Two new tidal energy schemes in Wales and Northern Ireland will showcase a novel technology that is being seen by many as the way forward for this form of renewable energy generation. Sean Ottewell reports. Low efficiency and high production costs have always dogged the development of solar cells. Now scientists in Switzerland and the US are tackling these problems with novel coating and sensitising solutions. The development of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, the ultimate green dream in transportation energy, is another step closer thanks to recent work in the US. A Portuguese consortium is to build the initial phase of the world¹s first commercial wave farm to generate renewable electricity from ocean waves. The initial phase will consist of three of Ocean Power Delivery¹s (OPD)Pelamis P-750 machines located 5km off Portugal¹s northern coast, near to Póvoa de Varzim. There are indications that the hole in the ozone layer is being repaired, but the process of recovery will take decades, according to a report published by the Institute of Physics. A leading Finish oil refining and marketing company has developed a new bio-based, high quality diesel fuel manufacturing process to help meet future biofuel requirements.