One of the most ambitious wave and tidal power developments in the world has reached an exciting milestone by beginning to generate clean energy for the first time.
In a media statement released earlier this week, the majority shareholder of Scotland's MeyGen tidal project, Atlantis Resources, said that the first turbine was in operation and exporting clean electricity back to the national grid.
The MeyGen tidal project is located on Scotland's north coast, and it is a hugely ambitious project with implications for the world's development of tidal-based resources. If successful, it will not only be able to generate clean and affordable power for Scottish homes but also provide reliable power, as tides can be accurately forecasted. This potentially makes it a more attractive green energy source than solar and wind.
Atlantis CEO Tim Cornelius said that the first-phase release provided a base on which the tidal industry could progress upon by making use of Britain's abundant tidal resources. The UK government has already found that tidal stream and wave energy could meet up to a fifth of Britain's total electricity needs.
Earlier in the year, a new tidal array in Shetland went online which was at a commercial scale and grid connected. Launched by Nova Innovation, it was described by WWF Scotland as a hugely exciting moment and a sign that Scotland was making real progress in harnessing the power of the sea.
Spokesperson Lang Banks said that marine energy had a vital role to play in powering businesses and homes. He said that the Scottish government would need to clarify its energy strategy to ensure at least 50pc of energy needs came from green power by 2030, helping the country to transition to being a low-carbon economy.