Claims that the Pentland Firth could power half of Scotland

Renewable tidal energy sufficient to power around half of Scotland could be harnessed from the Pentland Firth, engineers have reported.

Researchers have completed the most detailed study yet of how much tidal power could be generated by turbines placed in the Pentland Firth,  and estimate 1.9 gigawatts (GW) could be available.

The in-depth assessment by engineers at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh offers valuable insights into how to develop and regulate this clean energy resource effectively.

The Pentland Firth is a prime candidate to house marine power projects because of its tidal currents, which are among the fastest around the British coastline.

Engineers say that their study improves on previous estimates of the generating capacity of turbines embedded in the Firth – ranging from 1 to 18 GW – which were too simplistic or based on inappropriate models. Researchers calculated that as much as 4.2 GW could be captured, but because tidal turbines are not 100 per cent efficient, they say that 1.9 GW is a more realistic target.