Industry Insight

Mexican tidal project to tackle fresh water, electricity and marine life sustainabilty

ksdicks — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:05:58 +0000

The Tiburón Agua y Electricidad project in Mexico aims to provide thousands of megawatts of power along with enough fresh water to supply large parts of North Western Mexico and the Southwest US. It also claims it will be home to a reef-growing infrastructure that will keep sea life and fishermen happy.

Tidal energy in the USA: no longer just a ‘concept’

ksdicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:19:03 +0000

While the UK is currently in the lead for in water and grid testing for tidal energy, the US is making traction. We look at the latest tidal project developments in North America and consider whether the inherent community gung-ho spirit of its inhabitants, politicians and regulators could put tidal on the fast track.

Tidal’s environmental impact: does it get the seal’s approval?

ksdicks — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:49:21 +0000

Recent studies finding that MCT's Seagen turbine has had little if any impact on sea and sea bird life has given the tidal industry a great boost. Other findings in the US have found that seals, while inquisitive by nature, have to date had little interest or concern over turbines. But some environmental researchers say that more turbines in differing water conditions are required to get an accurate picture of the overall environemtal impact.

Evolution of tidal turbines imminent

ksdicks — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:51:07 +0000

Tidal Today takes a snap shot of current tidal turbine designs and asks the experts how cost and funding impacts will change the shape not only of the industry, but the turbines themselves.

Exciting times for tidal stream

ksdicks — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:05:59 +0000

Relatively low project costs and reduced environmental impacts are buoying interest in tidal stream’s prospects. Now it is up to the industry to prove it can deliver.

2014: the year of marine power?

ksdicks — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:31:11 +0000

Industry forecasters say a total of 150MW of wave and tidal current stream capacity is set to be installed in 2011-2015 with a lot riding on 2014 to be the year in which installations take off by more than 100 per cent.

Grid connections for tidal power a “tricky issue”

ksdicks — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:12:56 +0000

Cost savings are crucial in this industry, so getting grid connections right from the initial stages could determine its future uptake and success amongst utilities.

Combining shipbuilding and tidal stream know-how could create new business opportunities across key markets

ksdicks — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:17:40 +0000

The tidal energy industry has looked to the offshore oil and gas sector for advice, but could the shipbuilding and naval marine industries be better knowledge sharing partners for tidal stream developers?

World's Best Tidal Energy Markets (it’s not all about the tides)

ksdicks — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:03:20 +0000

With so many countries now active in the tidal power market, where should potential investors consider getting their feet wet and why? In the first of a short series of reports looking at the issues to consider, a couple of key markets jump out as passing the initial business case criteria.

COMFIT gives Canadian tidal market competitive edge

ksdicks — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:16:50 +0000

England needs a major leap in policy to compete with Nova Scotia if it is to continue to encourage tidal developers to generate electricity. The Canadian province, which in May 2011 introduced the remarkably generous feed-in tariff COMFIT, is a beacon of promise for renewable energy companies around the world. Meanwhile, government organisations in England and Wales are not as decisive and are still considering whether to raise their incentives, with a decision expected before the end of the year.