>> Sreenivasan: THERE'S RECENTLY

BEEN A STEADY DRUMBEAT OF

REPORTS FROM CLIMATE SCIENTISTS

WARNING THAT THERE IS LESS AND

LESS TIME FOR US TO TAKE

COLLECTIVE ACTION TO SLOW THE

DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF CLIMATE

CHANGE.

THE UNITED STATES HAS WITHDRAWN

FROM THE PARIS CLIMATE

AGREEMENT, AND THE PRESIDENT HAS

BEEN AN OPEN SKEPTIC OF

ESTABLISHED FACTS.

THIS HAS NOT DETERRED A GLOBAL

GREEN REVOLUTION.

COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE

CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH

INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY.

WE'LL BE LOOKING AT VARIOUS

INNOVATIVE ENERGY EFFORTS

PERIODICALLY, STARTING WITH ONE

UNDER WAY IN SCOTLAND.

THE COUNTRY IS NEARLY 70%

POWERED BY RENEWABLE SOURCES

ALREADY, WITH THE GOAL OF

REACHING 100% BY 2020, TEN YEARS

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

THEIR POWER TRADITIONALLY CAME

FROM DEEP SEA OIL AND GAS, BUT

THE OCEAN HAS A LOT MORE TO

GIVE, AS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS, THE

FIRST OF A TWO-PART SERIES.

IN A GIANT INDUSTRIAL HANGAR ON

THE EASTERN COAST OF SCOTLAND,

TECHNICIANS ARE SERVICING TWO

TURBINES, EACH WITH THREE 30-

FOOT BLADES.

THEY'RE NOT WIND TURBINES; THESE

ARE ACTUALLY DESIGNED TO BE 100

FEET UNDERWATER, CAPTURING

ENERGY NOT FROM THE WIND, BUT

FROM TIDAL CURRENTS.

ONCE THEY GET THIS 150-TON

TURBINE INTO THE WATER, THIS

ENTIRE THING WILL SWIVEL WITH

THE TIDE FOUR TIMES A DAY,

GENERATING ABOUT ENOUGH POWER

FOR 1,000 HOMES.

FOR THE PAST YEAR, THESE

TURBINES, AND TWO OTHERS, HAVE

BEEN IN THE PENTLAND FIRTH, A

STRAIT OFF THE NORTHERN COAST OF

MAINLAND SCOTLAND.

IT'’S CALLED THE MEYGEN PROJECT.

>> THE BLADES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE

MADE FROM CARBON FIBER.

>> Sreenivasan: EDDIE SCOTT IS

THE HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGER

WITH SIMEC ATLANTIS ENERGY AND

PART OF THE TEAM THAT OVERSEES

INSTALLING THESE DEVICES

UNDERWATER.

TO GET THEM IN PLACE, THE

TURBINES ARE GUIDED ONTO STEEL

BASES ON THE SEAFLOOR.

YOU CAN DROP THIS IN TO ITS BASE

AND GET IT PLUGGED IN HOW LONG?

>> WE CAN DO THAT WITHIN ABOUT

30-40 MINUTES.

>> Sreenivasan: AS THE TIDE EBBS

AND FLOWS, THE TURBINES SPIN

BETWEEN SEVEN AND 15 TIMES A

MINUTE, GENERATING POWER,

SIMILAR TO A WIND TURBINE.

CABLES CARRY THE ENERGY BACK TO

THE SHORE, FIRST UNDERWATER,

THEN UNDERGROUND, WHERE IT'S

THEN FED INTO THE NATIONAL GRID.

THE TIDES ARE SO PREDICTABLE

THAT ATLANTIS SAYS IT CAN TELL

HOW MUCH ENERGY THESE TURBINES

WILL GENERATE EVERY 15 MINUTES

FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS.

SO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY

ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S CLOUDS ON

A SUNNY DAY FOR SOLAR.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT

WHETHER THERE'S A STIFF BREEZE

OR NOT.

>> THAT'S THE REAL ADVANTAGE OF

TIDAL ENERGY: IT'S VERY, VERY

PREDICTABLE.

>> Sreenivasan: SCOTLAND IS

ESTIMATED TO HAVE A QUARTER OF

ALL THE TIDAL ENERGY RESOURCES

IN EUROPE, AND SCOTTISH

COMPANIES HAVE HELPED LEAD THE

WAY IN DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY TO

HARNESS THOSE CURRENTS.

MEYGEN, HERE IN NORTHERN

SCOTLAND, IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST

PLANNED TIDAL PROJECT, AND, OVER

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, SIMEC

ATLANTIS IS PLANNING ON

INSTALLING MORE THAN 250

ADDITIONAL TURBINES.

>> WHEN IT'S FULLY DONE, YOU'RE

TALKING MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A

MILLION HOMES CAN BENEFIT FROM

THE POWER THAT'S GENERATED FROM

THIS ARRAY OF TURBINES.

>> Sreenivasan: TIM CORNELIUS IS

THE C.E.O. OF SIMEC ATLANTIS

ENERGY.

THE COMPANY SAYS THE TURBINES AT

THE MEYGEN SITE ARE EXPECTED TO

LAST 25 YEARS AND ONLY NEED TO

COME OUT OF THE WATER FOR

MAINTENANCE EVERY SIX YEARS.

>> IT'S IN A VERY, VERY STABLE

ENVIRONMENT.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, FROM A

PERMITTING AND CONSENTING

PERSPECTIVE, YOU DON'T SEE THEM

AND YOU DON'’T HEAR THEM.

