The rising tide of marine energy

Marine energy has become national news across the United Kingdom. Energy companies and the UK government are looking at ways to develop more renewable energy to ensure that our future society can be self sufficient. A marine energy research centre has opened up in Edinburgh to test newly developed technology. Can this renewable energy source be as successful as its land-based counterparts? Could it be the energy of the future?

 The new research centre will be of vital importance to the success of marine energy. It has the ability mimic the patterns of UK waves and currents. This simulation will allow companies to test their devices before releasing them into the ocean. This will help predict how much kWh/mWh they can produce. It will also allow each company to actively see any faults with their system and ways to make improvements to ensure maximum effectiveness in a practical environment. The research centre will be vital to the future of marine energy and its success in modern society.

What will be the future of marine energy?

This type of energy source has a lot of potential to work very well, not just in the UK but worldwide. If the technology could be developed to store energy as well, this source would play a vital role in the world's energy harvesting. This could mean that it could be left in some of the strong tidal areas to store energy which could be used later to power cities and towns.

Will marine energy be a viable source?

Water covers around 72% of the Earth’s surface (source: Live Science), which means that marine energy is definitely a way forward in terms of renewable production and we need to maximise this potential. As stated previously marine energy needs developing as it is still in its infancy stage. This will need heavy investment to reach its full potential.

This idea has the potential to be a strong contender in the energy world, but the question is will it reach fruition and become efficient? Only time will tell.

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