Barrage versus Lagoon: Direct
comparison is necessary
We understand that representations
have been made that a barrage would not be an appropriate way to generate large
amounts of power in the Severn, and tidal lagoons would be more
effective. In the interests of balance we thought it might be helpful to
provide the following.
The particular advantages of a barrage
for the generation of renewable energy in the Severn Estuary are:
1.The amount of energy produced The electricity
generated by turbines is determined by the amount of water and the height
through which it falls when passing through the generating turbines. So
to capture the same amount of energy as a barrage, a tidal lagoon would have to
cover the same area as the height is set by the tidal range in the Severn
Estuary. Such a lagoon, or series of
lagoons would be very large indeed, and would be liable to obstruct shipping
unless expensive measures are taken.
2.The cost of construction A barrage makes use
of the existing coastline for perhaps 90% of the perimeter of the basin in
which the high tides are trapped. A tidal lagoon has to fund the entire
perimeter, so must be more expensive to build. A big tidal lagoon would
have to go into the deep water, so assumptions about low cost construction in
shallow water would not apply.
3.Flood prevention and mitigation A barrage can prevent
any flooding from sea level rises or storm water surges (as occurred during
hurricane Katrina in New Orleans) for the entire upstream coastline. For
a Cardiff to Weston-super-Mare barrage this is 170 miles of coastline
protected.
In addition, flooding in the lower River Severn can be reduced: at high
tides the sea level overtops the weir near Gloucester which stops the river
flowing freely. By shutting the barrage sluices just before high tide
when the river is in spate the extent of river flooding can be reduced.
The best way to assess the merits of
alternative ways of harnessing the power of the tides in the Severn Estuary is
to carry out an Appraisal of all the alternatives on a common basis, with an independent
steering committee to ensure objectivity.
Roger Hull
Severn Tidal Power Group
August 2007
Murray Stewart
Senior Counsellor
Chelgate Limited
One Tanner Street
London
SE1 3LE
Tel: 020 7939 7949
Fax: 020 7939 7938
Mobile: 07805 108458
Email: mst@...
Registered in England,
registered number - 226305
-----Original Message----- From: tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...]
On Behalf Of Peter W. Ullman Sent: 21 August 2007 16:58 To: 'Knight, Oliver (SDC)' Cc: tidal_power_uk@...; Tim Lang; peter@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] Canadian Tidal Power
Hi Oliver,
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the world’s
highest tidal range and is the site of a demo project installed in 1984, a 16
mw straflo turbine.
The Canadian government and the Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick provincial governments are working through how they
will deal with permitting and supporting the various tidal technologies being
proposed for the Bay of Fundy. They are holding a series of public meetings in
Nova Scotia. Last week I attended one in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is conducting a Strategic
Environmental Assessment. First, they commissioned EPRI (Electrical Power
Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, California) to study the resource for
in-stream tidal (Canadian term for “tidal stream”). Result: about 2200mw of
which about 300 mw appeared to be practically achievable. The tidal lagoon
resource is about 5000 MW exclusive of pumping.
Given that in-stream tidal has numerous
devices in the experimental stage, they have bifurcated the permitting process
into “Test Sites” (in-stream) and “Commercial Sites” (tidal lagoons). There are
appropriate differences between the test-technologies (includes proving the
technology, track record, etc.) and tidal lagoons (commercial technology: no
need for technical learning curve) and the process for permitting they must undergo.
Barrages are not being considered at
all. Canada did extensive studies done in the 1970’s including consideration of
63 different barrage configurations and the use of barrages was subsequently
dropped from consideration. Following is their (the Strategic Environmental
Assessment team) statement:
“In the past, tidal energy technology
involved installing turbines in barrages across estuaries or bays. The Nova
Scotia Power Annapolis Royale Tidal Power Generating Station, commissioned in
1984 is an example of this approach. However, this technology is now considered
unsuitable for broad-scale commercial use because of environmental and economic
concerns.” [They go on to describe the technologies under consideration,
in-stream and …] ”Another tidal technology is the tidal lagoon, which creates
an offshore enclosure, but unlike a conventional barrage does not totally block
tidal flow.” (OEER, Fundy Tidal Energy, 2007)
This leaves the SDC (i.e. the UK) as the
only entity worldwide giving serious consideration to a barrage. Even EDF who
own the world’s largest barrage have no interest in building another barrage.
They recently invested in tidal stream.
I trust your Commissioners are aware of
this fact and will weigh it when making their recommendations. There are a
number of very highly-respected Commissioners whose reputations will be
impacted by this report and it would be a shame to ask them to sign off on a
report without them being fully informed by you, if you ask them to recommend
spending yet more public money on the Severn Barrage and continue to delay the
commercial installation of privately-funded tidal lagoons whose aggregated
output would dwarf the output of the Severn Barrage and cost the public nothing.
Best wishes,
Peter Ullman
From:
tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On
Behalf Of Knight, Oliver (SDC) Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:30 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] FW: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine
Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
This conference may be of interest to
people on this group.
Oliver Knight
From: Bob
Earll [mailto:bob.earll@...] Sent: 21 August 2007 12:18 Subject: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4
October Scarborough
Towards a Coherent Network of Marine
Protected Areas
Conference - BOOK NOW
2nd- 4th October
2007, Scarborough
Natural England
Dear colleagues
There are clear
international goals for the UK to establish a national network of Marine
Protected Areas and this is being supported by work on the Marine Bill and
the concept of Marine Conservation Zones. This conference will highlight a
wide range of thinking and work going towards this including the need to
effectively engage stakeholders.
