>> Sreenivasan: LAST NIGHT WE
TOOK YOU TO THE LARGEST PLANNED
TIDAL ENERGY PROJECT IN THE
WORLD, HARNESSING THE POWER IN
THE FAST MOVING WATERS OFF THE
NORTHERN COAST OF SCOTLAND.
BUT SCOTLAND IS A PART OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM, AND IT NOW FACES
THE COMING SEPARATION OF THE
U.K. FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION-
I'M TALKING ABOUT BREXIT.
WILL SCOTLAND BE ABLE TO
CONTINUE TURNING MARINE ENERGY
FROM AN INTRIGUING CONCEPT TO
COMMERCIAL REALITY?
HERE'S PART TWO OF OUR REPORT.
ON A BRISK NOVEMBER MORNING, I
HEADED INTO THE WATERS AROUND
THE ORKNEY ISLANDS, AN
ARCHIPELAGO OFF THE COAST OF
NORTHERN SCOTLAND.
I'M WITH A TEAM FROM THE
EUROPEAN MARINE ENERGY CENTER OR
EMEC, A RESEARCH AND TESTING
FACILITY THAT'S BASED HERE.
I'M ALSO WITH A SPANISH
RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY THAT'S
TESTING ITS NEW PROJECT HERE IN
ORKNEY.
THIS DEVICE GENERATES POWER FROM
THE TIDES.
>> WE HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED
ENERGY WITH THIS PLATFORM.
>> Sreenivasan: PABLO MANSILLA
IS A PROJECT MANAGER WITH
MAGALLANES RENOVABLES, THE
COMPANY THAT DEVELOPED THIS
DEVICE.
HE TOOK ME ABOARD TO GET A
CLOSER LOOK.
WHY COME HERE?
>> WE ARE COMING HERE BECAUSE
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE
TO TEST THIS ENERGY.
>> Sreenivasan: THE FLOATING
DECK IS ABOUT 150 FEET LONG AND
WHEN IT IS IN PLACE IT WILL BE
TETHERED TO THE SEAFLOOR WITH
CHAINS.
THE TIDES RUSH THROUGH TWO GIANT
UNDERWATER TURBINES BENEATH THE
DECK AND GENERATE ENERGY.
THE DEVICE WAS TOWED MORE THAN
1,300 MILES FROM SPAIN AND SOON
WILL BE CONNECTED TO THE GRID AT
EMEC'S TEST SITE IN ORKNEY FOR A
YEAR.
>> WE WANT TO VALIDATE THIS
TECHNOLOGY, TO OPTIMIZE OUR
PLATFORM AND TRY TO REACH TO THE
COMMERCIAL POINT AND START
SELLING PLATFORMS.
>> Sreenivasan: MANSILLA TOOK ME
INSIDE, WHERE ELECTRICAL
CONVERTERS TRANSFORM THE POWER
GENERATED FROM THE TIDES TO A
STANDARD VOLTAGE BEFORE SENDING
IT TO THE POWER GRID ON SHORE.
WHEN IT'S OPERATING THERE WON'T
BE ANYONE ONBOARD; IT CAN ALL BE
MONITORED AND CONTROLLED
REMOTELY FROM ANYWHERE.
>> THIS IS OUR CONTROL SYSTEM,
WE CAN CHECK EVERYTHING FROM
SPAIN.
>> Sreenivasan: SO 24/7 THIS IS
ALL SENDING INFORMATION IN REAL
TIME?
>> YEAH, YES.
>> Sreenivasan: EMEC HAS TESTED
MORE THAN 30 OCEAN ENERGY
DEVICES, INCLUDING THIS ONE,
WHICH RECENTLY GENERATED ENOUGH
ENERGY FOR ABOUT 830 HOMES IN A
YEAR-LONG TEST.
MANUFACTURED BY A SCOTTISH TIDAL
ENERGY DEVELOPER, IT LOOKS LIKE
ITS MOVING, BUT REALLY IT'S JUST
THE TIDES RUSHING BY.
LIKE THE MAGALLANES DEVICE, IT'S
TETHERED TO STAY IN PLACE, WHILE
TURBINES UNDERNEATH GATHER
ENERGY FROM THE MOVING WATER.
LISA MACKENZIE IS EMEC'S
MARKETING MANAGER.
SHE SAYS THAT IN ADDITION TO
HAVING A TESTING SITE FOR
DEVICES THAT CREATE POWER FROM
TIDES, EMEC ALSO HAS A SITE TO
TEST WAVE ENERGY.
>> ORKNEY IS VERY UNIQUE BECAUSE
IT HAS BOTH OF THESE RESOURCES
VERY CLOSE TOGETHER.
>> Sreenivasan: HERE AT BILLIA
CROO, WAVES HAVE BEEN MEASURED
AT NEARLY 60 FEET HIGH.
MORE THAN A MILE OFFSHORE, A
FINNISH COMPANY IS TESTING A
DEVICE THAT CAPTURES ENERGY FROM
THE MOVEMENT OF THESE WAVES.
