Tidal power: What’s holding it back?

Lake Sihwa in South Korea is home to the world’s largest
operating tidal power station, using the tides to generate enough
power for a city of half a million people. This regular rise and
fall of the seas is more predictable than sunny or windy weather
and can be forecast years in advance. Nine thousand miles away in
Northern Ireland is Strangford Lough. A narrow inlet leading to
the mighty Atlantic Ocean means it’s one of the world’s best
sites for harnessing tidal energy. The fast and strong currents
have led to the world’s first commercial-scale tidal energy power
station being built here. But now that’s being decommissioned.


The technology for harnessing tidal energy has been around for
more than half a century and the potential to create energy from
the sea is huge. Yet tidal power only accounts for a tiny
proportion of the global renewable energy mix. Presenter Graihagh
Jackson finds out what’s holding tidal power back. Thanks to our
contributors: Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe Dr Carwyn
Frost, Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast Choi Jae-baek,
Senior Manager of K-water Email: theclimatequestion@bbc.com
Presenter: Graihagh Jackson Reporters: BBC’s Jordan Dunbar in
Norther Ireland and freelance journalist Malene Jensen in South
Korea Producer: Ben Cooper Researcher: Octavia Woodward and
Shorouk Elkobrosi Editor: Alex Lewis Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell