A more creative approach to using power generated locally by tidal energy projects could help businesses and homes around Scotland’s coastline become less reliant on fossil fuels, by removing the need to wait for greater grid capacity, according to a new study.
The report was carried out by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult on behalf of Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
It identifies a range of opportunities to help coastal communities access cleaner, and potentially cheaper energy.
The study investigates how communities could connect directly to tidal power projects, allowing green energy generated locally to be supplied to users without relying on a connection to the national grid.
Turning tidal-derived electricity into green hydrogen is also explored, identifying major opportunities for decarbonising industries, and manufacturing clean fuels.
The report highlights that energy resilience for remote areas could be improved by reducing reliance on diesel and oil, which are often transported long distances, and notes the economic potential for local tidal projects to employ more people and generate revenues via community-funded projects.
The study examined 30 tidal stream locations around Scotland’s coast, of which 20 were identified as being close enough to potential end users.
Various off-take routes were considered viable, including the Islay Project, where green hydrogen company Protium is helping whisky distilleries to be carbon-neutral by 2040.
Another path was using the Pentland Firth’s tidal energy potential to produce green hydrogen to develop synthetic fuels on the Orkney island of Flotta.
Replacing diesel generators on Barra and Vatersay with a battery storage system to utilise tidal generated electricity, was also deemed viable.
The study emphasises that accessing tidal-derived energy in this way is not a substitute for a connection to the national grid, but an additional way to maximise the use of such energy resources.
The authors also note the opportunity to re-purpose legacy oil and gas assets for use in new hydrogen and synthetic fuel production and to utilise the skills of people with an oil and gas background.
The report comes against a backdrop of a UK Marine Energy Council target of generating 1GW of electricity from tidal sources by 2035, with 700MW of that identified as coming from projects in Scotland.
Carolyn MacPhee, development manager at Crown Estate Scotland, said: “Scotland has an enviable natural resource in the form of tidal power, which provides a consistent and predictable source of renewable energy.
“However, securing a connection to the national grid is an acknowledged obstacle to making full use of the tidal stream power available.
“This report sets out the opportunities to make greater use of our country’s natural power.
“In so doing it highlights the potential to provide clean energy within local communities, create jobs, and help reduce the costs of generating a range of energy types.”
Eileen Linklater, corporate affairs director at EMEC, added: “The report highlights the potential of tidal stream energy to drive net zero goals, bolster energy security, and promote green growth across the UK.
“Alternative offtake routes for tidal stream generation across Scotland could play an important role in enabling the sector’s development, given existing grid constraints.
“To realise this potential, key recommendations focus on strategic planning around best use of resources adjacent to industries in need of decarbonisation, reducing risk for community scale projects, and increasing thresholds for consenting requirements to better support projects at different scales.
“These insights aim to inform future leasing design and identify practical approaches to resolving deliverability constraints.”