Tide is High

Today's papers pronounce: “SCOTLAND is to become one of the world's leaders in wave and tidal power, following a £50m investment in renewable energy” which is all good news, if a decade or too late. No doubt now a flurry of anti-tidal energy groups will spring-up to oppose the project. But the aims are good:

* 10% of Scotland's electricity production could come from marine resources
* 1300 MegaWatts of marine energy capacity could be installed in Scottish waters
* Scottish based companies could be supplying major international export markets
* 7000 direct jobs could be created in a diverse marine industry in Scotland, supported by sustainable research development and skills bases
* Scotland should be leading the world in the research, development and certification of marine energy devices.

So why isnt everybody poppping the bubbly? Probably because of the widely held suspicion that this is being carried forward, not as part of a grand vision for energy but in response to the Blazer Brigade opposing wind energy. For a prime example of these loopers in action see: Country Guardian