The Marine Protected Areas
Conference aims is to bring together those involved in management,
designation, science and policy development of MPAs. Delegates will
be able to share information and learn about the latest MPA science, good
practice and policies from speakers from the UK and overseas as we look
towards achieving our MPA targets.
Would you:
Please
circulate this to colleagues that you think will be interested in this
conference
The programme including
the booking form is attached.
TO BOOK
You can book and pay
online with a credit card at www.coastms.co.uk
or pay by credit card over the phone, BACs, cheque etc; we issue invoices
and receipts. Please email or fax the booking form to bob.earll@... or 01531
890415
Organised by CMS – Coastal
Management for Sustainability
Please circulate
this email to colleagues who may be interested
I know the meaning of this group is not to provide information
of a commercial nature, but we think it would be a shame if the Ocean-Energy-Market
doesn’t benefit from our technologies, due to a lack of information. We appreciate
if you take a couple of minutes, for a quick look on the following
information/products.
We and our fellow company www.oswald.de
could provide the Ocean-Energy-Market with two innovative Products. Oswald Electromotor
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This TF-Motor/Generator fits perfectly for any low-speed wave- or
tidal-devices. Based on this Generator we invented a new compact and very
efficient submerged Hydropower-Turbine. The “DIVE-Turbine” would be
perfect for any Wave-Energy-Overtopping- or Tidal-Device (with a rated power of
up to 1MW per unit), due to the long life sealing (no wear-and-tear even in
seawater), low-maintenance, high efficient and underwater operation, http://www.dive-turbine.com/technology.htm
.
This is everything I want you to tell at the moment and
hope you can see the potential of our products within the Ocean-Energy-Market.
If you have any further questions, we would
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Yours Sincerely
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Sales department
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engine and machine construction Hydropower-technology
Street: Am Grundlosen Brunnen 2
D – 63916 Amorbach Germany
Please note that this email group was set up "as a forum for the sharing of news and information on tidal power, and to allow the SDC to communicate progress on the project to a wide group of stakeholders". It is not intended as a discussion forum, and using it as such may cause people to leave. There are plenty of other opportunities for a discussion of these issues, including email groups set up specifically for this purpose. Please feel free to post a link to an alternative group or forum if you want to continue the discussion elsewhere. However, we reserve the right to moderate (and reject) emails from people who use it as a discussion forum - or the whole group if necessary.
I also just wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the success of this group, and encourage people to use it for the dissemination of news and information related to tidal power. The group now has 172 members, all of whom have signed up due to an interest in tidal power, which makes it a good resource. The SDC is keen that it is used for purposes other than to report on the progress of our project, which will soon be coming to an end. Please feel free to post an email to draw the group's attention to new research and reports, or developments in the industry.
Kind regards,
Oliver Knight
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
THE SDC HAS MOVED - Please note my new contact details below
Oliver Knight Senior Policy Analyst - Energy & Transport Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) 55 Whitehall, London SW1A 2HH
I note you work for a PR firm and assume you have been hired by
STPG to put lipstick on the Severn barrage. I’ll also assume your
technical statements are informed by Balfour Beatty and MacAlpine. I have shared
many podiums with John Redman, Roger Hull, and Tom Shaw and am familiar with
their contentions.
You do not actually address the issue I raised in my note on
Canadian tidal power, which is that barrages have been rejected in Canada and
everywhere but the UK as environmentally damaging and economically inane. The
Canadian studies done in the 1970’s jibe closely with the UK studies done
by STPG in the 1970’s and 80’s. The recommendations at the time
were similar: forget about barrages. The distinction is that the STPG has
resurrected the Severn Barrage proposal, rejected in 1849, 1925, 1950, and 1987
(by some of the same people as are now attempting to breathe life into it.)
Regarding the Severn barrage vs. lagoons debate
1.Economics
a.Severn
Barrage will cost HMG plenty (£17b, £20b, £30b?) First bite: more studies
b.Tidal
lagoons will cost HMG nothing
2.Output
a.Severn
Barrage load factor 24% (source: STPG)
b.Tidal
lagoons load factor 50% to 57% in the upper estuary, 36% in Swansea
3.Area Impounded to produce about 17 TWh/year
a.Severn
Barrage 185 square miles (source: STPG)
b.Tidal
lagoons about 60 square miles
4.Flood defense behind the barrage is at the expense of flood “offense”
in front of it. What are the impacts of increased high tides and flood surges in
sensitive shoreline areas downstream? Crumlyn Burroughs? Bridgewater Bay? Etc.
Swansea = New Orleans?
5.Sewage: all the sewage outfalls upstream of the Severn Barrage are
gravity operated and depend on the tidal flushing to dispose of the sewage out
to sea. Blocking the estuary will retain all this sewage behind the barrage.
What are the plans and expense of rebuilding all the sewage outfalls and
solving the problem of retained sewage? As the headpond becomes increasingly
nutrient-rich and starts to smell of sewage, what are the proposed solutions?
6.Build Time
a.Severn
Barrage: about 15 years (source: STPG)
b.Tidal
lagoons: about 2 years
Murray, I won’t go into detail here, as I will assume John
and Roger can fill you in. I have provided copious detail to them over the
years.
You will also know that the SDC is about to issue its report on
tidal power. Having hired ex-Severn Barrage engineers as its experts, it seems
likely that the SDC report will recommend further study of the barrage and give
you plenty of work explaining this to the public. It is a pity that the
Commissioners will be saddled with responsibility for this outcome as they are
highly-respected professionals whose reputations are unlikely to be enhanced by
association with a notorious white elephant and the rejection of a “low-hanging
fruit” alternative: tidal lagoons.
