Environmental History of Tidal Power in the Severn Estuary

In recent decades the interest in renewable energy from sources
such as wind, solar and tidal power has steadily increased.
However, this interest in harnessing “mother nature’s” energy is
not new. Over the past 160 years the Severn estuary has been the
focus of numerous proposals to provide a transport route over the
estuary, improve navigation and to exploit its large tidal
range to generate electricity. As a potential source of
predictable, renewable and carbon-free power with the potential
to supply up to 5 per cent of current UK electricity needs, such
interest is understandable. Despite its potential, the latest
proposals, like all its predecessors in the past century and a
half, have failed to secure government and public support to
build a barrage in the Severn estuary.


How is it that a barrage still hasn’t gone beyond the drawing
board? And why are companies, scientists and politicians still
willing to invest time, effort and money in further proposals?
Alexander Portch, a PhD candidate in the Department of History at
Bristol University, investigates these two questions. Although
the past 150 years is the main
focus, Alexander also investigates earlier efforts to
harness tidal power of the Severn and how the activities of
people whose lives were bound up with the estuary’s daily tides
have shaped the estuary and lands bordering it. This episode of
the podcast features an interview with Alexander
Portch and his work on the history of the Severn
Estuary.


Music Credits


"Stockholm" by timberman, available from
ccMixter


"Begin (small theme)" by _ghost, available from
ccMixter


"Easy Killer (DGDGBD)" by Aussens@iter,
available from ccMixter