Tidal lagoons are a promising new form of renewable energy infrastructure that can offer the production of a reliable source of clean energy, simply by harnessing the power of the tides. With some of the highest tidal ranges in the world the UK is positioned well to benefit from the energy that these lagoons can create, and with a recent UK government report recommending that a lagoon is capable of making a significant contribution to the UK’s energy supply in an affordable manner there is now a need to understand the risks that this infrastructure creates.
This research utilises the case study of the proposed Swansea Bay lagoon – the first proposed project and the subject of the recent Hendry Review – with an analytical focus on what impact the lagoon has on individual and community identity and how this is communicated. Consisting of three rounds of data collection with stakeholders, publics and opposition groups, the research explores how concepts such as place attachment and lifestyle interact with broader notions of identity and community identity to inform risk decisions – and what this might mean for the future of the tidal lagoon industry.
The study also seeks to establish how cultural probes might be utilised as a tool to examine risk issues by using them as an interactive method to critically engage participants with questions on their imaginations of the future. Whilst findings from the research are forthcoming, it can be said that cultural probes offer a useful technique for exploring risks associated with currently non-existing technologies as well as the understanding behind them.
Initial analysis indicates that whilst there is generally support and excitement at the prospect of a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay, there is also little initial critical thought on what impacts the lagoon might have as well as limited understanding of the technology itself. The use of cultural probes during interviews offered participants a chance to become more critically engaged with the project design, offering a potential snapshot of how acceptance of the lagoon may change in future.