Peter Ullman
Tidal Electric
Peter W. Ullman, Chairman
PO Box 3
West Simsbury, Connecticut 06092
50 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4BD
United Kingdom
http://tidalelectric.com
From: tidal_power_uk@...
[mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On Behalf Of Murray Stewart Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:52 AM To: 'Peter W. Ullman'; 'Knight, Oliver (SDC)' Cc: tidal_power_uk@...; 'Tim Lang'; peter@...;
'Roger Hull'; 'John Redman'; 'Nick Wood-Dow'; 'Jennifer Webber' Subject: RE: [tidal_power_uk] Canadian Tidal Power
Dear Oliver,
I attach an email on behalf of the Severn Tidal Power
Group in response to Peter Ullman's comment's on Canadian Tidal Power.
Best regards
Murray
Barrage versus Lagoon: Direct
comparison is necessary
We understand that representations
have been made that a barrage would not be an appropriate way to generate large
amounts of power in the Severn, and tidal lagoons would be more effective.
In the interests of balance we thought it might be helpful to provide the
following.
The particular advantages of a barrage
for the generation of renewable energy in the Severn Estuary are:
1.The amount of energy produced The electricity
generated by turbines is determined by the amount of water and the height
through which it falls when passing through the generating turbines. So
to capture the same amount of energy as a barrage, a tidal lagoon would have to
cover the same area as the height is set by the tidal range in the Severn
Estuary. Such a lagoon, or series of
lagoons would be very large indeed, and would be liable to obstruct shipping
unless expensive measures are taken.
2.The cost of construction A barrage makes use
of the existing coastline for perhaps 90% of the perimeter of the basin in
which the high tides are trapped. A tidal lagoon has to fund the entire
perimeter, so must be more expensive to build. A big tidal lagoon would
have to go into the deep water, so assumptions about low cost construction in
shallow water would not apply.
3.Flood prevention and mitigation A barrage can prevent
any flooding from sea level rises or storm water surges (as occurred during
hurricane Katrina in New Orleans) for the entire upstream coastline. For
a Cardiff to Weston-super-Mare barrage this is 170 miles of coastline
protected.
In addition, flooding in the lower River Severn can be reduced: at high
tides the sea level overtops the weir near Gloucester which stops the river
flowing freely. By shutting the barrage sluices just before high tide
when the river is in spate the extent of river flooding can be reduced.
The best way to assess the merits of
alternative ways of harnessing the power of the tides in the Severn Estuary is
to carry out an Appraisal of all the alternatives on a common basis, with an
independent steering committee to ensure objectivity.
Roger Hull
Severn Tidal Power Group
August 2007
Murray Stewart
Senior Counsellor
Chelgate Limited
One Tanner Street
London
SE1 3LE
Tel: 020 7939 7949
Fax: 020 7939 7938
Mobile: 07805 108458
Email: mst@...
Registered in England,
registered number - 226305
-----Original Message----- From: tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...]
On Behalf Of Peter W. Ullman Sent: 21 August 2007 16:58 To: 'Knight, Oliver (SDC)' Cc: tidal_power_uk@...; Tim Lang; peter@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] Canadian Tidal Power
Hi Oliver,
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the
world’s highest tidal range and is the site of a demo project installed
in 1984, a 16 mw straflo turbine.
The Canadian government and the Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick provincial governments are working through how they
will deal with permitting and supporting the various tidal technologies being
proposed for the Bay of Fundy. They are holding a series of public meetings in
Nova Scotia. Last week I attended one in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is conducting a Strategic
Environmental Assessment. First, they commissioned EPRI (Electrical Power
Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, California) to study the resource for
in-stream tidal (Canadian term for “tidal stream”). Result: about
2200mw of which about 300 mw appeared to be practically achievable. The tidal
lagoon resource is about 5000 MW exclusive of pumping.
Given that in-stream tidal has numerous
devices in the experimental stage, they have bifurcated the permitting process
into “Test Sites” (in-stream) and “Commercial Sites”
(tidal lagoons). There are appropriate differences between the
test-technologies (includes proving the technology, track record, etc.) and
tidal lagoons (commercial technology: no need for technical learning curve) and
the process for permitting they must undergo.
Barrages are not being considered at
all. Canada did extensive studies done in the 1970’s including
consideration of 63 different barrage configurations and the use of barrages
was subsequently dropped from consideration. Following is their (the Strategic
Environmental Assessment team) statement:
“In the past, tidal energy
technology involved installing turbines in barrages across estuaries or bays.
The Nova Scotia Power Annapolis Royale Tidal Power Generating Station,
commissioned in 1984 is an example of this approach. However, this technology
is now considered unsuitable for broad-scale commercial use because of
environmental and economic concerns.” [They go on to describe the
technologies under consideration, in-stream and …] ”Another tidal
technology is the tidal lagoon, which creates an offshore enclosure, but unlike
a conventional barrage does not totally block tidal flow.” (OEER, Fundy
Tidal Energy, 2007)
This leaves the SDC (i.e. the UK) as the
only entity worldwide giving serious consideration to a barrage. Even EDF who
own the world’s largest barrage have no interest in building another
barrage. They recently invested in tidal stream.
I trust your Commissioners are aware of
this fact and will weigh it when making their recommendations. There are a
number of very highly-respected Commissioners whose reputations will be
impacted by this report and it would be a shame to ask them to sign off on a
report without them being fully informed by you, if you ask them to recommend
spending yet more public money on the Severn Barrage and continue to delay the
commercial installation of privately-funded tidal lagoons whose aggregated
output would dwarf the output of the Severn Barrage and cost the public nothing.
