The South West Regional Development Agency from UK is analyzing the results of a study according to which the South West coast could generate 9.2 gigawatts of electricity, being enough to power five million homes.
The study, carried out by PMSS, shows that on the South West coast there could be produced enough energy to meet the demands of 20 per cent of UK’s households annually or it can fulfill the needs of 5 per cent of the UK’s electricity for another 20 years.
The energy would result from waves, tidal stream and offshore wind delivered in part by two offshore wind farms located in the Bristol Channel and off the Dorset coast. According to the report, other areas beyond 50 km offshore could be fruitful, but these pose several technical problems.
According to Claire Gibson, director of sustainable resources at the South West RDA, “This study highlights the huge potential of offshore marine renewables around the South West and the challenges ahead in deploying commercial installations.”
