Peak Oil is You
Donate Bitcoins ;-) or Paypal :-)
Page added on November 25, 2011
Under-sea energy network ‘possible’
A sub-sea renewable energy grid connecting Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland is “viable and competitive”, according to a study.
The report was published as government ministers from the three countries met to discuss the proposal in Glasgow.
The grid concept, known as Isles, would harness wind, wave and tidal energy and help meet European Union renewable energy targets.
The report states: “The study concludes that an Isles cross-jurisdictional offshore integrated network is economically viable and competitive under certain regulatory frameworks and can potentially deliver a range of wider economic, environmental and market-related benefits.”
The maximum resource potential is estimated to be 16.4 gigawatts (GW), comprising 12.1GW from offshore wind and 2.3GW of wave and tidal.
The Irish-Scottish programme aims for 6.2GW by about 2020, described in the report as “ambitious but achievable”. The study said there are no technological barriers or “adverse environmental constraints” to the development of the network.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “Scotland has around a quarter of the continent’s wind and tidal resource and as much as a tenth of its potential wave power. This project paves the way to allow us to harvest that potential, further develop our export capability and bring in revenues to Scotland.
“This project has EU-wide significance. It shows Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland are leading the debate on how to deliver our offshore energy networks and we will now take these findings to both Westminster and Brussels.”
Ireland’s Energy Minister, Pat Rabbitte, said: “With a sea area that is almost 10 times the size of our landmass, Ireland has abundant ocean renewable energy resources, potentially a multiple of the energy requirements of our own system.”
Or check the more comprehensive story from MENAFN, which refused to get copied.
3 Comments on "Under-sea energy network ‘possible’"
BillT on Fri, 25th Nov 2011 1:56 pm
And since Ireland, and Scotland are bankrupt, just who is going to pay for this boondoggle? The taxpayers, of course. If it was viable, corporations would be doing it already. Or don’t you believe in Capitalism?
Jan van Dijk on Sat, 26th Nov 2011 4:17 pm
Thankfully policy is considering energy from the sea which is abundant. It is a visión of the future.
Kenz300 on Sat, 26th Nov 2011 9:56 pm
Quote — “The study concludes that an Isles cross-jurisdictional offshore integrated network is economically viable and competitive under certain regulatory frameworks and can potentially deliver a range of wider economic, environmental and market-related benefits.” The maximum resource potential is estimated to be 16.4 gigawatts (GW), comprising 12.1GW from offshore wind and 2.3GW of wave and tidal.”
——————–
As oil and coal becomes more expensive an all of the above approach to energy production will become more common.