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World's First Lagoon Power Plants Unveiled In UK
AmiMoJo writes Plans to generate electricity from the world's first series of tidal lagoons have been unveiled in the UK. The six lagoons — four in Wales and one each in Somerset and Cumbria — will capture incoming and outgoing tides behind giant sea walls, and use the weight of the water to power turbines. The series of six lagoons could generate 8% of the UK's electricity for an investment of £12bn. Tidal Lagoon Power wants £168 per MWh hour for electricity in Swansea, reducing to £90-£95 per MWh for power from a second, more efficient lagoon in Cardiff. The £90 figure compares favorably with the £92.50 price for power from the planned Hinkley nuclear station, especially as the lagoon is designed to last 120 years — at a much lower risk than nuclear. Unlike power from the sun and wind, tidal power is predictable. Turbines capture energy from two incoming and two outgoing tides a day, and are expected to be active for an average of 14 hours a day. Friends of the Earth Cymru, said the group is broadly in favor of the Swansea lagoon.
No, it's not that horrible. England have about 16.000 miles (kilometers? I don't remember) of coast. The proposed generators will take about 30 miles. There will be plenty of coast left to all marine species. It's not a full perimeter siege, it's just a few barricades here and there.
Bonus points: it wont flood any place in land that is not actually flooded twice a day, it won't send more carbon into the air, will not release any radioactive isotopes, does not need a lot of rare metals, will not increase temperature.