Whilst having actively resisted (the Poolway wind turbine) development for the past two years or so; I have also been pursuing the possibilities for alternative clean energy generation proposals in the Severn Valley and the Bristol Channel.

In my opinion; it appears unlikely that there will ever be a successful proposal for a Severn Barrage, especially while better alternatives already exist. I am not referring to lesser, barrage-like, lagoon proposals, such as the recent proposals, offshore, near Swansea. 

I refer to the very real possibility of unlimited, perfectly clean energy directly generated from the raw power of the tides in the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel while using what is widely recognised as 'nature's free power' in the second largest tidal estuary in the world.

A swedish company, called Minesto, (www. minesto.com/deepgreentechnology/), is already trialling a system of underwater 'flying' turbines in the Scottish Pentland Firth. This comprises an 'array' of submerged, interconnected, 'kite-like', devices each supporting a water-powered turbine; with each 'kite supported turbine' generating up to one megawatt of pure electrical energy that is delivered, by seafloor cable, directly to the National Grid.

Subject to a programme of underwater surveys; it appears feasible that a virtually unlimited number of such turbines could be sited directly in the Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary; thereby allowing these tidal flows to support absolutely clean electricity generation for the majority of the 24 hour daily cycle.

These anchored turbines have controllable neutral buoyancy allowing each turbine to come to rest in midstream, out of harm's way, but above the seafloor, on the change of the tide thence to reverse direction with the tide and recommence their power supply to the on-shore National Grid connection points.

In this way, most of the 24-hour reversible tidal flow cycle is available for power generation.

Radio control of a turbine's 'neutral buoyancy' allows for surface recovery of any turbine for

repairs and/or replacement.

– Barrie Etherington, Coleford.