Forthcoming News & Events
Mariners Society Lunch
Date Posted: 15 August 2024Mariners Society Lunch
A lunch will be held in the Westgate Room on Thursday 15th August 2024.
There will be a sparkling wine reception at 12:00 in the Committee Room. The Talk will commence at 1:00pm in the Committee Room, followed by lunch being served at 1:30pm in the Westgate Room. The cost for this 3-course lunch will be £30.00 per person.
Harnessing Tidal Range Energy
The Severn Estuary has the second highest tidal range in the world and, because of its proximity to urban centres and electricity, it is probably the most significant global resource for harnessing the power of tidal range energy.
Brian Morgan is Chair of a new company - Severn Estuary Tidal Bar (SETB) Ltd - focused on developing tidal energy. For the last four years, SETB has been working closely with Jacobs (a large construction engineering company) to develop a pilot ‘tidal bar’ scheme in an estuary to the Severn - a ‘tidal bar’ is an environmentally focused tidal barrage.
A major problem at this stage is that a very large tidal bar across the Severn Estuary would be too big (i.e. too risky) an investment to be considered as a front runner for developing tidal range projects. We will need to develop a pilot project (generating around 100MW of electricity) that tests and proves the concept in the first instance. For comparison, a very large tidal bar across the Severn Estuary would generate 8GW of electricity – i.e. 800 times bigger than the proposed 100MW pilot.
To take the project forward SETB and Jacobs have been awarded funding from the UK government to help develop a new type of contra-rotating, bi-directional turbine. This new turbine aims to address the challenges faced by tidal range schemes by being able to operate at much lower heads of water than conventional turbines. A total of nearly £2m will be invested in developing this ‘very low head’ turbine (VLHT) – part funded by a SMART grant from UKRI.
Our aim is to demonstrate that the VLHT will reduce the costs, improve the performance, and reduce the environmental impact of tidal range energy, paving the way to unlocking this multi-billion-pound global industry.
[Brian Morgan is currently Professor of Entrepreneurship at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He was previously Chief Economist at the WDA and has worked extensively in Whitehall, the EU and OECD. His research focuses on the economic impact of infrastructure investment (particularly in renewable energy) and its contribution to regional development.]
Menu
Smoked Haddock Chowder
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Roast Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding & Beef Juices
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Mixed Berry Crème Brûlée Laced with Cassis Topped with Honeycomb
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Coffee & Mints
Sparkling Kir Imperial Aperitif and Port are sponsored by The Oxford Wine Company
If you wish to attend, then please contact the office.
Charles Reardon Smith.