Bristol Tidal Energy Forum

Bristol – Tidal Energy Forum
“ Unlocking the energy potential of the Bristol Channel”
6 October 10am-4pm Bristol Port Company offices, Avonmouth

On the 6th October the inaugural Bristol tidal energy forum was held at Bristol port authority. This event was organised and delivered by Regen SW and Bristol city council with the support of Bristol port authority who played host to the day.

The objective of the forum was to establish an industry perspective on the future potential of the Bristol Channel and to outline a road map to support tidal technology development.
A large degree of interest in the forum saw it reach the maximum number of delegates coming from a broad range of industry and local government.

In the first half of the day the forum reviewed the energy generation potential of the Bristol Channel and went on to update delegates about the current status of tidal technologies which could be deployed in the channel. Instead of looking at Tidal range technology this forum instead choose to focus on the opportunity presented by tidal stream developments.

After lunch Ian Macdougall of Bristol city council gave an overview of the cities ambitions to become a centre for tidal energy and technology development. Delegates were then invited to put questions to a panel of the morning sessions presenters as well as industry leaders. This Q&A session followed naturally into an open debate about the future of tidal energy in the channel, its timeline for deployment and crucially a roadmap forwards. This was an important element for the representatives of Bristol city council who were keen to understand how industry saw Bristol’s opportunity and gain feedback on how they can best support its growth.

The main points that were taken away from the day were:

• The need for Bristol to work collectively with colleagues in Wales and across the south west both in terms of raising the profile of the sector, influencing at a national level and in providing practical support for industry

• That Bristol has got a lot to offer and is a special place for technology development, innovation and as a natural meeting point between technology developers, academia, industry and the service sector. This should be nurtured and built upon – so continued support for R&D and technology development, working with the new Offshore Technology and Innovation Centre for example, will be vital.

• Getting tidal stream technology in the water is important, initially this should be focused on a small number of demonstration and early commercial arrays. This will need to be very site specific however and so a couple of sites which combine good resource, grid connection and relatively easy deployment are needed.

• Larger scale arrays may eventually come to the Bristol Channel as the industry matures and as cost reduction, or new technology makes lower energy sites viable. In the short term however the industry will focus on higher energy tidal sites in Scotland, NI and elsewhere around the world. It’s important for Bristol therefore to have strong relationships with these areas to export our knowledge capital and open opportunities for companies in the supply chain.

• To get projects underway increased engagement with utilities and the Crown Estate is necessary.

• The Bristol Channel has the 2nd highest tidal range in the world and although the Big Barrage may have “no strategic case at this time”, other smaller schemes looking at impoundment and enhanced flow may still be viable.

Following the event Regen SW will be actively following up with other regional partners to look at how we can jointly assess resources and work together to promote the sector going forwards. Meanwhile the outputs of the first forum will be incorporated into the Bristol Offshore Energy strategy and help shape the Tidal Energy spring forum, 2012.

For further information on this event please contact Johnny Gowdy - jgowdy@regensw.co.uk