The Future
As the supply of fossil fuels continues to deplete, we need to find new ways of providing the energy on which we have come to depend. In a domestic setting we need alternative sources of electricity and gas; industry and agriculture need new sources of power and we will need different ways of fuelling our transportation systems.
In October 2020, the UK Prime Minister announced that the government has set out new plans to Build Back Greener by making the UK the world leader in clean wind energy – creating jobs, slashing carbon emissions and boosting exports.
£160 million will be made available to upgrade ports and infrastructure across communities such as in Teesside and Humber in Northern England, Scotland and Wales to hugely increase offshore wind capacity, which is already the largest in the world and currently meets 10 percent of electricity demand.
This new investment will see around 2,000 construction jobs rapidly created and will enable the sector to support up to 60,000 jobs directly and indirectly by 2030 in ports, factories and the supply chains, manufacturing the next generation of offshore wind turbines and delivering clean energy to the UK.
Businesses including smaller suppliers, will be well-placed to win orders and further investment from energy companies around the world and increase their competitive standing on the global stage, as well as supporting low-carbon supply chains.
The Prime Minister has also set out further commitments to ensure that, within the decade, the UK will be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution as the UK accelerates its progress towards net zero emissions by 2050.
One of the techniques which is hoping to be developed is a Tidal Lagoon in Swansea bay, but it has hit certain difficulties with regards to funding from the government.
It is hoped that once the first lagoon is generating power in Swansea, a fleet of other projects harnessing electricity from the rise and fall of the tide will be possible in Wales, off the Cumbrian coast and off Bridgwater Bay Somerset.
A tidal lagoon is a U-shaped breakwater, extending out from the coastline with hydro turbines inside it; very much like a hydroelectric dam. The movement of the ebb and flow of the sea water in and out of the lagoon four times a day is what spins the turbines and so generates totally reliable electricity.
As the years pass, we will become more familiar with the sight of solar powered vehicles and other space age ideas as we learn how to harness the power of the elements just as our ancestors have done.
