Britain's Energy Crisis: Solutions in Tidal Stream and Renewable Energy

The ongoing energy crisis in Britain has exposed the consequences of successive governments' reliance on short-term, vote-winning policies, leaving the country vulnerable to strategic coercion, particularly in the energy sector.

Britain has significant potential in tidal stream energy, with about 50% of Europe's tidal resources available within its territorial waters. This energy source is predictable, inexhaustible, and can be operational within three years of consent, independent of global energy prices and weather variability.

Despite its potential, government support for tidal stream energy remains a tiny fraction of that provided to offshore wind, well under 1%. With stronger support, its costs could fall to parity with wind within five years. Operational projects in Scotland have already generated more than 70 GWh, while costs are falling by around 17% a year.

The constraint on tidal stream energy is not technical, but political short-termism. It is time for the government to act and provide stronger support for this industry.

Additionally, the article suggests that rooftop solar and battery storage can be encouraged to provide more renewables without blighting the countryside. An obligation can be put on energy companies to encourage their customers to install solar, and customers can be encouraged to include battery storage with the solar panels.

Over time, this can lead to grid-level storage hosted over the whole grid, providing resilience for the energy companies and a way for renewables to provide many of the UK's energy needs.