The Severn Barrage - Europe's Largest Proposed Marine Renewable Energy Project: Hydro-Environmental Research Studies
Event details
| Date | 27.09.2011 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Dr Roger A. Falconer, Hydro-environmental Research Centre, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, UK |
| Location |
GR C0 01
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
The presentation will review the main Severn Tidal Power EIA research studies undertaken by the Hydro-environmental Research Centre at Cardiff University particularly with regard to the Severn Barrage and now in the hands of the private sector - see www.corlanhafren.co.uk. Emphasis will focus on research assessing the potential hydro-environmental impact in the estuary for various tidal power options and the implications for morphological and flood risk assessment. An outline will also be given of research undertaken by the HRC in collaboration with Aberystwyth University on light penetration and bacterial-sediment interactions on the water quality in the estuary together with the likely impact of a barrage on the estuary's response to climate change and sea level rise. The results will show that two-way power generation - not previously considered in much detail - offers the opportunity to provide almost as much power as ebb tide generation only reduce the peak disturbance to the grid minimise many of the perceived environmental impacts and offer even enhanced benefits in terms of flood risk and recreational opportunities in the estuary particularly upstream of a barrage. Future research studies by the HRC will focus more on studying nutrient fluxes in the estuary pre- and post- any barrage together with investigating the scope for operating a barrage in such a way that the basin could be used to reduce carbon levels by controlled eutrophication.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Prof. D. Andrew Barry, ECOL