Researchers from the Algarve’s University have installed a tidal energy device in the Ria Formosa laggon area at Barra de Faro.
The test is to evaluate the feasibility of producing tidal energy in the Ria Formosa. The installation was carried out by a research team working on a project called ‘Sustainability of Energy Production of the Tidal Currents of Ria Formosa’ (SCORE), coordinated by André Pacheco of the Center for Marine and Environmental Research.
The installation operation was carried out with the company SOFAREIA, S.A. and was supervised by the Port Authority of Faro. The SCORE project, also involves researchers from the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) and the Center for Research on Space and Organisations (CIEO) at the University and is the first time that a research centre in Portugal is leading a project that involves the testing of a prototype.
The gismo is called the "Evopod™ from Oceanflow Energy but is a 1:10 scaled down model which will be tested over the next four months to work out how much energy is produced and the potential effects on the marine environment.
The government is sticking to its claim that renewable energy from the sea is a priority, rather than hydrocarbon extraction and production, and is all part of the National Strategy for the Sea.
In the opinion of the project coordinator, "to achieve this goal, the industry has to develop a new generation of efficient, economical and environmental friendly energy extraction equipment.”
However, "one of the main obstacles to the installation of commercial tidal energy extraction devices and their licensing processes is the potential negative impacts on the ecological communities created by changes in the hydrodynamics and morphology of the marine environment.”
The SCORE project was designed to boost new research at the University of Algarve into renewable marine energy and to promote the Ria Formosa as a test site for marine energy machines.
The SCORE teams will estimate the energy production for if the project was commercial, will predict the potential impact of tidal energy on the marine environment and will evaluate the cost-benefit of projects of this nature, using Culatra Island as a case study to evaluate its residents’ energy needs and work out how much could be supplied by tidal energy.
Readers will have spotted that this energy source is not a new discovery. A fine example of using energy from the tide can be found at the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, Olhão where the renovated tidal mill is fine example of man's creativity in using the free energy that surround us.
Tidal mill, Picture: www.casarosa.net
