A WEST Devon inventor has claimed to have created a world first in everlasting tidal energy, saying it could run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is cheaper than other green energy sources.

Horrabridge resident Joseph Toland, 73, has designed the ‘Jetstream Lagoon’, which works in a similar way to a tidal lagoon. But instead of the old-fashioned method of lagoon wall-building, this is made with composite materials, forming a long, smooth, curved wall with pumps attached every 20 metres, which encourages the tidal flow to speed up close to the wall, creating an everlasting resource of increased kinetic energy.

This activates the pumps to pump extra water into a duo lagoon complex, with two turbine houses to handle it. So much water enters, the inside is extended and increased to give 24-hour power and reduced capital cost per Megawatt (Mw).

Mr Toland, who has a background in the aerospace industry, said: ‘The key result of our work is the ability to create energy resource on a very large scale, for example, if three giant lagoons are built in the Severn Estuary, they can double the power output of standard lagoons and power 10-million homes, drive down capital cost per Mw and last 100+ years, creating thousands of jobs, new export and the lowest cost green energy system ever.

‘Swansea Lagoon only works on the range of the tide — small tide, small amount of power. Jetstream Lagoon is designed to create a fast-flowing current around its walls, so that pumps attached to its walls can activate and pump water over the wall and through it, creating more power per tide.’

He said Jetstream had 2,000 pumps dotted around it and pumped millions of gallons of water extra. He said the lagoon, overall, was a giant rugby ball shape, with an internal dividing wall and two turbine houses — the downstream one similar in action to the Swansea one and the upstream one able to receive water from all the pumps, letting it process power and allowing the water to continue upstream as the tide.

Mr Toland also said that cheap night-time power could be used to split fresh water onshore at Bridgewater and Newport, into Oxygen and Hydrogen gases, for the fuel cell industry and energy storage.

A talk about his design ‘A world first in creating everlasting tidal energy’ is due to be given by Mr Toland at The Wharf in Tavistock on the afternoon of January 11.

He said: ‘The talk and illustrated computer imagery will show, if lagoons are built in the Severn Estuary, they can power millions of homes right down to Land’s End and solve our future energy problems.

‘Their energy costs are cheaper than wind and solar and are able to run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By simply moving part of the tide faster, we can create energy and use it.

‘This is British-owned technology — a world first — and will create jobs by the thousands and create a new gas industry by splitting fresh water.’

To find out more about the design, visit the talk at The Wharf or contact Joseph on [email protected]