It's more complicated than that.
The UK is small, and comparatively densely populated. Every bit of land is competed for, housing, amentiy, transport, agriculture etc. we don't have the land for dispersed low energy density solutions.
At the moment, what is see are solar farms on what good quality pasture and stable land because they're close to the distribution grid and can be easily connected...
But solar in the UK is marginal. We're too far north.
The UK is in a difficult situation.
I not sure exactly what you are referring to as a "water turbine". There are several possibilites.
But capturing wave energy with the technolgy described in the article I referenced probably has very little, if any, effect on fish.
On the other hand wind turbines without any doubt are killing eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and other birds in massive numbers. Over half a million every year in the US alone.
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It's bats that're badly affected. And raptors. The main issue with bats is that they're small and not fully understood and turbines on land are sometimes placed on their flight routes. When they're killed their corpses are hard to spot and rapidly scrounged out by foxes etc.
There was (is?) a study with the name Eurobats looking at that.
But you have an enormous coast line which provides lots of opportunity for wave and tide energy capture. And relatively short distances to bring the power inland.
In fact, a lot of reseach on this very idea is going on in the UK right now. Here is a related article:
https://www.ukri.org/news/projects-to-unlock-the-potential-of-marine-wave-energy/
Seriously, how can you not know what a water turbine is? The clue here is the context of the conversation, electric power production. Ok, what form of electric power production might a "Water Turbine" be referring to? The keyword here is "Turbine", latin for turbo, vortex...know what a turbine is, you're halfway there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
But we don't know what effect tidal schemes will have on wildlife that lives in the littoral zone or on things like longshore drift etc. we probably won't know for some time.
It's only just dawning on some people that all of these schemes will require cables to get onto the grid and that those cables will go on pylons.
And we haven't even got to discussions about battery storage and the land that's going to need.
Going back to my earlier post. Every bit of land is competed for. So are the views....
It's only just dawning on some people that all of these schemes will require cables to get onto the grid and that those cables will go on pylons.
And we haven't even got to discussions about battery storage and the land that's going to need.
Going back to my earlier post. Every bit of land is competed for. So are the views....
Information I've unearthed from 2019 states that there may be future potential to install submerged hydrokinetic turbines under the narrowest and shallowest sections of the Strait of Gibraltar, to generate electric power for several hours every day when the Atlantic Ocean is at high tide.
This is dependent on a future water flow velocity of 2.0 m/s which is the minimum velocity to sustain viable operation of kinetic turbines that could drive electrical generators.
https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/current-economic-opportunities-at-the-strait-of-gibraltar
Wave has very low energy harvesting capabilities compared to other renewables, it’s about 4kWh / m . There is a great book that breaks this down http://www.withouthotair.com/c12/page_73.shtml
Tide however is quite promising, especially for the UK, as in on par with wind as an energy source.
Do water turbines kill fish?
The potential for fish-strike is one factor to consider when it comes to the environmental impact of hydrokinetic turbines.
Another factor is that a large array of turbines could generate sufficient noise to hinder the movement or migration of aquatic animals.
For hydrokinetic turbines we refer to kinetic energy flux or power density which is measured in kW/m².
For a tidal hydrokinetic turbine, power density = ½ ρ A v^3 where ρ = water density in kg/m^3, A = flow area intercepted by turbine in m^2 and v = water flow velocity in m/s.
You can see from the v^3 in the equation how crucial the water flow velocity is to power production. Apparently, hydrokinetic technology is not suitable for most of the coastal regions in which velocities could be in the range of 1.0–1.5 m/s.
However, a group of water turbines has been successfully installed in the north of Scotland. It captures the tidal energy that flows through the Pentland Firth between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea where tidal flow velocities reach 3 m/s or more.
For a tidal hydrokinetic turbine, power density = ½ ρ A v^3 where ρ = water density in kg/m^3, A = flow area intercepted by turbine in m^2 and v = water flow velocity in m/s.
You can see from the v^3 in the equation how crucial the water flow velocity is to power production. Apparently, hydrokinetic technology is not suitable for most of the coastal regions in which velocities could be in the range of 1.0–1.5 m/s.
However, a group of water turbines has been successfully installed in the north of Scotland. It captures the tidal energy that flows through the Pentland Firth between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea where tidal flow velocities reach 3 m/s or more.
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Your question was do water turbines kill fish.
There are various types of water turbines. Some are located in dam structures and are completely dry on the outside, like Hoover Dam in Nevada.
Other turbines are located underwater like this new one in Brazil, which offers a lot of promise. Claims are being made that it will not harm fish, but instead just give them a joy ride thorugh.
https://sustainablebrands.com/read/...ter-turbines-blow-wind-model-out-of-the-water
But you are really missing the entire point of this thread. It's not about water turbines. It's about capturing wave and tide energy to produce electricity without wantonly killing the many animals that fly through the air.
True, the U.K. is more densely populated than some or many other nations, but the reality it that something or other needs to be done. Various systems are proposed; some are enacted with varying results. Denmark has a large wind generation system, often it produces 80% of requirements, the UK’s 40% at times, large scale storage is a problem though, but sharing seems a way to reduce that problem. Energy generation in the most suitable areas and exportation, as is presently done between Europe and the U.K. seems best, France has a large Nuclear generation base, and electricity is also imported from other European nations.
Another way to look at the problem is that of reducing demand, insulating homes better, maybe moving energy intensive industries to countries where energy is easier to produce? (How about Australia producing solar energy to then turn it’s iron ore exports into pig iron or steel exports, also adding value at the same time?). More holistic thinking is required I’d say.
I quite like the tidal barrage systems myself, as they can release their stored water potential whenever they like, it can be tailored to highest demand/highest efficiency. In the UK the Severn estuary seems an attractive choice but the idea has been played around with for decades to no effect. I wonder why the Thames barrage could not be converted and trialled for generation? After all, it’s mostly there already.
One thing is for sure, complacency and inaction is not an option, for our descendant’s sakes.
Another way to look at the problem is that of reducing demand, insulating homes better, maybe moving energy intensive industries to countries where energy is easier to produce? (How about Australia producing solar energy to then turn it’s iron ore exports into pig iron or steel exports, also adding value at the same time?). More holistic thinking is required I’d say.
I quite like the tidal barrage systems myself, as they can release their stored water potential whenever they like, it can be tailored to highest demand/highest efficiency. In the UK the Severn estuary seems an attractive choice but the idea has been played around with for decades to no effect. I wonder why the Thames barrage could not be converted and trialled for generation? After all, it’s mostly there already.
One thing is for sure, complacency and inaction is not an option, for our descendant’s sakes.
Though more expensive many transmission lines are buried (when on land) or sunken, interesting to see, that the flow has just reversed to some exports from the U.K. but they are all via undersea cables.
https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/britain-net-electricity-exporter/
https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/undergrounding-electrical-transmission-cables/
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It's not just fish.
A tidal turbine development in Wales that could seriously injure porpoises and dolphins has now been halted.
https://uk.whales.org/2023/02/08/success-tidal-turbine-project-that-could-harm-dolphins-is-halted/
This lifts the threat of significant impacts on a population of Risso's dolphins, and harbour porpoises and their ability to feed, breed and raise their young in the sea off Bardsey Island.