Assessment of the energy extraction potential at tidal sites around the Channel Islands
Assessment of the energy extraction potential at tidal sites around the Channel Islands
Tidal flows around the Channel Islands contain a significant energy resource that if harnessed could provide electrical power to the Channel Islands, the UK and France. We have developed a new 2D hydrodynamic model of the English Channel which gives an improvement to the temporal and spatial resolution of the ambient flow in comparison with previous regional scale resource assessments. The ambient flow was characterised to identify suitable sites, resulting in a reduction in total development area of up to 80% compared with previous studies. Estimates for upper bound energy extraction confirm that Alderney Race contains the majority of the Channel Islands resource, giving a maximum potential of 5.1 GW, which exceeds a previous estimate for the Pentland Firth by 35%. This is followed by Casquets (0.47 GW) and then Big Roussel (0.24 GW). Our work shows that energy extraction at Alderney Race has a constructive impact on the resource at Casquets, and that the sensitivity to added drag at each site with respect to energy extraction is highly dependent on bathymetry and the proximity of coastlines. These results have implications for the overall resource development within the Channel Islands, where regulation is needed to account for site-site interaction.
Tidal power; Marine currents; Alderney Race; Casquets; Big Roussel; Channel Island
171-186
Coles, Daniel, Stephen
58e46bef-2a32-4b6e-b78b-7efede2a93ab
Blunden, Luke
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Bahaj, Abubakr
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
1 April 2017
Coles, Daniel, Stephen
58e46bef-2a32-4b6e-b78b-7efede2a93ab
Blunden, Luke
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Bahaj, Abubakr
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Coles, Daniel, Stephen, Blunden, Luke and Bahaj, Abubakr
(2017)
Assessment of the energy extraction potential at tidal sites around the Channel Islands.
Energy, 124, .
(doi:10.1016/j.energy.2017.02.023).
Abstract
Tidal flows around the Channel Islands contain a significant energy resource that if harnessed could provide electrical power to the Channel Islands, the UK and France. We have developed a new 2D hydrodynamic model of the English Channel which gives an improvement to the temporal and spatial resolution of the ambient flow in comparison with previous regional scale resource assessments. The ambient flow was characterised to identify suitable sites, resulting in a reduction in total development area of up to 80% compared with previous studies. Estimates for upper bound energy extraction confirm that Alderney Race contains the majority of the Channel Islands resource, giving a maximum potential of 5.1 GW, which exceeds a previous estimate for the Pentland Firth by 35%. This is followed by Casquets (0.47 GW) and then Big Roussel (0.24 GW). Our work shows that energy extraction at Alderney Race has a constructive impact on the resource at Casquets, and that the sensitivity to added drag at each site with respect to energy extraction is highly dependent on bathymetry and the proximity of coastlines. These results have implications for the overall resource development within the Channel Islands, where regulation is needed to account for site-site interaction.
Text
20499331
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 5 February 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 February 2017
Published date: 1 April 2017
Keywords:
Tidal power; Marine currents; Alderney Race; Casquets; Big Roussel; Channel Island
Organisations:
Energy & Climate Change Group, Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute, Education Hub
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 408423
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/408423
ISSN: 0360-5442
PURE UUID: e6190010-311d-4db1-80f0-8dca94a5864c
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 20 May 2017 04:03
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:03
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Daniel, Stephen Coles
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