Best wishes,
Peter Ullman
From:
tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On
Behalf Of Knight, Oliver (SDC) Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:30 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] FW: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine
Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
This conference may be of interest to
people on this group.
Oliver Knight
From: Bob
Earll [mailto:bob.earll@...] Sent: 21 August 2007 12:18 Subject: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4
October Scarborough
Towards a Coherent Network of Marine
Protected Areas
Conference - BOOK NOW
2nd- 4th October
2007, Scarborough
Natural England
Dear colleagues
There are clear
international goals for the UK to establish a national network of Marine
Protected Areas and this is being supported by work on the Marine Bill and
the concept of Marine Conservation Zones. This conference will highlight a
wide range of thinking and work going towards this including the need to
effectively engage stakeholders.
The Marine Protected Areas
Conference aims is to bring together those involved in management,
designation, science and policy development of MPAs. Delegates will
be able to share information and learn about the latest MPA science, good
practice and policies from speakers from the UK and overseas as we look
towards achieving our MPA targets.
Would you:
Please
circulate this to colleagues that you think will be interested in this
conference
The programme including
the booking form is attached.
TO BOOK
You can book and pay
online with a credit card at www.coastms.co.uk
or pay by credit card over the phone, BACs, cheque etc; we issue invoices
and receipts. Please email or fax the booking form to bob.earll@... or 01531
890415
Organised by CMS –
Coastal Management for Sustainability
Please circulate
this email to colleagues who may be interested
I attach an email on behalf of the Severn Tidal Power Group in response to Peter Ullman's comment's on Canadian Tidal Power.
Best regards
Murray
Barrage versus Lagoon: Direct comparison is necessary
We understand that representations have been made that a barrage would not be an appropriate way to generate large amounts of power in the Severn, and tidal lagoons would be more effective.In the interests of balance we thought it might be helpful to provide the following.
The particular advantages of a barrage for the generation of renewable energy in the Severn Estuary are:
1.The amount of energy produced The electricity generated by turbines is determined by the amount of water and the height through which it falls when passing through the generating turbines.So to capture the same amount of energy as a barrage, a tidal lagoon would have to cover the same area as the height is set by the tidal range in the Severn Estuary. Such a lagoon, or series of lagoons would be very large indeed, and would be liable to obstruct shipping unless expensive measures are taken.
2.The cost of construction A barrage makes use of the existing coastline for perhaps 90% of the perimeter of the basin in which the high tides are trapped.A tidal lagoon has to fund the entire perimeter, so must be more expensive to build.A big tidal lagoon would have to go into the deep water, so assumptions about low cost construction in shallow water would not apply.
3.Flood prevention and mitigation A barrage can prevent any flooding from sea level rises or storm water surges (as occurred during hurricane Katrina in New Orleans) for the entire upstream coastline.For a Cardiff to Weston-super-Mare barrage this is 170 miles of coastline protected.
In addition, flooding in the lower River Severn can be reduced:at high tides the sea level overtops the weir near Gloucester which stops the river flowing freely.By shutting the barrage sluices just before high tide when the river is in spate the extent of river flooding can be reduced.
The best way to assess the merits of alternative ways of harnessing the power of the tides in the Severn Estuary is to carry out an Appraisal of all the alternatives on a common basis, with an independent steering committee to ensure objectivity.
Roger Hull
Severn Tidal Power Group
August 2007
Murray Stewart Senior Counsellor Chelgate Limited One Tanner Street London SE1 3LE Tel: 020 7939 7949 Fax: 020 7939 7938 Mobile: 07805 108458 Email: mst@... Registered in England, registered number - 226305
-----Original Message----- From: tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On Behalf Of Peter W. Ullman Sent: 21 August 2007 16:58 To: 'Knight, Oliver (SDC)' Cc: tidal_power_uk@...; Tim Lang; peter@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] Canadian Tidal Power
Hi Oliver,
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the world’s highest tidal range and is the site of a demo project installed in 1984, a 16 mw straflo turbine.
The Canadian government and the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provincial governments are working through how they will deal with permitting and supporting the various tidal technologies being proposed for the Bay of Fundy. They are holding a series of public meetings in Nova Scotia. Last week I attended one in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment. First, they commissioned EPRI (Electrical Power Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, California) to study the resource for in-stream tidal (Canadian term for “tidal stream”). Result: about 2200mw of which about 300 mw appeared to be practically achievable. The tidal lagoon resource is about 5000 MW exclusive of pumping.
Given that in-stream tidal has numerous devices in the experimental stage, they have bifurcated the permitting process into “Test Sites” (in-stream) and “Commercial Sites” (tidal lagoons). There are appropriate differences between the test-technologies (includes proving the technology, track record, etc.) and tidal lagoons (commercial technology: no need for technical learning curve) and the process for permitting they must undergo.
Barrages are not being considered at all. Canada did extensive studies done in the 1970’s including consideration of 63 different barrage configurations and the use of barrages was subsequently dropped from consideration. Following is their (the Strategic Environmental Assessment team) statement:
“In the past, tidal energy technology involved installing turbines in barrages across estuaries or bays. The Nova Scotia Power Annapolis Royale Tidal Power Generating Station, commissioned in 1984 is an example of this approach. However, this technology is now considered unsuitable for broad-scale commercial use because of environmental and economic concerns.” [They go on to describe the technologies under consideration, in-stream and …] ”Another tidal technology is the tidal lagoon, which creates an offshore enclosure, but unlike a conventional barrage does not totally block tidal flow.” (OEER, Fundy Tidal Energy, 2007)
This leaves the SDC (i.e. the UK) as the only entity worldwide giving serious consideration to a barrage. Even EDF who own the world’s largest barrage have no interest in building another barrage. They recently invested in tidal stream.
