Our historical maritime reliance is set to become much more than a link based around shipping and geography to a new relationship based on the huge energy the sea provides and how we can use it to provide cheap and bountiful energy for generations to come.

Political and policy leadership will determine whether Northern Ireland can become one of the world's leading tidal energy centres within the next few years.

The UK is blessed with over half of the EU's total tidal energy resource. This hidden, inexhaustible, self-renewing, predictable and carbon-free energy supply represents one of the world's unique green energy jewels. With some of the best tidal 'streams' in the world lying off the British Isles, the tide could genuinely be turning for an energy revolution.

Northern Ireland holds a series of major positives as regards the future potential design, manufacture and installation of new underwater tidal energy fields.

The North Channel, between Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre, enjoys fierce tidal streams as well as the waters between Rathlin Island and Antrim. Strangford Lough also has huge potential. Importantly, if the Conservatives win next year's general election they have pledged to support new "marine energy parks to harness the power of the sea".

Northern Ireland's devolved Government has issued very ambitious targets to secure 40% of the province's energy from renewables by 2020.

Given a number of vocal and effective anti-onshore wind turbine campaigners, it is hard to see how hundreds of new onshore wind turbines will be built to get even close to this target. This means that Northern Ireland must mobilise to harness the power of the tide and support proven tidal technology off its coast.

Supporting more reliable renewables can also help secure energy supplies and help stabilise prices. Northern Ireland is overtly exposed to erratic and fluctuating energy prices as it is dependent on imported fossil fuels such as coal and gas from where it generates the lion's share of its electricity.

For example, a rising oil price will be followed by rising gas prices and consequently affect electricity bills and drive more families into fuel poverty. This must and can be avoided if the right decisions on renewables are taken to lessen this energy import dependence.

Whereas wind energy and wave energy are weather dependent and intermittent, the stronger and predictable tidal currents deep beneath the surface are where tidal stream turbines can deliver the real difference.

These turbines, secured up to 60 metres below the surface on the sea bed, harness the fiercest ebb and flow of the tides and come closest to a renewable baseload supplier. Importantly the systems offer no hazard to shipping at this depth.

Tidal stream power is perpetual and, unlike wind, highly predictable for centuries into the future. The environmental impact of such undersea turbines is non-existent as they are invisible.

Compare this with the huge 10GW of onshore wind development which is stuck in the planning system on the back of red tape and fierce local objections on grounds of wind's considerable environmental impact.

Northern Ireland also has a unique asset in its own back yard in the shape of Harland and Wolff. In recent years the company has successfully developed a unique expertise in renewable energy design and construction alongside its well-established maritime work.

This has included wind and tidal technology manufacturing and assembly; the company's facilities and deep water port access is unrivalled.

Very recently Harland and Wolff entered into a relationship with leading British tidal stream developer Lunar Energy, which could lead to a major project for the yard and a significant boost for Ulster's renewable evolution.

Hull-based Lunar Energy is already planning to install a huge 300 turbine tidal stream field costing £500m which will provide enough energy to power a large number of homes by 2015. But sadly for the UK, this plant is being built by Lunar in South Korea, in conjunction with Korean Midland Power.

Where the Korean authorities have realised the huge potential of tidal power in their own waters, the UK still appears hesitant to take the lead.

It is a sad truth that development overseas is currently a simpler process than within the UK. Although the UK is blessed with one of the highest levels of tidal stream in the world, there has not been, and does not seem to be, the Government will to remove the considerable planning and crucial grid connection obstacles that are holding back such home grown technologies.

Though energy policy remains a non-devolved Whitehall function, Northern Ireland should take a leaf out of Alex Salmond's book and seek to use its powers on planning to encourage new technologies.

A major planning issue concerns the Crown Estate which owns almost all the seabed around the UK, 12 miles out. The Government must guarantee, through legislation if necessary, that the estate can no longer block or delay important renewable energy projects, as it is with offshore wind. Of equal importance is grid connection. The Government must mandate the National Grid to extend its network out to sea to galvanise the deployment of tidal energy.

With some of the fiercest tides in the world, Northern Ireland stands on the edge of a potential energy revolution which can help secure its energy supplies, create and retain highly-skilled local manufacturing jobs, propel the region as a centre of excellence in the marine energy sector and assist its population with reduced electricity bills in the future.

The opportunity is there and the cry to Stormont's political leaders must surely be: it's time to catch the tide.