A numerical investigation of tidal current energy resource potential in a sea strait

Abstract

There is a growing research interest in tidal current energy, as it is more predictable when compared to wind and solar. Most past studies on tidal current energy focused on assessing the potential resource of sites with known fast tidal currents. Regions with less energetic tidal currents, but shallow waters for easy installation of energy infrastructure, have not been investigated. One potential tidal current energy location, which fits this categorization, is the strait of Novsko Ždrilo that connects the Novigrad Sea with the Adriatic Sea. In this study a high resolution 3D hydrodynamic model SCHISM was used to estimate the tidal current energy resource potential of this strait. The model results show that tidal current velocities are up to ten times higher than in the outer sea and vary spatially within the strait. However, the obtained velocities in the strait are not sufficient for viable energy exploitation with present tidal energy converter technology level. It is therefore important to further develop turbine type energy converters that could exploit these low tidal current energy resource locations. The applied model can be applied elsewhere for enhanced assessment of tidal energy potential, micro sitting of turbines and environmental impact. Since the current tidal energy potential estimates have been performed mainly with low resolution models, using high resolution models for assessment could lead to overall increase of tidal energy potential.