AND THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT

FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

>> Sreenivasan: BUT IT'S

EXPENSIVE BEING FIRST.

THE COST OF PRODUCING TIDAL

ENERGY IS MORE THAN TWO AND HALF

TIMES THE MORE ESTABLISHED

TECHNOLOGY OF OFFSHORE WIND.

THE MEYGEN PROJECT HAS COST

ABOUT $64 MILLION SO FAR AND HAS

BEEN LARGELY SUBSIDIZED WITH

PUBLIC MONEY.

ALMOST HALF OF THE TOTAL COST

HAS COME FROM THE SCOTTISH

GOVERNMENT.

>> WE ARE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL

FOR THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE

RECEIVED OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS

FROM THE U.K. GOVERNMENT, AND IN

SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO SCOTTISH

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT BECAUSE IT'S

BEEN OUTSTANDING.

BUT, OF COURSE, THE ASPIRATION

IS TO EVENTUALLY WEAN ITSELF OFF

SUBSIDY.

>> Sreenivasan: AS THE PROJECT

CONTINUES TO EXPAND, CORNELIUS

SAYS COSTS ARE COMING DOWN.

A YEAR AFTER THE TURBINES WERE

INSTALLED, THE PRICE SIMEC

ATLANTIS CHARGES THE UTILITY

COMPANY FOR ITS TIDAL POWER HAS

DECREASED BY 50%.

>> THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT HAS

PROVIDED CONSISTENT LONG-TERM

SUPPORT FOR THESE TECHNOLOGIES.

>> Sreenivasan: ON STAGE, PAUL

WHEELHOUSE.

HE'S THE SCOTTISH MINISTER FOR

ENERGY, CONNECTIVITY AND THE

ISLANDS.

WE SAT DOWN WITH HIM AT A

CONFERENCE ON OCEAN ENERGY IN

EDINBURGH.

CAN THIS INDUSTRY SURVIVE

WITHOUT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY?

>> WE BELIEVE KEY TECHNOLOGIES

ARE ALREADY CLOSE TO BEING IN A

POSITION WHERE THEY CAN SURVIVE

WITHOUT SUBSIDY.

OTHER TECHNOLOGIES WHICH ARE

NEWER, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES DO

NEED, WE BELIEVE, CONTINUED

SUPPORT TO GET THEM TO

COMMERCIAL SCALE, UTILITY SCALE

PROJECTS THAT WILL THEN GET THE

ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND THE

MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND DRIVE

DOWN THE PRICE AND PROVE THEIR

COMPETITIVENESS.

>> Sreenivasan: WHEELHOUSE SAYS

THESE GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS

WILL HELP SCOTLAND REACH ITS

GOAL OF BEING 100% POWERED BY

RENEWABLES BY 2020.

AND THEN, THERE'S THE TRANSFER

OF TECHNOLOGY THAT'’S HAPPENING.

>> THE GREAT SECRET ABOUT THE

TIDAL POWER INDUSTRY IS WHILE IT

LOOKS LIKE AN INCREDIBLE LEAP

FORWARD IN ENGINEERING,

ACTUALLY, ALL WE'VE BEEN DOING

IS JUST STEALING THE GREAT IDEAS

OF THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY OVER

THE LAST DECADE.

>> Sreenivasan: THE FACILITY

WHERE THE TIDAL TURBINES ARE

MAINTAINED ALSO SUPPORTS OIL AND

GAS PLATFORMS.

>> BIG CRANES, HEAVY LIFTING

EQUIPMENT, MOVING LARGE PORTIONS

AND LARGE CHUNKS OF STEEL

AROUND.

SOME OF THE SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY IS

VERY, VERY SIMILAR, SO THERE'S A

TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXISTING

TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE USING AND

CAPITALIZING ON.

>> Sreenivasan: FOR WHEELHOUSE,

RELYING ON THE TECHNOLOGY AND

KNOWLEDGE GATHERED FROM DECADES

OF OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION MEANS

CONTINUED JOBS IN THIS NEW

ENERGY SECTOR.

>> WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE

COMMUNITIES, ENTIRE COMMUNITIES

BEHIND AS HAS HAPPENED IN THE

PAST WITH COAL MINING, YOU KNOW,

JUST ABANDON THEM AND LEAVE THEM

TO THEIR OWN DEVICES.

>> Sreenivasan: SO, YOU'RE

SAYING THAT YOU ARE CREATING

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WHETHER ITS

COAL MINERS OR AT OIL AND GAS

WORKERS TO TRANSITION TO THIS

NEW RENEWABLE ECONOMY?

>> YES.

>> Sreenivasan: AND WITH THE

GROWING THREAT OF CLIMATE

CHANGE, WHEELHOUSE SAYS THE TIME

TO INVEST IN NEW FORMS OF

RENEWABLE ENERGY IS NOW.

>> WE HAVE LONG ARGUED THAT

THERE IS AN ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE

IN MOVING EARLY NOT LEAST

BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE TO DO THIS.

I BELIEVE FIRMLY THAT CLIMATE

CHANGE IS HAPPENING, AND WE

CANNOT AVOID TACKLING THIS ISSUE

GLOBALLY.

>> Sreenivasan: WHILE THE TIDES

THESE TURBINES ARE GATHERING

ENERGY FROM ARE PREDICTABLE, THE

POLITICAL WINDS AROUND THEM ARE

NOT.

HOW BREXIT COULD HAMPER THIS

EMERGING INDUSTRY, THAT'S THE

SUBJECT OF OUR PIECE TOMORROW

NIGHT.