I trust your Commissioners are aware of this fact and will weigh it when making their recommendations. There are a number of very highly-respected Commissioners whose reputations will be impacted by this report and it would be a shame to ask them to sign off on a report without them being fully informed by you, if you ask them to recommend spending yet more public money on the Severn Barrage and continue to delay the commercial installation of privately-funded tidal lagoons whose aggregated output would dwarf the output of the Severn Barrage and cost the public nothing.
Best wishes,
Peter Ullman
From: tidal_power_uk@yahoogroups.co.uk [mailto:tidal_power_uk@yahoogroups.co.uk] On Behalf Of Knight, Oliver (SDC) Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:30 AM To: tidal_power_uk@yahoogroups.co.uk Subject: [tidal_power_uk] FW: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
This conference may be of interest to people on this group.
Oliver Knight
From: Bob Earll [mailto:bob.earll@coastms.co.uk] Sent: 21 August 2007 12:18 Subject: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas
Conference - BOOK NOW
2nd- 4th October 2007, Scarborough
Natural England
Dear colleagues
There are clear international goals for the UK to establish a national network of Marine Protected Areas and this is being supported by work on the Marine Bill and the concept of Marine Conservation Zones. This conference will highlight a wide range of thinking and work going towards this including the need to effectively engage stakeholders.
The Marine Protected Areas Conference aims is to bring together those involved in management, designation, science and policy development of MPAs. Delegates will be able to share information and learn about the latest MPA science, good practice and policies from speakers from the UK and overseas as we look towards achieving our MPA targets.
Would you:
Please circulate this to colleagues that you think will be interested in this conference
The programme including the booking form is attached.
TO BOOK
You can book and pay online with a credit card at www.coastms.co.uk or pay by credit card over the phone, BACs, cheque etc; we issue invoices and receipts. Please email or fax the booking form to bob.earll@coastms.co.uk or 01531 890415
Organised by CMS – Coastal Management for Sustainability
Please circulate this email to colleagues who may be interested
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has the world’s highest tidal
range and is the site of a demo project installed in 1984, a 16 mw straflo
turbine.
The Canadian government and the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provincial
governments are working through how they will deal with permitting and
supporting the various tidal technologies being proposed for the Bay of Fundy.
They are holding a series of public meetings in Nova Scotia. Last week I
attended one in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment. First,
they commissioned EPRI (Electrical Power Research Institute, based in Palo
Alto, California) to study the resource for in-stream tidal (Canadian term for “tidal
stream”). Result: about 2200mw of which about 300 mw appeared to be
practically achievable. The tidal lagoon resource is about 5000 MW exclusive of
pumping.
Given that in-stream tidal has numerous devices in the
experimental stage, they have bifurcated the permitting process into “Test
Sites” (in-stream) and “Commercial Sites” (tidal lagoons).
There are appropriate differences between the test-technologies (includes
proving the technology, track record, etc.) and tidal lagoons (commercial
technology: no need for technical learning curve) and the process for
permitting they must undergo.
Barrages are not being considered at all. Canada did extensive
studies done in the 1970’s including consideration of 63 different barrage
configurations and the use of barrages was subsequently dropped from
consideration. Following is their (the Strategic Environmental Assessment team)
statement:
“In the past, tidal energy technology involved installing
turbines in barrages across estuaries or bays. The Nova Scotia Power Annapolis
Royale Tidal Power Generating Station, commissioned in 1984 is an example of
this approach. However, this technology is now considered unsuitable for
broad-scale commercial use because of environmental and economic concerns.”
[They go on to describe the technologies under consideration, in-stream and …]
”Another tidal technology is the tidal lagoon, which creates an offshore
enclosure, but unlike a conventional barrage does not totally block tidal flow.”
(OEER, Fundy Tidal Energy, 2007)
This leaves the SDC (i.e. the UK) as the only entity worldwide giving
serious consideration to a barrage. Even EDF who own the world’s largest
barrage have no interest in building another barrage. They recently invested in
tidal stream.
I trust your Commissioners are aware of this fact and will weigh
it when making their recommendations. There are a number of very
highly-respected Commissioners whose reputations will be impacted by this
report and it would be a shame to ask them to sign off on a report without them
being fully informed by you, if you ask them to recommend spending yet more
public money on the Severn Barrage and continue to delay the commercial
installation of privately-funded tidal lagoons whose aggregated output would
dwarf the output of the Severn Barrage and cost the public nothing.
Best wishes,
Peter Ullman
From:
tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On
Behalf Of Knight, Oliver (SDC) Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:30 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] FW: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine
Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
This conference
may be of interest to people on this group.
Oliver Knight
From: Bob Earll [mailto:bob.earll@...] Sent: 21 August 2007 12:18 Subject: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4
October Scarborough
Towards
a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas
Conference
- BOOK NOW
2nd-
4th October 2007, Scarborough
Natural
England
Dear colleagues
There are clear international goals for the UK to establish a
national network of Marine Protected Areas and this is being supported by
work on the Marine Bill and the concept of Marine Conservation Zones. This
conference will highlight a wide range of thinking and work going towards
this including the need to effectively engage stakeholders.
The Marine Protected Areas Conference aims is to bring
together those involved in management, designation, science and
policy development of MPAs. Delegates will be able to share information and
learn about the latest MPA science, good practice and policies from
speakers from the UK and overseas as we look towards achieving our MPA
targets.
Would you:
Please circulate this to
colleagues that you think will be interested in this conference
The programme including the booking form is attached.
