Oxford University to lead "ambitious" tidal energy project

The Universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Strathclyde have teamed up on a £7 million  project called "CoTide" (‘Co-design to deliver Scalable Tidal Stream Energy'), which will help to deliver "scalable, affordable and sustainable tidal stream energy", according to Offshore Energy.

The CoTide Project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), "will address the key challenges currently preventing the tidal energy sector from reaching its full potential". The Project's focus will be on tidal stream turbines, which are anchored out at sea and can harness the strongest tides, but which must withstand extreme weather conditions and corrosive seawater.

To overcome these technical challenges, CoTide will include experts in hydrodynamics, rotor materials, corrosion, risk and reliability, environmental modelling, and system control and optimization. The goal will be to reduce costs and improve reliability, and the Project will make use of Oxford University's state-of-the-art current and wave flume test facility.

A recent report, published by Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment, argues that tidal stream energy "can serve as an effective complement to wider efforts on both net zero and energy security".  The reports also suggests that the UK "should pursue tidal stream energy ... to maximize sustainable growth opportunities from this emerging technology" and that "investments in tidal stream energy innovation ... yield higher estimated economic returns for the UK relative to other clean technology areas".

Another recent report from the Policy and Innovation Group at the University of Edinburgh School of Engineering also argues that "The continued commercialisation of the wave and tidal stream sectors, aided by accelerated innovation, has the potential to establish the UK as the world leading nation in ocean energy technology development and deployment, delivering a range of accompanying Net Zero, socioeconomic and power system benefits".

The CoTide Project Leader and Co-Director of the Supergen ORE Hub, Oxford's Professor Richard Willden, says that "This EPSRC investment in CoTide allows us to bring together world-class engineering expertise and drive forward the kind of creative, collaborative research that will ensure the UK remains a world-leader in tidal stream development and deployment". The Oxford University website states that tidal stream systems have the potential to provide the UK with enough energy to power 5 million homes and to support 25,000 jobs - if carefully designed to overcome the existing technical challenges.

It is exciting to see Oxford University at the forefront of advancing this exciting technology, which - in the mix of other renewables such as wind, solar and wave energy - promises so much for the UK.