The UK has the second largest tidal range in the world after Canada. Tides are created by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on the planet. As this is more predictable than wind and solar, tidal power is a very reliable power source.
Scotland's tidal energy sector in 2025 is advancing with significant investment in companies like Orbital Marine Power, ongoing expansion of the MeyGen array, and strategic government initiatives like the new Marine Energy Taskforce, aiming to solidify Scotland's role as a global hub for tidal power through innovation, supply chain growth, and overcoming deployment challenges with phased, monitored development.
Two of the more common systems for capturing energy from tides are:
Tidal Stream generators: use the kinetic energy in moving water to power turbines. With ongoing developments in the technology this system has become more popular as the costs drop and has a lower ecological impact than other tidal options.
Tidal barrages: are very similar to dams which cover the width of an estuary to capture the energy created from high and low tide heights (head) through the moving water.
Due to advancements in technology, tidal energy could generate cheaper power than other more well-known systems such as Nuclear Reactors. Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor, for example, has cost £25bn to build so far, where as the proposed West Somerset Tidal Range, Bristol Channel, would be £10bn. Another important factor to consider is a nuclear reactor lasts 60 years while tidal facilities can last 120 years and have no radioactive waste to be managed on decommissioning.
However there still needs to be more research and development into the long-term issues of adding tidal barriers to costal locations where it can have a negative impact on natural habitats and water quality plus some of the better sites for tidal power generation are in locations where there is low demand for electricity. Tidal cycles also do not always align with peak power consumption times.
Using renewable energy such as tidal will help reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels if implemented with other renewable energy developments, to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Background image for this poster was created by: Adam Azim on Unsplash
RESEARCH //
This section provides examples of a research, teaching or innovation taking place at Robert Gordon University related to this topic.
Researchers from the School of Computing, Engineering and Technology authored a paper in 2021 titled “Experimental testing on the influence of shaft rotary lip seal misalignment for a marine hydro-kinetic turbine.”
Tidal energy has received considerable attention over the past decade due to its predictability and high-power density. The research in the tidal turbine area has concentrated primarily on the improvement of the energy conversion efficiency.
To find out more about this topic please visit the following websites which were used to create this poster:
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT //
Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/documents/ Marine Energy - Renewable and low carbon energy https://www.gov.scot/policies/renewable-and-low-carbon-energy/marine-energy/#:~:text=Scotland%20is%20a%20world%20leader,most%20powerful%20tidal%20stream%20turbine.