IT THEN FEEDS THAT ENERGY VIA
UNDERWATER CABLE BACK INTO THE
NATIONAL GRID.
>> IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO DO
THE COMPUTER MODELING AND TO DO
THE TANK TESTING AND GET A LOT
OF THE ISSUES IRONED OUT AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE AT SCALE.
BUT YOU CAN NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A
TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO INTERACT
IN THE REAL SEA ENVIRONMENT AT
FULL SCALE UNTIL IT HAS BEEN
DEPLOYED.
>> Sreenivasan: EMEC, WHICH IS A
NONPROFIT, WAS ESTABLISHED IN
2003 AND HAS RECEIVED ABOUT $44
MILLION IN PUBLIC FUNDING,
INCLUDING FROM THE EUROPEAN
UNION AND THE U.K. AND SCOTTISH
GOVERNMENTS.
IT HAS BEEN SELF-SUFFICIENT
SINCE 2011, WITH COMPANIES
PAYING TO USE ITS FACILITIES.
BUT IT STILL DOES RECEIVE E.U.
GRANT-FUNDED PROJECTS.
IN FACT, THE COST OF MAGALLANES'
YEAR-LONG TEST AT EMEC IS BEING
SUBSIDIZED BY E.U. FUNDING.
SO, WHILE TIDES AND WAVES HERE
MAY BE STRONG AND CERTAIN, THE
POLITICAL WINDS ARE ANYTHING
BUT.
THE UNITED KINGDOM'S BREXIT IS
SET FOR MARCH, AFTER WHICH
SCOTLAND WILL NO LONGER BE PART
OF THE E.U.
AND THE FATE OF E.U. FUNDED
PROJECTS IN BRITAIN IS
UNCERTAIN.
I MEAN, YOU'RE A EUROPEAN FUNDED
AGENCY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR?
>> SO, WE'RE CALLED THE EUROPEAN
MARINE ENERGY CENTER, BUT WE SEE
OURSELVES AS VERY MUCH A GLOBAL
COMPANY.
AND WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH
BREXIT, AND AT THE MOMENT WE
DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WILL BE,
THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP US
WORKING WITH EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL
COMPANIES.
>> Sreenivasan: PAUL WHEELHOUSE
IS THE SCOTTISH MINISTER FOR
ENERGY, CONNECTIVITY, AND THE
ISLANDS AND A MEMBER OF THE
RULING SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY,
WHICH DID NOT SUPPORT BREXIT.
>> WE ARE, REGARDLESS OF PERHAPS
SOME OF THE BREXITEERS VIEWS ON
THIS.
WE WILL ALWAYS BE PART OF THE
EUROPEAN CONTINENT.
GEOGRAPHY DOESN'T CHANGE AND WE
HAVE A HUGE SHARE OF EUROPE'S
WAVE ENERGY, TIDAL ENERGY AND
OFFSHORE WIND AND ONSHORE WIND
POTENTIAL.
>> Sreenivasan: WE SPOKE WITH
WHEELHOUSE AT A RECENT
CONFERENCE ON OCEAN ENERGY IN
EDINBURGH.
AS BREXIT APPROACHES, HE WARNS
THE U.K. SHOULD NOT REPEAT THE
MISTAKE THAT IT MADE IN THE
1980s WITH WIND ENERGY.
>> THE INDUSTRY WAS BEING LED BY
ACADEMIA IN SCOTLAND AND THE
REST OF U.K. AND INDEED THE
FIRST THING SOME OF THE FIRST
ONSHORE TURBINES IN THE WORLD
WERE TRIALED IN ORKNEY AND THEN
WE DROPPED THE BALL BECAUSE IT
WAS A DASH FOR GAS AND IT WAS
MORE POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT TO
PUSH FOR A SHORT TERM HIT AND
AGENDA AND NEGLECTED THE LONG
TERM DEVELOPMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY
THAT HAD HUGE POTENTIAL.
>> Sreenivasan: TODAY, THE WIND
ENERGY INDUSTRY IS DOMINATED BY
DANISH, CHINESE, GERMAN, AND
SPANISH COMPANIES.
>> SO WE'RE SAYING TO THE U.K.
GOVERNMENT PLEASE DESPERATELY DO
NOT DROP THE BALL AGAIN.
>> Sreenivasan: AND EMEC IN
ORKNEY IS NOT THE ONLY
INVESTMENT THE SCOTTISH AND U.K.
GOVERNMENTS HAVE MADE IN
DEVELOPING THE ECOSYSTEM AROUND
MARINE ENERGY.
DAVID INGRAM IS A ENGINEERING
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
EDINBURGH, AND THE DIRECTOR OF
THE FLOWAVE OCEAN ENERGY
RESEARCH FACILITY.
THIS 634,000 GALLON TANK WAS
FUNDED IN PART BY THE U.K.
GOVERNMENT AND OPENED IN 2014.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN RENT
A STORMY SEA.
