The World in 2030

The World in 2030 233
Power from the oceans (wave power and tidal power)
also offers some limited power generation opportunities
to nations with coastlines. In April 2007 The Economist
outlined future prospects for ocean power:
A fraction of the energy locked up in the oceans
could, in theory, meet the world’s entire elec tricity
needs. Extracting hydropower from dammedup
rivers is comparatively easy compared with
harvesting energy from offshore tides and waves,
and then putting it into the grid via underwater
cables. Only 14 countries now operate tidal or
wave-power stations, and most are tiny, experimental
and expensive. 446
In Scotland the world’s first tidal stream energy
capture project was announced by The Scotsman in
March 2007:
Scotland is set to lead the world in harnessing a new
form of green energy by developing the first commercial
tidal stream energy plant on the planet.
Lunar Energy, a leading Scottish renewables company,
has joined forces with E.ON UK, the company
which runs Powergen, to announce pioneering plans
to develop a subsea tidal stream power farm off the
west coast of Britain within the next two years.
The underwater power system will be capable of generating
up to eight megawatts of electricity, enough
power to supply 5,000 homes. 447