TO BOOK
You can book and pay online with a credit card at www.coastms.co.uk or pay by credit
card over the phone, BACs, cheque etc; we issue invoices and receipts.
Please email or fax the booking form to bob.earll@... or 01531
890415
Organised by CMS – Coastal Management for Sustainability
Please circulate this email to colleagues who may be
interested
This conference may be of interest to people on this group.
Oliver Knight
From: Bob Earll [mailto:bob.earll@...] Sent: 21 August 2007 12:18 Subject: Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas, 2-4 October Scarborough
Towards a Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas
Conference- BOOK NOW
2nd- 4th October 2007, Scarborough
Natural England
Dear colleagues
There are clear international goals for the UK to establish a national network of Marine Protected Areas and this is being supported by work on the Marine Bill and the concept of Marine Conservation Zones. This conference will highlight a wide range of thinking and work going towards this including the need to effectively engage stakeholders.
The Marine Protected Areas Conference aims is to bring together those involved in management, designation,science and policy development of MPAs. Delegates will be able to share information and learn about the latest MPA science, good practice and policies from speakers from the UK and overseas as we look towards achieving our MPA targets.
Would you:
Please circulate this to colleagues that you think will be interested in this conference
The programme including the booking form is attached.
TO BOOK
You can book and pay online with a credit card at www.coastms.co.uk or pay by credit card over the phone, BACs, cheque etc; we issue invoices and receipts. Please email or fax the booking form to bob.earll@... or 01531 890415
Organised by CMS – Coastal Management for Sustainability
Please circulate this email to colleagues who may be interested
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla Hill Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Energy & Climate Change Team Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
You may be interested in a new study by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Peel Environmental Ltd into the potential of renewable energy from the Mersey.
The preliminary study explores the opportunities for renewable energy and embraces the environmental, shipping, and socio-economic aspects of any possible schemes report. The initial results were launched on 14 June at the Mersey Estuary Forum.
Electric current: power from the Mersey could supply quarter of a million homes
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
A giant waterwheel stretching across the River Mersey could be used to generate renewable electricity for the Northwest, according to a new study that identifies the river as one of the top sites for tidal renewable energy in the UK. Experts say the Mersey estuary’s large tidal range of 8-10 metres and unusual shape combine to create powerful tidal currents that could be harnessed to produce power...
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla Hill Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Energy & Climate Change Team Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
Energy review should reject large severn barrage
FOE Cymru advocates smaller 'shoots' barage with tidal lagoons would
generate as much power as Cardiff-Western Barage without impeding
navigation and less environment damage.
see link
http://www.foe.co.uk/cymru/english/press_releases/2007/severnbarrage.htm
l
Is there a case for a public exhibition on tidal power spanning general interest public through to technical seminars ? The Future Build exhibition at Earls Court earlier this year was v impressive for the range of exhibitors, progress and take-up. There are a lot of stake-holders to inform and inspire.
It might be worth while contacting all coastal Local Authorities in E.Yorks, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex to see if any are interested in a combination of shoreline tidal power and costal erosion protection as outlined in the above article regards Ferrand
The email group we set up titled 'Tidal Power in the UK' now has 150 members, and yet there is a very low volume of traffic. Although for some this may be a blessing, the aim in setting up this group was to encourage the dissemination of news and information on tidal power, so please feel free to post a message if it would be relevant to others (use the email address tidal_power_uk@yahoogroups.co.uk). Please refrain from posting discussion items, old news items, or promotional material.
It might be worth while contacting all coastal Local Authorities in
E.Yorks, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex to see if any are
interested in a combination of shoreline tidal power and costal erosion
protection as outlined in the above article
regards
Ferrand
The email group we set up titled 'Tidal Power in the UK' now has 150
members, and yet there is a very low volume of traffic. Although for
some this may be a blessing, the aim in setting up this group was to
encourage the dissemination of news and information on tidal power, so
please feel free to post a message if it would be relevant to others
(use the email address tidal_power_uk@yahoogroups.co.uk).
Please refrain
from posting discussion items, old news items, or promotional material.
The email group we set up titled 'Tidal Power in the UK' now has 150 members, and yet there is a very low volume of traffic. Although for some this may be a blessing, the aim in setting up this group was to encourage the dissemination of news and information on tidal power, so please feel free to post a message if it would be relevant to others (use the email address tidal_power_uk@...). Please refrain from posting discussion items, old news items, or promotional material.
Many thanks,
Oliver
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Oliver Knight Energy Policy Analyst Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
A blast of coverage on tidal power in the Independent on Sunday, leading with this front page article - http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2562753.ece. Other articles can be found on the same website by using the search function.
Please note the SDC was not involved in these articles.
Oliver
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Oliver Knight Energy Policy Analyst Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Oliver Knight Energy Policy Analyst Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
I note there has been recent debate on the Severn Barrage. I am seeking your support for my project to 'green' Ilfracombe by having 500MW of tidal current turbines installed in the Bristol Channel off Ilfracombe. These will use the same tidal resource as the barrage without the adverse environmental impacts at less cost, and with far quicker realisation.
Action on Climate Change is needed NOW.
As I am sure you know the Bristol Channel has one of the greatest tidal range in the world, 10m at springs, and the shape of the channel directs the fastest tidal current close inshore to the North Devon coast off Ilfracombe. From Bull Point to Foreland Point there is rock bottom in suitable depth, the Devon Wildlife Trust voluntary marine conservation area are keen to see sea-floor turbines installed to develop habitat, Ilfracombe has a significant local electricity load and grid connections, unlike Lynmouth further up the coast.
