Tidal current power effects on nearby sandbanks: a case study in the Race of Alderney
Tidal current power effects on nearby sandbanks: a case study in the Race of Alderney
A validated numerical model of tidal flows and sediment transport around the Alderney South Banks was used to investigate the potential effects of large (300 MW) tidal turbine arrays at different locations in Alderney territorial waters. Two methods were used, firstly looking at hydrodynamic changes only and secondly modelling sediment transport over a non-erodible bed. The baseline hydrodynamic model was validated relative to ADCP velocity data collected in the immediate vicinity of the sandbank. Real-world sand transport rates were inferred from sand-wave migrations and agree favourably with sediment transport residuals calculated from model outputs. Outputs from the sediment model reproduced realistic morphological behaviours over the bank. Seventeen different locations were considered; most did not result in significant hydrodynamic changes over the South Banks; however, three array locations were singled out as requiring extra caution if development were to occur. The results provide a case for optimizing the array locations for twin objectives of maximizing array power and minimizing impacts on the sandbanks. This article is part of the theme issue 'New insights on tidal dynamics and tidal energy harvesting in the Alderney Race'.
Channel Islands, Resource assessment, Sandbanks, Sediment transport, Tidal power
20190503
Blunden, Luke
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Haynes, Stephen Geoffrey
552eda89-6e1f-4b9d-9b38-451a5b455680
Bahaj, Abubakr
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
21 August 2020
Blunden, Luke
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Haynes, Stephen Geoffrey
552eda89-6e1f-4b9d-9b38-451a5b455680
Bahaj, Abubakr
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Blunden, Luke, Haynes, Stephen Geoffrey and Bahaj, Abubakr
(2020)
Tidal current power effects on nearby sandbanks: a case study in the Race of Alderney.
Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A, 378 (2178), , [20190503].
(doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0503).
Abstract
A validated numerical model of tidal flows and sediment transport around the Alderney South Banks was used to investigate the potential effects of large (300 MW) tidal turbine arrays at different locations in Alderney territorial waters. Two methods were used, firstly looking at hydrodynamic changes only and secondly modelling sediment transport over a non-erodible bed. The baseline hydrodynamic model was validated relative to ADCP velocity data collected in the immediate vicinity of the sandbank. Real-world sand transport rates were inferred from sand-wave migrations and agree favourably with sediment transport residuals calculated from model outputs. Outputs from the sediment model reproduced realistic morphological behaviours over the bank. Seventeen different locations were considered; most did not result in significant hydrodynamic changes over the South Banks; however, three array locations were singled out as requiring extra caution if development were to occur. The results provide a case for optimizing the array locations for twin objectives of maximizing array power and minimizing impacts on the sandbanks. This article is part of the theme issue 'New insights on tidal dynamics and tidal energy harvesting in the Alderney Race'.
Text
RSTA_Alderney_BlundenHaynesBahaj
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 15 June 2020
Published date: 21 August 2020
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Disclaimer. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not imply endorsement by other organizations. The images should not be used for navigational purposes. Data accessibility. The model configuration files, including steering, boundary conditions and fortran files (but not bathymetry, due to licence restrictions), for all the simulations described in this paper are available at https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/D1240. Authors’ contributions. L.B. designed the study, drafted and edited the manuscript. S.H. performed the data analysis, generated the figures and drafted the manuscript. A.B. conceived of and oversaw the study, and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript. Competing interests. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding. This work is part of the activities of the Energy and Climate Change Division and the Sustainable Energy Research Group in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton, UK (www.energy.soton.ac.uk). Part of the funding for this work was provided by the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy. It was also supported by EPSRC grant nos EP/K013319/1 (Reducing the Costs of Marine Renewables), EP/K012347/1 (International Centre for Infrastructure Futures) and EP/R030391/1 (Clustering Mini-Grid Networks). The work also received support from a British Council Institutional Links grant (University of Southampton—University of San Carlos, 2017). Acknowledgements. Part of the bathymetric and tidal current datasets used in this work were provided by Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Channel Islands, Resource assessment, Sandbanks, Sediment transport, Tidal power
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 441713
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/441713
ISSN: 1364-503X
PURE UUID: 474662fe-77ed-40f9-be5b-09ac1ae54db1
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Date deposited: 24 Jun 2020 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 05:40
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Stephen Geoffrey Haynes
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