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[April 2008] The idea of building a bridge across Morecambe Bay was first suggested by George Stevenson in 1834. Bridge Across The Bay Ltd proposes building on the North West’s history in innovation, science and engineering with their proposals for a “green bridge” across Morecambe Bay. David Brockbank (the Chairman) generated a lot of excitement when he detailed the company’s ambitious goals for the longest bridge in the UK (and the first bridge in the world to double as a renewable energy power station) at the recent IET meeting on 20th April 2007.

The front-running ideas for design are similar to those illustrated here for the 2nd Incheon Crossing, South Korea. Using minimal materials and designed to interact with and complement the environment.

David has a lot of experience in water-based developments.  He is the third generation of his family to run a business at Staveley Mill Yard in the middle of the Lake District.  The Mill Yard is by the River Kent (the fastest river in UK) and has developed from being a wood turning mill into a thriving and growing centre for a diverse range of small businesses.  The Mill Yard also boasts a turbine that generates renewable energy.  It was this interest in renewable energy that first motivated David to look at the potential for tidal stream renewable energy.

A number of reasons have been identified for developing this proposal in Morecambe Bay. The:

• potential capacity of the resources to produce renewable power;
• fact there is not significant shipping activity on the proposed route;
• ease of connectivity to the national electricity grid at Heysham; 
• opportunity for cost effective/accessible installation and maintenance;
• opportunity to develop free stream tidal turbines that are effective in estuaries and
• potential for significant economic and social benefits.

Generating Tidal Energy

The Bay is the second largest embayment in the UK.  Surprisingly little was known about the tides and in 2005 Bridge Across The Bay commissioned independent research from HR Wallingford (renowned nationally and internationally as hydrologists).  This recent research on tidal flows and bathymetry has added significantly to everyone’s understanding of how the Bay works.  The company has put this data into the public domain - a legacy for the Bay and all those who have an interest in it.

H R Wallingford’s research consisted of both on site measurement and modelling and identified that the maximum outputs for power production outputs in the Bay could be as much as 2-3GW.  However how much tidal power could be extracted would depend on the free stream technologies deployed to harvest the power. HR Wallingford concluded their report by recommending that the detailed findings in their report be used to further discussions with tidal device developers.  This has led to discussions with companies across the world.  Many have devices in development.  Few have tested those devices (either as scale models or as full-scale demonstration devices).  All devices are at the pre-commercial phase.

One company who has tested their device at both scale and full scale are WPI based in Oslo, Norway. Bridge Across The Bay is very interested in their device because it is a free stream vertical axis device which has demonstrated and documented its capacity to work at 50% efficiency.  This is achieved through variable pitch control technology. WPI however developed their device for river settings and need to further research and development for deployment in estuarine tidal settings.

Deployment in Morecambe Bay will be concentrated on the “power hotspots” which are in the channels to the middle of the Bay.  Desktop work was commissioned from Halcrow in 2006. This looked at deployment patterns for WPI devices. However this threw up the issue that no one actually knows how tidal stream devices will respond when deployed in tidal arrays. These issues particularly focussed on spacing for devices in the direction of the flows and what happened to power extraction potential within the array. Further research will be needed to bottom these issues.

Because tidal energy is expected to be the major power source for the project it has been our primary focus to date. We know there is the potential for 100MW of wind power (Halcrow 2006). The Bay has a wave fetch of 225 km, which is not ideal for the deployment of wave technologies. However it is possible that storm surge events (as a consequence of climate change) could provide the potential for wave energy generation. PVs and Passive Solar also have some potential. All these other sources of renewable energy will need to be researched at the appropriate time. It is essential that the structure maximise its potential to offset its carbon footprint by making a significant contribution to clean energy production.  Bridge Across The Bay has an ambitious target to produce 200MW of renewable energy.

Generating Renewal
The bridge would be potentially 12miles long and could take 15 minutes to cross - saving journey times of 1 hour plus.  It would open up Barrow and the Cumbrian West Coast to the rest of the North West and to the centres of growth (Lancaster, Preston and Manchester).   Access to Barrow and West Cumbria is a significant barrier to regeneration and inward investment.  Barrow is a priority area for regeneration with nationally significant levels of deprivation.  Wards in Morecambe also have nationally significant levels of deprivation.  Both have significant pockets of economic inactivity.  Both are dependent on declining sources of employment.
The “green bridge” would be a powerful symbol of renewal.  It could indirectly contribute to economic growth in the North West through the development and manufacture of energy technologies.  WPI have stated their interest in setting up a UK based company.

It would also be a major attraction and could contribute significantly to the revival of the visitor economy in Morecambe.  It has been described as having the potential to be the longest pier in the world!

And it is estimated it would create around 90 direct jobs and up to 4000 one-off constructions related jobs; another significant contribution to the regeneration of two communities in need.

Generating Knowledge
Morecambe Bay has received many conservation designations, nationally and internationally, reflecting the importance of the wildlife and landscape of the area.  It is widely known as the “Wet Sahara” because of the significance of its sands and lagoons.  It is a European Marine Site with SAC, SPA and RAMSAR designations.  The environmental challenges will be significant.

However climate change resulting from global warming is also of great concern.  Renewable power developments are a response to the need to reduce carbon emissions. Concern also exists about the threat of rising sea levels caused by climate change to environmentally important sites like Morecambe Bay.  The UK Climate Change Programme concluded that Morecambe Bay was a vulnerable area.

In developing the proposals for the bridge and renewable energy production considerable research will need to be undertaken on environmental impacts both now and in the future.  The scope of that research will be significant and it is estimated it will take 24 months to complete.

The research will also cover the socio/economic and transport impacts.

All this research will add significantly to the understanding of what is a dynamic and unique environment.  Bridge Across The Bay Ltd are in dialogue with Lancaster University to ensure that the knowledge gained is maximised for the benefit of all who work, play and live around the Bay.

Generating Engagement
From the beginning, the company has believed that it was vital to engage with local people and communities.  This has been done through a range of methods- seminars, neighbourhood forums, talks to interested groups, a blog, and press and media coverage.  

The company has learnt a lot through this process and people have appreciated being involved from the “early days”. The dialogue has enabled the company to build in the concerns of local people to the research process. This engagement will be an ongoing commitment.  It is vital to how the project evolves and moves on.

This project will be a world leading tidal energy/energy technologies project; a strategic transport initiative; a major contributor to regeneration; a leading edge research and development project and another example of how the North West leads in innovation, engineering, science and technology.

If you would like to hear more about this exciting project David Brockbank will be giving this year's Thomas Lowe Gray Lecture on 14 May 2008.


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