PICK THE SIZE OF THE WAVE OR
FORCE OF THE TIDE AND TEST
WHATEVER YOU LIKE.
>> SO IF I WANT TO HAVE A 200
YEAR STORM, I CAN HAVE 200 YEAR
STORM CONDITIONS EVERY 15
MINUTES.
IF I GO TO THE OCEAN AND I WANT
A 200 YEAR STORM I MIGHT HAVE TO
WAIT 300 YEARS FOR THAT 200 YEAR
STORM TO COME ALONG.
>> Sreenivasan: ON THE DAY WE
VISITED, THIS SMALL SCALE
VERSION OF A WAVE POWER DEVICE
WAS BEING PUT THROUGH THE
EQUIVALENT OF MASSIVE SWELLS BY
A SWEDISH COMPANY.
>> IT'S MUCH CHEAPER FOR YOU TO
BRING A MODEL HERE FROM
AUSTRALIA AND TEST IT OR FROM
SWEDEN AND TEST IT THAN IT IS
TO, TO REPLICATE THIS FACILITY.
>> Sreenivasan: INGRAM SAYS
RESEARCH LIKE THIS AROUND
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY IS ONLY
POSSIBLE WITH GOVERNMENT
ASSISTANCE.
>> YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE
THERE NEEDS TO BE NATIONAL
SUPPORT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN
AT A LARGE SCALE, AND IF THE
GOVERNMENT DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE
THAT SUPPORT THEN THAT
TECHNOLOGY GOES TO SOMEWHERE
WHERE IT CAN, WHERE THE SUPPORT
CAN BE FOUND.
>> Sreenivasan: ADDING TO THE
UNCERTAINTY AROUND BREXIT,
SCOTLAND IS NOT THE ONLY
GOVERNMENT RACING TO DEVELOP
THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL OVER
EUROPE WERE AT THE MARINE ENERGY
CONFERENCE IN EDINBURGH.
AND THE UNITED STATES WAS
REPRESENTED AS WELL.
TIM RAMSEY IS THE PROGRAM
MANAGER FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY'S MARINE AND
HYDROKINETIC PROGRAM.
>> WE'RE LEARNING AS MUCH AS WE
CAN FROM, FROM OUR COUNTERPARTS
OVER HERE IN THE U.K.
>> Sreenivasan: RAMSEY'S OFFICE
DISTRIBUTES ABOUT $70 MILLION
DOLLARS A YEAR IN GRANTS FOR
MARINE ENERGY, WITH U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SUPPORT,
TIDAL DEVICES HAVE ALREADY BEEN
TESTED IN MAINE AND NEW YORK.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY IS ALSO
HELPING BUILD A 50 MILLION
DOLLAR WAVE TESTING SITE ON THE
COAST OF OREGON.
MODELED ON FACILITIES LIKE EMEC,
IT WILL BE ABLE TO TEST UTILITY-
SCALE DEVICES.
RAMSEY THINKS AMERICAN COMPANIES
STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO CATCH UP
TO THE EUROPEANS.
>> WE'RE NOT AS FAR ALONG AS
THEM, BUT THEY'RE NOT THAT FAR
OUT IN FRONT OF US.
WE CAN STILL CATCH AND THEN WE
CAN STILL BE THE WORLD LEADERS
IN THIS SPACE WHEN YOU LOOK
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE
RESOURCES THAT WE DO HAVE IT
SPANS THEM ALL.
WE HAVE A GREAT TIDAL RESOURCE,
A GREAT WAVE RESOURCE, WE HAVE
THE SUPPLY CHAIN, I THINK WE'D
BE MISSING OUT ON A BIG
OPPORTUNITY IF WE DON'T TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
>> Sreenivasan: BUT DESPITE THE
INVESTMENT THERE ARE STILL
QUESTIONS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT
DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES, LIKE
TIDAL ENERGY, CAN COMPETE WITH
EXISTING FOSSIL FUELS AND MORE
ESTABLISHED RENEWABLE ENERGY
TECHNOLOGIES LIKE WIND AND
SOLAR.
TIM CORNELIUS IS THE C.E.O. OF
SIMEC ATLANTIS ENERGY, WHICH IS
DEVELOPING THE MEYGEN PROJECT,
THE LARGEST PLANNED TIDAL ARRAY
IN THE WORLD IN NORTHERN
SCOTLAND.
>> TIDAL POWER IS WHERE WIND AND
SOLAR WAS 15 YEARS AGO.
THE WORLD'S BEST RESOURCES
CLOSEST TO DISTRIBUTION POINTS
ARE YET TO BE DEVELOPED.
>> Sreenivasan: CORNELIUS HOPES
THAT PROJECTS LIKE MEYGEN WILL
PROVE THAT COMMERCIAL SCALE
TIDAL ENERGY IS FEASIBLE.
AS THE SUN SETS AND THE MOON
PULLS THESE TIDES TO RUSH BY AT
11 MILES PER HOUR SPINNING
UNDERWATER TURBINES ARE HELPING
KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.
