Emeritus Professor engages with Sky News on tidal range energy generation

Emeritus Professor Roger Falconer, previously a Professor of Water Management (1997-2018), recently engaged with Sky News on a documentary about the potential benefits of tidal energy.

The documentary is entitled, 'Harnessing the tides could power millions of homes for less than nuclear power'.

Watch the documentary on YouTube

Roger and his colleague Professor Reza Ahmadian, who now leads the tidal energy research at Cardiff University's School of Engineering, have jointly worked on a number of tidal range energy generation projects being proposed around the UK, with the schemes delivering indigenous, predictable renewable energy for over a century into the future. The cost of such schemes has been shown to be cheaper than nuclear energy and comparable to offshore wind energy.

Tidal energy research and development undertaken by the Hydro-environmental Research Centre has focused on optimising, designing and investigating the hydro-environmental impact of various proposed barrage and lagoon schemes around the western coast of the UK.

The key findings from these research projects, which have been on-going for over a decade, have shown the benefits of tidal range schemes to include:

• proven technology
• energy increases (e.g., with AI tools)
• operational flexibility (e.g., providing more energy at times of peak demand)
• renewable tidal energy potential
• non-energy benefits (e.g., reduced flood risk and coastal erosion)
• limited environmental impacts
• and lower costs.