A feasibility study for marine energy extraction from the Agulhas current

Abstract

This paper reports on the feasibility study of possible deployment of array of Marine Current Turbines (MCT) in the Agulhas current stream off the eastern coast of South Africa. The emphasis is to carry out a resource assessment from available marine data to determine the optimum location for such technology, as well as to suggest the most suitable technology for such a project. In many coastal areas around the world, MCT technology has been implemented as a means of generation of clean energy from renewable marine resource. It has not however been used in the fashion as suggested in this work, i.e. on a large scale, in a major global current stream such as the Agulhas current. The cases in which it has been implemented are all in tidal situations, as the technology is geared towards extracting energy from the ever present push and pull of the tides. The reason why the Agulhas current would be a more suitable carrier of energy for this technology is that the forces present in the Agulhas stream are far stronger, as well as far more consistent, and thus providing of a larger and sustainable source of electrical energy which could be utilised as a renewable energy resource for South Africa.