An electric vehicle charging point that uses tidal energy has started operating, giving road users on an island in the north of mainland Scotland a new renewable option to drive their cars.
The facility is located on Yell, which is part of Shetland, an archipelago of about 100 islands. The charging point gets its electricity from the Shetland Tidal Array at Nova Innovation, a four-turbine plant in Bluemull Sound, a strait between Yell and another island called Unst.
In an announcement on Monday, Nova Innovation described the project as “the first electric vehicle ever … the charging point where drivers can” fill up “directly from a tidal power source.” A battery storage system has also been implemented to ensure a constant supply of vehicles.
The Scottish Government is one of many around the world looking to move away from internal combustion engines. It wants to gradually eliminate the need for new vans and diesel and petrol cars by 2030. Funding for the Yell project came from Transport Scotland, the country’s transport agency.
Scotland’s strengths
Among those who reacted to Monday’s announcement about the project on Yell was Fabrice Leveque, who is the head of policy at WWF Scotland.
“It’s great to see that tidal technology is being used to help decarbonise part of Scotland’s transport sector to the islands,” he said, adding that Scotland is “well placed to continue to lead in the development of this technology.” which will help reduce climate emissions and green, skilled jobs. “
“Our islands have an abundance of renewable resources, including wind, tidal and solar, which when carefully harnessed, could bring multiple economic and social benefits to remote and rural communities in Scotland,” Leveque continued.
The waters around Scotland are home to a number of interesting tidal projects. These include the first phase of the development of the MeyGen tidal flow, which uses four 1.5 megawatt turbines. The majority owner of the project is Simec Atlantis Energy, listed in London.
Although there is enthusiasm around the potential of marine energy, its current footprint remains small. Recent figures from Ocean Energy Europe (OEE) show that only 260 kilowatts (kW) of tidal flow capacity were added to Europe last year, while only 200 kW of wave energy were installed. Instead, 2020 recorded 14.7 gigawatts of installed wind energy capacity in Europe, according to the industrial body WindEurope.
While tides have a long way to go to catch up with other renewable sources, such as wind and solar, it has a potential advantage: predictability. Tidal currents, says the OEE, “are caused by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon.” The fact that tidal power generation is influenced by “well-known cycles of the moon, sun and earth” rather than the weather means “it is predictable hundreds of years in advance”.
The importance of infrastructure
If countries expand their supply of electric vehicles in the coming years and move away from petrol and diesel, a reliable and sufficient charging infrastructure will be crucial.
Appropriate charging options will also help to provoke perceptions around “distance anxiety”, a term that refers to the idea that electric vehicles are not able to make long journeys without losing power and getting stuck.
Although the Yell project is small-scale, it is part of a larger shift focused on the development of charging infrastructure.
The UK’s first charging station for electric vehicles was opened in December last year, for example, while the Volkswagen Group wants to significantly increase the number of charging facilities in Europe, North America and China.