Marine Current Turbines Ltd have been successfully testing their first 300kW prototype monopile single rotor turbine off Lynmouth, not grid connected, for 2 years and may install a small array of twin rotor Seagen turbines in the same area once testing is completed at Strangford loch.
Seabed designs are preferred for off Ilfracombe, less impact on shipping, and for some time I have been in contact with Simon Meade of Lunar Energy Ltd (backed by Bosch Group) to install an array of up to 500MW of Rotech Tidal Turbines, see www.lunarenergy.co.uk .The marine cable to come ashore at Larkstone Cove, support services based in Ilfracombe harbour.
A seafloor tidal turbine system has the support of all, will not suffer the objections that onshore large wind turbines do and has positive environmental and shipping impacts compared to barrages.
Installation and support of a large number of turbines off Ilfracombe will create jobs in Ilfracombe and could use marine fabrication contracts at DMSL Appledore, more for Rotech than for Open-centre.
Ilfracombe has the only safe harbour on the North Devon and N Cornwall coast, the only landfall in ND that isn't AONB, National Trust or Exmoor National Park, which is causing problems shore-side for MCT at Lynmouth. Harbour Master and harbour association happy with marine cable to come ashore at Larkstone, delighted at prospect of survey/support ships being based here, switch gear/control room located at rear of SWW foul water treatment plant above Larkstone cove and using their 11kv connection to local sub station, this local grid will need up rating if/when the full array of 500MW is installed.
Rotech Turbines are having design/development delays and have not yet got to full scale EMEC testing, so are quite a long time before commercial deployment.
>OpenHydro Group completed the installation of the first tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. This project was supported by Sustainable Energy Ireland www.openhydro.com/news/140107.html
>OpenHydro Group has been selected to provide Canadian utility Nova Scotia Power with its innovative tidal turbine technology. OpenHydro's technology will be used to establish a tidal energy demonstration project in the Bay of Fundy, which when completed, will be the largest in-stream tidal generating unit integrated into an electricity grid in the world www.openhydro.com/news/150107.html
Open-centre turbine technology is more advanced, developed in USA over last 10 years and is on test at EMEC. OpenHydro has just done a deal with Nova Scotia Power for a demonstration array in Canada.
I appreciate that OpenHydro will be heavily committed to Bay of Fundy demonstration site but I would like to form a partnership with Ilfracombe and District Community Alliance CIC (the local regeneration organisation), SW Regional Development Agency and RegenSW, and OpenHydro to install significant numbers of open-centre turbines off Ilfracombe.
For further info see SWRDA "Seapower South West Report", this led to development of the wave hub off N Cornwall, and identified tidal currents as a major renewable electricity source, our Regional Spatial Strategy policy RE2 has offshore energy production targets of 56MW by 2010, 400MW by 2020.
Tim Cox Renewable Energy Advisor RE4D Trans-Send Ltd. 139 High Street ILFRACOMBE, Devon EX34 9EZ Tel 01271 862781 tim.cox@...
For clarification, the SDC had a roundtable discussion yesterday with a small group of tidal stream device and project developers from among members of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), Scottish Renewables Forum(SRF) and the Renewable Energy Association (REA)at a meeting hosted by the BWEA. A separate discussion for lagoon or barragedevelopersis not planned because the main proponents of these technologies were invited to participate in the one-day tidal power stakeholder workshops inCardiff and Aberdeen (see transcript and invitation lists on SDC website for details). There are currently a relatively large number of companies and other organisations involved in tidal stream technology development, and not all were able to be invited to the workshops. The BWEA, REA and SRF participated and provided representation at those events. In relation to both barrages and lagoons, there a fewer developers and as they are not generally covered by renewable energy membership organisations such as BWEA, REA and SRF they received direct invitations to participate in the workshops.
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla Hill Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
From: Peter W. Ullman [mailto:ullman@...] Sent: 27 April 2007 16:00 To: Hill, Karla (SDC); tidal_power_uk@... Cc: neil@...; Tim Lang; peter@...; 'James Greyson' Subject: Why is SDC ignoring tidal lagoons? OFGEM didn't. Green Party didn't. FOE didn't.
Hi Karla,
Thanks for the update. I note you held a round-table discussion with the tidal stream folks. Are you planning a similar roundtable discussion with the tidal lagoon supporters?
Now you have given several workshops showcasing the Severn Barrage and a roundtable to discuss tidal stream. Surely you wouldn’t want to neglect tidal lagoons, the most economically promising environmentally-benign tidal technology on the horizon. Or would you?
Please let me know when you would like to meet.
Thanks,
Peter
Tidal Electric
Peter W. Ullman, Chairman
50 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4BD
0207 692 7557
PO Box 3
West Simsbury, Connecticut 06092
USA
860-408-1400
From: tidal_power_uk@... [mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On Behalf Of Hill, Karla (SDC) Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:37 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] SDC Tidal Project - April update
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla Hill Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
Thanks for the update. I note you held a round-table discussion
with the tidal stream folks. Are you planning a similar roundtable discussion
with the tidal lagoon supporters?
Now you have given several workshops showcasing the Severn
Barrage and a roundtable to discuss tidal stream. Surely you wouldn’t
want to neglect tidal lagoons, the most economically promising environmentally-benign
tidal technology on the horizon. Or would you?
Please let me know when you would like to meet.
Thanks,
Peter
Tidal Electric
Peter W. Ullman, Chairman
50 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4BD
0207 692 7557
PO Box 3
West Simsbury, Connecticut 06092
USA
860-408-1400
From: tidal_power_uk@...
[mailto:tidal_power_uk@...] On Behalf Of Hill, Karla (SDC) Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:37 AM To: tidal_power_uk@... Subject: [tidal_power_uk] SDC Tidal Project - April update
sustainabledevelopment
commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla
Hill
Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Sustainable
Development Commission (SDC) Ground
Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road
London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with
Dean Bradley Street)
sustainabledevelopment commission The independent government advisor on sustainable development
Karla Hill Project Manager - Tidal Power Project Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Ground Floor, Ergon House, Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL (entry from corner with Dean Bradley Street)
-----Original Message----- From: nre-enquiries [mailto:nre-enquiries@...] Sent: 18 April 2007 16:04 To: nre-enquiries Subject: Are you considering applying for the DTI’s Spring 2007 Low Carbon Energy Technologies Competition?
Are you considering applying for the DTI’s Spring 2007 Low Carbon Energy Technologies Competition?
Increase your chances of success by registering for this free, one-day event:
Low Carbon Energy Technologies Seminar – 10 May 2007
This free, one-day seminar to be held in London is designed to familiarise participants with the application process and requirements for the DTI’s Spring Low Carbon Energy Technologies Competition.It will also maximise their chances of success in bidding through sharing experiences of winning strategies. The morning session will introduce the Competition, review its priorities as well as the nuts and bolts of the application process.In the afternoon, a series of seminars will be held for each of the following low carbon energy technologies:
Bioenergy
Carbon Abatement Technologies
Fuel cells and hydrogen
Photovoltaics (including field trials)
Tidal and wave
Intelligent grid management and energy storage
Wind
In each seminar, a case study of a project which has previously been successful in securing funding through the Competition will be presented, following which the project leaders, DTI representatives, Independent Competition Assessors and Programme Managers for the Competition will be available for a question and answer session.This event provides an invaluable opportunity to network with potential project partners.Please register your interest by contacting eventsteam@... (spaces are limited).
Key Dates and Contacts for Further Information
Key Dates
Competition opens: 24 April 2007.
Competition launch event in London: 25 April 2007.
Low Carbon Energy Technologies Seminar in London: 10 May 2007.
Deadline for registering your intention to submit an application: 11 June 2007.
Deadline for all academic finances through the Je-S systems: 14 June 2007.
Deadline for all outline applications: 18 June 2007.
Contacts for Further Information
If you have any queries about the low carbon energy technologies competitionplease contact Jonathan Gibbard at AEA Energy & Environment (Programme Manager for the Low Carbon Energy Technologies Competition) on 0870 190 2926 or email jonathan.gibbard@....
If you have any queries about the technical scope of the competition or the application process, please contact the Technology Programme Helpline on 01355 272155 or email info@....
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For more information about AEA please visit our Web site at http://www.aeat.co.uk ( http://www.aeat.co.uk/ )
AEA Technology plc registered office 329 Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QJ. Registered in England and Wales, number 3095862.
Government minister Ben Bradshaw has become the latest politician to publicly support plans to build a barrage across the Severn estuary from Brean Down to Lavernock Point in South Wales.
The ambitious proposal for the 10-mile concrete dam, which would produce renewable energy via huge hydro-electric turbines, already has support from the Welsh Assembly and cabinet minister Peter Hain.
Now, Mr Bradshaw, Minister of State for the Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs, has said the Government should be looking to take advantage of the second-highest tidal range in the world.
In an exclusive interview with the Burnham and Highbridge Times, the MP for Exeter said: "If we are going to take our battle against climate change seriously we need to harness all the potential renewable energy both on land and at sea.
"There is no doubt that the Severn barrage, on the second most powerful tidal area in the world, would have the potential to provide us with a significant proportion of our renewable energy needs.
"I would not want to pre-empt what the report by the Sustainable Development Commission might say about tidal power, and the Severn barrage in particular, but I personally think it's a very promising prospect that we are going to have to look at positively."
The Sustainable Development Commission, which is working with the South West Regional Development Agency, has been tasked by the Government to produce a report on tidal power in the UK and part of its mandate is to review the proposals for the Severn barrage.
One such proposal is by the Severn Tidal Power Group, a consortium of engineers from UK companies McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Taylor Woodrow, and Alstom.
STPG representatives were in the House of Commons on March 26 to tell MPs about the benefits of building the barrage which, the group claims, could provide five per cent of the UK's electricity needs.
STPG spokesman Roger Hull said: "The STPG was set up 20 years ago and in 1989 we, along with the Government and the electricity board, carried out a £4 million study into the possibility of building a barrage, but shortly after that the energy industry privatised and nothing has happened in the interim.
"Now that we do not have an electricity excess, the price of fossil fuels has gone up, there is a greater concern for the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and nuclear and coal power stations are closing down. We have to build something, somehow.
"We told MPs that the time has come to think about the barrage again because, as part of the push for renewables, we should update the studies and, as a country, decide if it is good or not.
"We also told the MPs that if planning permission was given, the private sector would be willing to build the barrage."
In February the Burnham and Highbridge Times reported on the ambitious £650 million Severn barrage proposal from Neath businessman Gareth Woodham, which includes plans for 12 man-made islands in the river, which Mr Woodham claims could be valued at up to £25 million each.
But Mr Hull rubbished the Severn Lake project, saying: "The STPG proposal is based on engineering and environmental studies. Mr Woodham, to my knowledge, has no engineering studies or numbers to back him up. Our 1989 proposal might be almost two decades old but it is still sound engineering."
And while there is little doubt about the renewable energy producing potential of building a barrage across the Severn, environmental groups such as Friends Of The Earth have expressed concern about its potential impact on an ecosystem that includes fish, plants and rare birds.
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